Removing a coiled snake from your body?

[forza_inter]

Is it true that if a snake manages to get a hold of you and manages to coil around you (obviously something big enough in size to cause you harm)....what is the best way to get it off?

I've always been under the impression that grabbing the tail and simply uncoiling it works....is this true? or just a myth?

[Coffee Black]

I had a decent size Dumerils female bite my hand and coil around my arm and coiled around the end of her tail ! I submerged her in warm water in the bath and she finally let go. Whole scenerio was my fault but it sure did suck.

[ilovemypets1988]

if you uncoil a large snake, then its always best to start from the tail end but as coffee has had experience with, you cant always guarantee that the tail is exposed to do this, in which case, warm or even cold water will work better (obviously not cold enough to kill the snake, just enough to shock them), but there are several different ways of doing it and completely depends on the circumstance and situation that the keeper and snake are in to be totally honest with you.

you see, different situations call for different tactics and resolutions.

[forza_inter]

I had a decent size Dumerils female bite my hand and coil around my arm and coiled around the end of her tail ! I submerged her in warm water in the bath and she finally let go. Whole scenerio was my fault but it sure did suck.


really eh? what did you do to make her bite? (if you dont mind me asking)

[forza_inter]

if you uncoil a large snake, then its always best to start from the tail end but as coffee has had experience with, you cant always guarantee that the tail is exposed to do this, in which case, warm or even cold water will work better (obviously not cold enough to kill the snake, just enough to shock them), but there are several different ways of doing it and completely depends on the circumstance and situation that the keeper and snake are in to be totally honest with you.

you see, different situations call for different tactics and resolutions.


very true....speaking of water, i remember reading somewhere that alcohol (not rubbing) actually works better then water to get it off...i dunno how true that is tho

[ilovemypets1988]

ummm a drunk snake, that would be funny to see but i would think that its also very dangerous to the snakes organs especially the liver, look at what alcohol can do to us humans, snakes aint as resilient as we are so i wouldnt expect it to be safe but i could be wrong.

[Lankyrob]

Alcohol will stop the bite but not the coil. Best bet is to never allow the snake to get a coil round anything except an arm. My SD retic squeezed my arm few weeks back and i very much doubt i could of got him off, just waited for him to relax.

[marionsclan]

I've seen some youtube videos showing how quickly a snake will let go and uncoil when water is poured over them. I think that sounds like the best and most humane method for all involved.

[ilovemypets1988]

well you could try an ice cube on the snout, that should work a right treat

[Coffee Black]

really eh? what did you do to make her bite? (if you dont mind me asking)


Handling a a few rats at feeding time and when it was her turn I saw a poop in her cage and said " Oh a poop! Why don't I just reach in there to clean it out...." She had a remarkable feeding response. It was while I was switching her to rats too so she hadn't eat in two weeks.

[stephanbakir]

I need to say this, it will be phrased oddly but please believe it.
If a large snake coils around you, there is very little you personally can do to save yourself, there are tricks like mouthwash and submerging the snake etc, but that all takes 2 things, time and ability. Chances are you will have neither.
Always handle snakes with a secondary person if that animal has the potential to harm you significantly.

[forza_inter]

Handling a a few rats at feeding time and when it was her turn I saw a poop in her cage and said " Oh a poop! Why don't I just reach in there to clean it out...." She had a remarkable feeding response. It was while I was switching her to rats too so she hadn't eat in two weeks.


brutal....yea def making sure i never make that mistake. i wear latex gloves when handling the rats....and tongs to feed my snake....but even after that i wash my hands like crazy....i aint taking any chance what so ever

[shaunyboy]

I had a decent size Dumerils female bite my hand and coil around my arm and coiled around the end of her tail ! I submerged her in warm water in the bath and she finally let go. Whole scenerio was my fault but it sure did suck.


when home on my own i had a similar thing happen with a jungle carpet python

it hit me with a feeding response,when i was transfering it to a feeding tub

i had 2 females co habbiting in the same tank,so i had to seperate at feeding time

she smelled the food in the air and mistook the back of my right hand and wrist for dinner.

