snake bite...new found fear

miya · 02-10-12, 09:07 PM

so some of u know that awhile ago my brb bit me...and i thought that if i just chilled and gave it time i would get over it...ive had snakes and various reptiles for around 7 yrs tho this was my first bite, and ive found lately that if one of my snakes even jolts a little bit im immediatly putting it back into its tank and i wait for my g/f to come home to take out the brb cuz i just dont trust him at all. is thier any advice anyone has to help me out with this? cuz im thinking of clearing my stock at this point just cuz i cant seem to give them the attention they should have i love all my babys i have my favorites but i dont even hold them anymore

miya · 02-10-12, 09:07 PM

and the bite didnt even hurt it just more or less startled me

infernalis · 02-10-12, 09:32 PM

I'm not sure how to respond, except try and just put the incident behind you.

I have been bitten more than once, I just keep on going back.

Maclyal · 02-10-12, 09:45 PM

it's just like when you were a kid & fell off your bike, slide, swing, fell down & skinned your knee. It hurt & scared you, but you didn't give up on the things that were fun to you.
same applies here. please put it in the back of your mind & do what you enjoy, "Play with your friends & give them the love & attention you always did before."
it is inevidable sooner or later you will have one bite you, I know I have been bitten a few times in the past year & a half. it scared me, sometimes it hurt, but I would not give them up for the world.
keep working thru it, you will be back to normal in no time.

UwabamiReptiles · 02-10-12, 09:47 PM

Getting bit is just part of keeping reptiles. I've only been bit by two adult carpet pythons in the 6 years I've been keeping them. But I personally used the experience to learn from. Now I can say I've only been bit twice in 6 years because I've learned to read my snakes and know when they're agitated or calm. No one likes to take a bite but it just comes with the territory.

If this incident has kept you from caring for your animals correctly then maybe this hobby isn't for you. Or maybe you can face your fear head on and try to overcome it. 7 years with one bite is a really good run. Going that long without a bite shows that you know what you doing. Just approach your snakes with the confidence you had before the bite and I think you'll be fine.

Jay · 02-10-12, 09:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by miya

so some of u know that awhile ago my brb bit me...and i thought that if i just chilled and gave it time i would get over it...ive had snakes and various reptiles for around 7 yrs tho this was my first bite, and ive found lately that if one of my snakes even jolts a little bit im immediatly putting it back into its tank and i wait for my g/f to come home to take out the brb cuz i just dont trust him at all. is thier any advice anyone has to help me out with this? cuz im thinking of clearing my stock at this point just cuz i cant seem to give them the attention they should have i love all my babys i have my favorites but i dont even hold them anymore

... It may be better to just not take him out of the enclosure in the long run. Since you have claimed to owning various reptiles for the past 7 years you should know by now how to read your reptiles. All reptiles are capable of biting and sometimes there is nothing you can do.

You're thinking of "clearing" your collection because your scared of getting bit?

BarelyBreathing · 02-10-12, 10:01 PM

The most painful part of being bit is the anticipation. (Unless you take a retic bite to the face, but that's a story for another time.)

alessia55 · 02-10-12, 10:16 PM

Don't start over-judging their every move. They get more startled than you do. I'd recommend... go back to basics. Getting used to picking them up, and setting them down. Starting over with 5mins sessions. Think of this: your BRB has already put the incident behind him. He probably doesn't even remember it. Take deep breaths, and remind yourself that one bite doesn't mean they'll bite every time- or ever again. So take it back to basics and re learn the confidence you once had.

miya · 02-10-12, 10:41 PM

its not a matter of being scared of being bit...it didnt hurt it just startled me. but for some reason that has me so frustrated everytime they do something erratic i get spooked and put them back.....and yes im generally good at reading my snakes but he was under his hide when he struck out i didnt see him

Strutter769 · 02-10-12, 11:13 PM

I totally get that being bitten dies startle a person! So, if you do clear out your collection, I know someone in the market for an amazing male BRB.... *THIS GUY!*

BarelyBreathing · 02-10-12, 11:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by miya

its not a matter of being scared of being bit...it didnt hurt it just startled me. but for some reason that has me so frustrated everytime they do something erratic i get spooked and put them back.....and yes im generally good at reading my snakes but he was under his hide when he struck out i didnt see him

He was probably more startled than you were.

Trent · 02-10-12, 11:28 PM

Buy a pair of gloves and start back that way.

Rogue628 · 02-10-12, 11:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trent

Buy a pair of gloves and start back that way.

Exactly what I was going to suggest. I've been bitten only a handful of times in the years I've kept snakes and most were my fault. I know I did something wrong and they were just reminding me

My burm tagged my hand a few weeks ago over a dumb noob mistake. I knew better but because I was so tired I guess I forgot or I was getting too comfortable in handling her. Either way, it was still my fault. I still handle her as frequently as my work is allowing me to right now.

The only one I have issues with at the moment is my king. She hasn't tagged me yet, but she's gotten the boyfriend several times and it was nothing he'd done wrong. She's just not used to handling and think fingers are pinkies and tries to eat them. lol I'm getting to where I'm taking her out using leather gloves (I decided on leather because with the way she like to bite I'm afraid she could harm herself on cloth or cloth like materials. She still hasn't gotten me yet, but I haven't built up enough trust in her to take them off. Once I've gotten some trust in her, I'll take them off. Knowing my luck she'll know the difference and tag me when they're off

theapexgerman · 02-11-12, 12:02 AM

I've been tagged a lot my 5 foot bull snake is the devile he bites no matter what you do and he's hurt a lot. But I've been tagged by my buddy corn snake it didn't hurt so what I did was get some of the welder gloves and now that's how I hold my bull he got me on the nose before that really hurt think of it this way are you going to let your pet snake get the best of you no you go back and hold him

jaleely · 02-11-12, 03:30 AM

As long as the animal's husbandry isn't suffering, and you are able to feed them properly, etc., you don't *have* to hold them. You can just get a snake hook and put them in another container when cleaning or feeding. No biggie, plenty of people have display only reptiles. Just make sure their care is not suffering.