Bitten

[lexi]

Hi there,
I have a corn snake and have had for about 5 years, never had a problem, handle often.
So a friend of a friends asked me if I could take his corn snake off him since he is moving far away yadda yadda. I was told Sid was friendly, handled often, great snake.

Okay so I first of all stupidly believed this person.

I get snake home, I just brought him tank and all, and wait, and wait and wait not wanting to disturb Sid and when he finally came out I discovered...
Sid is a milk snake. He is about 2 feet long. He does not seem at all disturbed by my movement outside of the tank but when I opened the lid he was not happy. I didn't plan on handling him right away but did give him a mouse and let him be.

Three days go by. No milky eyes, no signs of a shed. I open up and sink my hand into the tank. Sid retreats. His behavior seems odd to me so instead of picking him up by the middle as I would with my snake I go behind his head and scoop the rest of him up with my other hand. He keeps trying to turn his head toward my hand and I wondered if I might be freaking him out by my handling him in that manner. I let go and he fricken bit me.

I don't know if I just scared him but I don't think he is the nice, often handled snake I have been told about. I would like some advice on how to get him used to handling. He is beautiful and I'm not just going to give him away or give up on him.

Please help.

[alessia55]

Next time, pick him up by the middle, not by grabbing his head. Go slow, keep handling sessions short, and take deep breaths. Remember, he is afraid of you because you are a large predator. You will earn his trust slowly :)

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[nick654377]

my boa i picked up in the beg of this month was very striky. hense his name el diablo. i couldnt get near him with out him striking at me. only was able to move with the hook. now i can grab him out with the hook and handle him and he is completly calm in my hands. i am still tense waiting for a strike but he is calm as can be. i handled every other day for 5-10 minutes and that was it. he will calm down with handling.

[dinosaurdammit]

I wear a wash cloth on my waist band and when i remember it I drop it on top of the set up every day, snake seems interested and associates the smell as being common and not a harm. JR was kinda strikey and this worked. Have you tried just getting him used to your smell?

[Ms. Medusa]

The only way to get him used to you is by repeating short non-threatening sessions with him. With a really nervous snake or nippy one I often let them come out of their enclosure on their own--and then offer my arm as a 'branch' of sorts. After they have crawled about on you a bit on their own terms-- it seems they often will transition over a period of time. Just keep trying. And even if he nips a bit-- and it isn't pleasant...the more you let him know you aren't deterred by his biting (which is likely to try and get you to go away) he will stop.

With my BP hatchlings which can be excessively nippy at times cause to them I'm just a BIG pink thing that wants to pick them up to eat them! If they are not seeming to calm down-- I will put my balled up fist on the bottom of their habitat in front of them (the back of the hand towards them) and allow them to strike at it. Presenting the back of the fist gives them no real area to grab onto, they can't wrap it--and they aren't wanting to eat--they want me to go away. It isn't in a threatening manner but they finally get that I am not going to harm them, and I'm not going away..and their biting isn't really bothering me... A friend of mine that has been breeding BP's for around 30 years suggested it once, and it has worked well with some of my more nippy babies that I have tried to prepare for being handled by new owners...

[SnakeyJay]

Are you really surprised that a snake has bitten you.. This is something you have to accept as a part of keeping snakes. If a snakes calm that's a bonus, if not then its doing what a snake does.. Defend itself.

To be fair if u grab him behind the head then I'm not surprised he bit you, even very tolerant snakes won't enjoy that being done to them.

[Lankyrob]

Am i the only one confused that this is in the hognose section? ;)

[SnakeyJay]

Am i the only one confused that this is in the hognose section? ;)

Ha, I didn't look where it was.. :)

[Lankyrob]

I was expecting to see a nice hoggie bite and associated swelling/reaction :(

[ilovemypets1988]

milk snakes being king snakes, are usually fairly snappy anyway, but what i suggest you do is leave your hand in the enclosure, just sitting there for 10-15 mins each day, he will associate your hand as part of his habitat and will accept it with time.

or just do what i used to do, just go into his enclosure full of convidence and pick him up (by the middle) and just let him roam around ur body, if you sit down while you do this, have him on ur lap while keeping an eye on him, when its time to put him back into his enclosure, just scoop him up.