as i tried to keep hold of her head,to stop her walking further up my wrist with her teeth,she coiled round both my left and right hands,also both my wrists

i was effectively in hand cuffs for roughly 45 minutes,until my wife came home from my sons and unravelled me...!!

i have found the easiest way to get a carpet to uncoil and let go say a branch with its tail,is to keep touching the tip of the tail.the carpet seems to want to move away in the opposite direction

cheers shaun

[forza_inter]

when home on my own i had a similar thing happen with a jungle carpet python

it hit me with a feeding response,when i was transfering it to a feeding tub

i had 2 females co habbiting in the same tank,so i had to seperate at feeding time

she smelled the food in the air and mistook the back of my right hand and wrist for dinner.

as i tried to keep hold of her head,to stop her walking further up my wrist with her teeth,she coiled round both my left and right hands,also both my wrists

i was effectively in hand cuffs for roughly 45 minutes,until my wife came home from my sons and unravelled me...!!

i have found the easiest way to get a carpet to uncoil and let go say a branch with its tail,is to keep touching the tip of the tail.the carpet seems to want to move away in the opposite direction

cheers shaun


45 mins! dude thats insane....what was going through your mind during that time? I would tripped right out

[ilovemypets1988]

the thing is forza, if you keep snakes, you kinda have to expect a bite every now and again, its just there nature.

[forza_inter]

the thing is forza, if you keep snakes, you kinda have to expect a bite every now and again, its just there nature.

oh believe me, im fully aware of that man....only thing you can do is be as cautious as possible. Im sure everyone would love to never get bit, but sometimes accidents happen....its just best to know how to act if and when it does happen right?

[ilovemypets1988]

i dont mind getting bitten tbh, im never that cautious, i even feed my snakes with my bare hands, its the way that i choose to do it and if i get bitten then as far as im concerned, good on the snake for being so accurate to get me and shame on me for being too slow in my response

[KD35WIN.AS.ONE]

i dont mind getting bitten tbh, im never that cautious, i even feed my snakes with my bare hands, its the way that i choose to do it and if i get bitten then as far as im concerned, good on the snake for being so accurate to get me and shame on me for being too slow in my response

I was never to cautious with my nonvenomous either, besides my Burm LOL. I didnt want to get bit (as im sure nobody "wants" to), because theres a chance it could injure the snake, and it bleeds so much hahah.

[ilovemypets1988]

i dont care about getting hurt so much myself as im a fairly quick healer, its the snakes that i worry about getting hurt lol

[Lankyrob]

i dont care about getting hurt so much myself as im a fairly quick healer, its the snakes that i worry about getting hurt lol

If that is the case why risk the snake damaging itself by biting you in error - just use tongs and remove the risk totally.

[forza_inter]

If that is the case why risk the snake damaging itself by biting you in error - just use tongs and remove the risk totally.


exactly what i was thinking rob

[mykee]

Vinegar/water mixture in an atomizer.

[stephanbakir]

Is it true that if a snake manages to get a hold of you and manages to coil around you (obviously something big enough in size to cause you harm)....what is the best way to get it off?

I've always been under the impression that grabbing the tail and simply uncoiling it works....is this true? or just a myth?
The original questions was something big enough to coil around you and cause you harm.
I need to say this, it will be phrased oddly but please believe it.
If a large snake coils around you, there is very little you personally can do to save yourself, there are tricks like mouthwash and submerging the snake etc, but that all takes 2 things, time and ability. Chances are you will have neither.
Always handle snakes with a secondary person if that animal has the potential to harm you significantly.
There really is very little you can do if a big snake is wrapped around you, there are little things but you need to follow protocol and always have at least 1 more person there with you. They WILL overpower you. Even if you have something in your hand that will make them let go, it has to be applied to their face, who says that you will be able to reach their face??? Chances are you won't be able to.

[Freebody]

i have been bit and coiled a couple time over the years, and i always put their head under cold water, they release instantly, well at least in my case they have, but mine were all food bites so after they release and realize im not food the grip lets go then i can uncoil, but im sure if it was a pissed off snake im sure i would try to get ahold of its head while keeping in the water stream and unwrap it best i could. my adalt jag got me the day i got it, and i could feel my bones in my forarm flexing together, lots of power thats for sure, just pulling it off was never going to happen, i tied to keep it from wrapping my arm and i could not even stop that, let alone get it off with out the cold water

[stephanbakir]

Exactly, and that was a carpet, imagine a burm/rock/retic/annie. You wouldn't have much effect on the situation at all on your own, you would probably be on the ground unable to communicate/move at least half of your body.

