woma bite me...any danger? i´m kinda worried

[PatrickT]

So it happened...i put my woma out of his enclosure and it seems he mistake my finger with a mouse. He bite into my finger and wrapped around my hand.

It did really hurt and i didn´t remove him with force because i feared i break his jaws or teeth. He is rather small. just 180grams.

His teeth did penetrate my skin and it started to pour a little blood. I grabbed him behind his head and after a couple of minuts it got uncomfortable enough for him to let go.

The blood stopped within seconds And it doesnt hurt anymore as soon the teeth were out. I know womas arent venomous but i´m kinda stressed out because i fear it could infect. I´m vaccinated againt Tetanus like 8 years ago so thats ok.

P.s.: he is ok though. After he mauled me he just started eating his mouse....

[eminart]

I've been bitten many, many times through the years and I never had a single issue. Well, once I found a tooth still embedded in my ear several days after a wild rat snake bit me, but it healed up as soon as I got the tooth out.

[PatrickT]

checked my vaccination status. Was vaccinated against tetanus in 2009. So still good. No teeth stuck in my skin. It doesnt really hurt anymore. Just a little bit.

That little ******* :D

[XburntbythesunX]

Make sure to clean it well and keep an eye out for any signs of infection, i.e. redness, swelling, pain, fever, drainage etc. ;)

[zactay22]

I have been bitten by endless water snakes road cruising. Usually when I get home just soap and a good scrubbing. If you have ever dealt with water snakes the musk is worse than the bite. You should be fine.

[MDT]

Td or TdaP vaccine... every 5 yrs if tetanus prone wound. Every 10 yrs regardless.
I wouldn't really consider a CBB snake bite a tetanus prone wound though.

[Derek Roddy]

Get bitten at least once a month for 20+ years...not a big deal. haha.

D

[Karilyne]

Huh...I never really thought about being up to date on certain vaccines. I'm allergic to the DTaP vaccine so I get a single inoculation for tetanus. I doubt one could get diphtheria or pertussis from a snake though...I don't believe they are zoonotic. Salmonella would be my biggest concern. Just make sure to disinfect with rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer and you should be fine.

[PatrickT]

looks fine so far. but ill keep an eye on it.

[toddnbecka]

No worries, people aren't poisonous, the woma will be fine, lol. From what I've seen a variety of woma owners posting it seems pretty typical for them to bite you at least once to see if you're edible. Sort of like a taste test, not really an aggressive or defensive bite.

[Roman]

Sorry for the late reply, but consider it as a suggestion for future bites. In most cases it is enough to just clean the wounds with some soap and probably some disinfection like Derek and Karilyne already told you. If you experience a small inflammation around the bite you might use some salve like “Bepanthen”, this did help me after a nasty :D bite I got from a tiny corn snake. You did not see any puncture marks or any blood but within an hour the bite started to itch and got a little red, after using this salve this stopped within a short time.

Roman

[Zelg]

Judging by your avatar you like to wiggle your finger at things.....its a tasty looking finger.

Hope all is well :)

[be4rdeddr4gon]

You need a feeder tub.

[serpentgirl123]

I have been bit so many times and only had a problem once. One of the boas' left a few teeth in my finger that needed to be surgically removed. But it never got infected or anything as I was quick to disinfect and clean the wound as soon as it happened (found out about the teeth about a week later when it wasn't healing correctly and X-Rays lol). Just FYI--the boa (an 8.5ft) had my hand/finger for a good 10 minutes before she let go.

As others said, I would keep an eye out on it, clean/dress it, and perhaps (if not already have them) invest in a hook (just tap him/her to let the snake know you are not food/feeding time).

I hope you feel better soon!

[dannybgoode]

You need a feeder tub.

Feeder tubs are a terrible idea not least because of the stress it puts on the snake. All snakes should be fed in their viv. Absolutely no reason to do anything other.

Back to the op I've been lucky not to get bitten by Auntie Rachel but I fully expect some nips if and when I get a young carpet!

[Andy_G]

You need a feeder tub.

No. You are more likely to get bit and it also stresses out the snake. Feeding tubs are pointless unless you're cohabbing.

[be4rdeddr4gon]

dude you are just ignorant if you don't use a feeding tank when you reach in the tank the snake will think that you're hand is lunch and bite you because you're hand is a heat source and snakes like to eat hot things.

[be4rdeddr4gon]

whatever I still use a feeder tub for my snake and he has no sign of stress

[Andy_G]

dude you are just ignorant if you don't use a feeding tank when you reach in the tank the snake will think that you're hand is lunch and bite you because you're hand is a heat source and snakes like to eat hot things.

No, that's an old misconception, sorry. Unless ALL you do when you open the cage is feed, even proposing that the snake would make that connection makes no sense. Also, it's very easy to tap train a snake to even further reduce chances of a feeding response bite. Do what you think is best, though. Some people don't want to learn. Ignorant indeed "dude".

[SerpentineDream]

Feeder tubs are a terrible idea not least because of the stress it puts on the snake. All snakes should be fed in their viv. Absolutely no reason to do anything other.


This. Andy said it best, but the common belief that taking a snake out of its cage and feeding it in a tub makes it less likely to bite its handler is not true at all. Whether it displays obvious signs of distress or not, the snake is stressed because it's out of its comfortable, familiar surroundings and at least IME often won't eat. If it's going to bite you it will bite you anyway, tub or not.

If that doesn't hold water with you, Don Soderberg at South Mountain Reptiles ran an experiment some years back where he took half of his roughly 1,400 snakes out to be fed and left half in their tubs. He recorded the number of bites from each group and found no significant difference. The only real differences were in the amount of time and trouble it took to pull all the snakes out and that more from the "out" group refused food, so he stopped doing it.

Tap training, however, is something you might find helpful.

BTW, Andy and Danny are far from ignorant. Both have considerable practical experience, so you might try learning from them instead of insulting them.

[RAD House]

I agree that feeding tubs are a thing of the past in most situations. As Andy mentioned feeder tubs are in my opinion a great tool when feeding cohabitated snakes. Most problems with aggression happen during feeding so by removing the animal during this time reduces the risk to nil. I remove the calmer of my two garters during feeding time and he doesn't seem to mind.

[dave himself]

dude you are just ignorant if you don't use a feeding tank when you reach in the tank the snake will think that you're hand is lunch and bite you because you're hand is a heat source and snakes like to eat hot things.

Not being cheeky or ignorant here mate just a question but do think it would be a good idea to remove a 16ft retic from a feeding tank/tub and put it back into its enclosure while it's still in feeding mode and likes to eats hot things :confused:

[Tsubaki]

Not being cheeky or ignorant here mate just a question but do think it would be a good idea to remove a 16ft retic from a feeding tank/tub and put it back into its enclosure while it's still in feeding mode and likes to eats hot things :confused:


I have to second that, anyone who think it's a good idea to move a retic to a feeding tank is welcome to see what happens when you open the window on feeding night.. All i can say is watch your face, and i will have you sign a waiver first.. Anyway in all seriousness, i have never used feeding tubs and never will. Hook training is the way to go, also making feeding and handling times on obviously different times of day also helps. I feed my snakes after the lights go out, handling is always during the day.. That also helps! I am not a supporter of cohabiting in any way, so i see no need in even having feeding tubs. (Not a jab at anyone who co-habs, to each their own)

[be4rdeddr4gon]

Sorry I meant live things that send of heat waves:yes:

[PatrickT]

Well i survived with all limbs still atached and in good health ;P