but remember this, being a king snake, any smells such as other snakes, food items or anything really will set him of into a feeding response that will lead to you getting bitten, i suggest you wash your hands with none scented hand wash, before you go in his enclosure and again afterwards :)

[Ms. Medusa]

Ha, I didn't look where it was.. :)

Ditto! lol

[alessia55]

It's in the Lampropeltis section now ;)

[Pareeeee]

New snakes can be jumpy at first, since they are trying to adjust to changes. I suggest wearing gloves at first if you're afraid of getting bit, and once he's used to that, then try bare-handed. Also don't grab behind the head again, and move slowly. I've heard that milk snakes are a little more bitey than other snakes to start with. It may take some time. Also try the scenting thing others mentioned.

[Kettennatter]

It's essentially a king snake, let him bite you, it doesn't hurt much. I had a CA king who would bite the living daylights out of me and constrict on whatever had a pulse. Even with normal maintenance handling he is likely to calm down. Other than that: Move slowly and use a two-handed grip not too close to the head, just as the other posters said.

Trust me, you'll have fun. I now miss the adrenaline rush of picking him up.

[Herpophiliac972]

I wouldn't start by grabbing the head. It makes the snake feel immobilized, and therefore he becomes stressed out. The snake may seem aggressive at first, but once you have him in your hands he should calm down. It might also be that he is stressed from the move. Do you have him in the same environment that he was in before? If he was introduced to a new environment and subsequently handled in the next few days, he could become spooked after all the stress. After a while he should calm down. Handling him every so often should help to tame him. If he is being very aggressive, you may just want to leave him be for the time being. Good luck and hope this helped.

[Eight]

Like others have said, it will take time but eventually he'll settle down to a degree. Although I kind of sympathise with how your probably feeling. My second snake was a striped Cali kingsnake. Totally different to my corn, and a fast angry biting machine. He just wouldn't let go. He bit me pretty much every time I went in his enclosure. Such a small angry snake that wanted to eat everything. I actually remember thinking "what have I done?" and I truly believed that this little snake would try to kill me pretty much everyday for the foreseeable future.

He is so much better now, and I've learnt to read his intentions from his body language and the way he approaches me. He is very viv defensive but out of the viv he is a complete puppy of a snake. He's probably one of my favourites now, and I could never be without his distinct character and he is the main reason I like kings so much.

Again as others have said don't try to restrain his head, take him gently by scooping up his middle. Try to move in his viv with confidence. Don't grab him quickly and don't hesitate, just do it calmly. I've always found that's the best way :)

[Deva]

I have a milk snake and the only time she bit me was when I only had one hand on her and she whipped around and bit me a good one.

She is a little flighty and was trying to get away and I was losing my grip. I am sure she felt unsupported and was just defending herself.

Its good advice, grab your snake by the middle and lift up. Try to support her whole body as much as possible.

[snakeriver]

I am so sorry! Well, the most sensitive part of its body is its head and tail. Snakes usually don't enjoy being touched there. Next time just be sure to pick him up by his back.:)

[bcr229]

My second snake was a striped Cali kingsnake. Totally different to my corn, and a fast angry biting machine. He just wouldn't let go. He bit me pretty much every time I went in his enclosure. Such a small angry snake that wanted to eat everything. I actually remember thinking "what have I done?" and I truly believed that this little snake would try to kill me pretty much everyday for the foreseeable future.

He is so much better now, and I've learnt to read his intentions from his body language and the way he approaches me. He is very viv defensive but out of the viv he is a complete puppy of a snake.
Our high white Cali king snake is becoming like this - he's very territorial in his viv, totally non-aggressive outside of it. He's threatened to bite and done the "nose bump" and hissing, never actually grabbed hold though.

I've found it's easier to remove him if he's climbing on one of his sticks or being active, as I can encourage him to move across my hand so he's well supported when I lift him up.

OTOH our black Mexican king is the exact opposite! She can be in full gray in one of her hides, and you can reach in and pick her up, and she doesn't make a fuss.

[Bloedig]

My Honduran Milk has never bitten me, but he does act like a Milk. He tends to be shy and runs from contact. But, once in hand he is very cool and collected and just kinda hangs around and checks things out.