[Freebody]

I watched a program on discovery about this test they did on a anaconda, which they say has the tightest pressure squeze, cant remeber the exact # but they said it was the same a school bus sitting with its tire on your chest.

[stephanbakir]

It really sucks, the closest i've come was a retic wrapped around my ARM for about 15 seconds, and it was black and blue for a few weeks, and hurt really bad. It bit the rabbit and wrapped itself around my arm (i used to feed them with my hand out of line of sight hanging the rabbit into their enclosure) Always use LONG tongs.

[KD35WIN.AS.ONE]

For little one's i fed bare handed sometimes, anything else always used hemostats.

[marionsclan]

And every time you exhale their grip become tighter.

[stephanbakir]

with big snakes thats not even your biggest worry, they will simply crush you.

[marionsclan]

with big snakes thats not even your biggest worry, they will simply crush you.

Oh well, that's good to know. Less to worry about. ;)

[Lankyrob]

Stephan, my SD did that to my arm about a month ago - still dont know why he decided to grip so hard but even a 2 yr old SD left bruising to my arm and i am pretty darn sure he wasnt even trying to crush - there was no way i would have got him off even at the pressure he was holding - just had to wait for him ot let go.

[stephanbakir]

Exactly, people just don't understand how strong they are, even at 5 feet long. You should never be alone with them for any reason.
It sucks and its limiting, but unless you want to risk being injured and risk causing some media hype which reptile owners DON'T need, don't risk it.

[marvelfreak]

A few of you have heard the story about me getting choke out by a 8' 1/2 foot RTB. For those who have this is what happen. I was letting it climb around my neck it got spooked and tighten up. I always thought i could easily pull him off, but when you can't breath you don't have as much strength. I blacked out, fell hit my head.(under 15 seconds) Lucky for me my brother and sister in law showed up and got him off of me. Them walking up to the door is what spooked him. In the minute it was tighten around my neck it left a bruise all the way around my neck and part of my face.

Another time i had a 8 foot Burm bite and wrap my hand and arm. It took 15 minutes and three of us to get it to release. We ran cold water over it for ten and it still didn't let go. It wasn't till we got his mouth forced open that he loosen his grip. Then holding him right be hide is head we slowly unwrapped him. Left me with temporary nerve damage in my hand, 67 teeth whole,and fourteen broken teeth in my hand. Bruising from my hand to my elbow. Took almost 6 month to get full movement back to my index finger.

THERE"S A REASON THEY SAY NEVER HANDLE ANY SNAKE OVER SEVEN FEET BY YOURSELF. Always have someone close by. I learned the hard way. And they were both a little over 8 feet. Imagine what a bigger snake could have done. In both cases if someone hadn't help me i would have been screwed.

[stephanbakir]

Wow man, that must have sucked.
That isn't to say that they cant be rewarding to own, but damn you need to be careful and learn as much as you possibly can before taking that leap.
If you can find a mentor GET one.

[marvelfreak]

Wow man, that must have sucked.
That isn't to say that they cant be rewarding to own, but damn you need to be careful and learn as much as you possibly can before taking that leap.
If you can find a mentor GET one.
Unfortunately there wasn't a lot of information out there when i first got into snakes 19 years ago. I didn't have the amazing WWW at my finger tips then. So i listen to a lot of pet store employee who didn't know crap. I hate to say i had to learn a lot of stuff about snakes the hard way. And many poor snakes suffer very stressful lives because of me. The hardest lesson i learn was about quarantining new animals and not keeping snakes together. Got a New RTB that had IBD. It wiped out all my snakes Balls, RTBs and Burms. After that i got out of snakes for a couple years. When i started up my again i made it a point to learn everything i can before getting a snake.

[stephanbakir]

IBD is relentless :(

[Kayla90]

Unfortunately there wasn't a lot of information out there when i first got into snakes 19 years ago. I didn't have the amazing WWW at my finger tips then. So i listen to a lot of pet store employee who didn't know crap. I hate to say i had to learn a lot of stuff about snakes the hard way. And many poor snakes suffer very stressful lives because of me. The hardest lesson i learn was about quarantining new animals and not keeping snakes together. Got a New RTB that had IBD. It wiped out all my snakes Balls, RTBs and Burms. After that i got out of snakes for a couple years. When i started up my again i made it a point to learn everything i can before getting a snake.

Ugh yes, I was at PJ's Pet store awhile back where I got to hold a baby python. I went up to one of the employees and asked if I could possibly hold one. At least he knew not to hold snakes right after they feed and let my hold the baby BP's who hadn't yet. And of course being a sales person he tries to sell it to me, and I'm saying to him, "Well I heard snakes are pretty hard to handle, mainly when you don't know anything about them, and I don't have any proper equipment so I don't think I will today."
He actually kept on trying to sell it to me by telling me that it was easy to take care of them, all I have to do if get a shoe box poke some breathing holes into it and I'm good." -.- If I had no knowledge of snakes I probably would have bought the BP. People underestimate how much work ANY kind of pet is.

[forza_inter]

A few of you have heard the story about me getting choke out by a 8' 1/2 foot RTB. For those who have this is what happen. I was letting it climb around my neck it got spooked and tighten up. I always thought i could easily pull him off, but when you can't breath you don't have as much strength. I blacked out, fell hit my head.(under 15 seconds) Lucky for me my brother and sister in law showed up and got him off of me. Them walking up to the door is what spooked him. In the minute it was tighten around my neck it left a bruise all the way around my neck and part of my face.

Another time i had a 8 foot Burm bite and wrap my hand and arm. It took 15 minutes and three of us to get it to release. We ran cold water over it for ten and it still didn't let go. It wasn't till we got his mouth forced open that he loosen his grip. Then holding him right be hide is head we slowly unwrapped him. Left me with temporary nerve damage in my hand, 67 teeth whole,and fourteen broken teeth in my hand. Bruising from my hand to my elbow. Took almost 6 month to get full movement back to my index finger.

THERE"S A REASON THEY SAY NEVER HANDLE ANY SNAKE OVER SEVEN FEET BY YOURSELF. Always have someone close by. I learned the hard way. And they were both a little over 8 feet. Imagine what a bigger snake could have done. In both cases if someone hadn't help me i would have been screwed.


thats insane....two very close encounters....what caused the burm to bite you??

[marvelfreak]

thats insane....two very close encounters....what caused the burm to bite you??
Feed response. I was watching it for a guy. He had told me it had eaten a couple days before so i didn't think and reach right in to change it's water. Bam it nail me and wrapped. Found out from his girlfriend when she came to pick it up that he hadn't fed it in almost two months. So when i reach in it thought i was dinner.

[Kayla90]

:O Who doesn't feed their snake for two months, and then tells someone it was fed a couple days before??

[marvelfreak]

:O Who doesn't feed their snake for two months, and then tells someone it was fed a couple days before??
He was to scared of it to feed it. Last time it been fed was right before he bought it two months earlier. I talked to him and help him find it a good home. That the only time it ever bit. The guy who took it still has it.

[forza_inter]

Feed response. I was watching it for a guy. He had told me it had eaten a couple days before so i didn't think and reach right in to change it's water. Bam it nail me and wrapped. Found out from his girlfriend when she came to pick it up that he hadn't fed it in almost two months. So when i reach in it thought i was dinner.

are you serious?!....straight up i would have dummied him the second he got back

[Kayla90]

O.o I don't care if your freaking scared to feed it, that doesn't mean you starve them. Seriously, that seems cruel to me. If your frighten then just drop the dead mouse or rat in and hope the snake eats it. If not feed, wait a week and try again. That doesn't mean you just NEVER feed it at all???

[stephanbakir]

O.o I don't care if your freaking scared to feed it, that doesn't mean you starve them. Seriously, that seems cruel to me. If your frighten then just drop the dead mouse or rat in and hope the snake eats it. If not feed, wait a week and try again. That doesn't mean you just NEVER feed it at all???
You throw a mouse into an adult burms cage and hes likely to die from laughing too hard :P