Does it hurt to get bitten by a californian kings snake

werled · 07-19-17, 01:54 PM

Hi my name is mike i am 16 years old and just got my first pet snake. its a cali kingsnake female adult about 1.50 meters long. i really love snakes. there is only one prob i am very scared to get bitten by my snake. so how does it feel?
does it hurt? is it worth being scared about it?

my pain threshold a little low under average i think. thanks already

dannybgoode · 07-19-17, 02:25 PM

Have you ever been bitten by a kitten or a puppy. Less than that.

trailblazer295 · 07-19-17, 02:27 PM

First time is the worst because of the unknown. In reality it's like a bunch of pin pricks. Isn't bad with small snakes. Cali kings aren't known to be that bitey.

**Minkness** · 07-19-17, 02:29 PM

Hello and Welcome!

I get the fear part. I am also a wuss when it comes to pain lol. Getting bitten by a snake is way scarier than it is painful though. Their teeth are pretty small in comparison to many other animals. I like to think of the pain as more of a papercut than anything. (This is in relation to your snake. Carpet pythons and larger snakes are different).

Scubadiver59 · 07-19-17, 03:10 PM

I got bit by my 6ft Boa the other day, a defensive strike, but it didn't hurt at all as far as I was concerned--it was so fast, there was no pressure, just a sudden pricking (19 total on two fingers) that was accompanied by some light bleeding. All I did was wash it with anti-bacterial soap throughout the day, and the following days, and I can hardly tell I got tagged.

Just keep your fingers away from the opening of the hides (don't do what I did) and let the snake come all the way out before you attempt to grab it, gently, from below or from the side. And feed your snake with tongs or the large "tweezers" like ZooMed offers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by werled

Hi my name is mike i am 16 years old and just got my first pet snake. its a cali kingsnake female adult about 1.50 meters long. i really love snakes. there is only one prob i am very scared to get bitten by my snake. so how does it feel?
does it hurt? is it worth being scared about it?

my pain threshold a little low under average i think. thanks already

jjhill001 · 07-19-17, 05:39 PM

Yeah, but not bad. Depends on circumstances.

TRD · 07-19-17, 05:43 PM

It's not too bad, cali kings are usually not at all bitey though as already said. They are pretty easy going and very curious.. just don't feed a 1.5 meter one with your bare hands

First bite, if ever, will be more shock than pain. But yes they do have teeth, small, but sharp. Their bite is nowhere near what a normal house cat or small dog can do if that gives you any point of reference.

Magdalen · 07-19-17, 08:48 PM

I've yet to be bitten by my snake (the gecko yes) but I'm sure it'll happen eventually. So I couldn't answer your question but I understand your nervousness/fear. I used to feel the same. A few things helped me. One being bit by the gecko (didn't hurt) and oddly enough working with horses and getting over my fear/nervousness around them. I figure it I survived getting bit, stepped on, smashed by 1000lb animals I'll be ok if my tiny 20gram snake bites me. Horse bites hurt haha

SSSam · 07-19-17, 09:32 PM

I'm also 16 and I own 3 cali kings, it really depends on what your pain tolerance is haha Like most people have already said, as a snake owner you should always be ready to take a bite, although cali kings are probably one of the sweetest snakes out there. Their teeth will definitely draw some blood but just make sure you disinfect ur wounds. The strike is often so fast that you wouldn't even feel it until like a second later. The only time I have been bitten was a few years back when I got my first cali king, and it was due to the smell of rodents on my finger that triggered her food response. ALWAYS wash your hands before handing your snake and try not to touch the head before it's used to handling. Good luck pal

Jim Smith · 07-19-17, 09:36 PM

Typically it's like being attacked by angry Velcro. At worst, it's like being pricked by tiny pricker bushes. Just wash the bite site and keep an eye on it. You can disinfect with alcohol and put a dab of Neosporin on it if you're concerned about inflammation.

jjhill001 · 07-19-17, 10:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TRD

It's not too bad, cali kings are usually not at all bitey though as already said. They are pretty easy going and very curious.. just don't feed a 1.5 meter one with your bare hands

First bite, if ever, will be more shock than pain. But yes they do have teeth, small, but sharp. Their bite is nowhere near what a normal house cat or small dog can do if that gives you any point of reference.

If I had to pick I'd let a kingsnake bite me 1000 times over being bitten by a cat or dog once.

dannybgoode · 07-19-17, 10:20 PM

Whatever you slam your hand into when you reflex jerk it away usually hurts far more than if you took the bite.

As Mink says with very large snakes it's an entirely different proposition...

werled · 07-20-17, 07:32 AM

Thanks to you all. this info did help being less scared

**Andy_G** · 07-20-17, 07:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjhill001

If I had to pick I'd let a kingsnake bite me 1000 times over being bitten by a cat or dog once.

I agree with this!

I've also noticed the complete opposite that TRD has. Most of the Lampropeltis getula animals I have had have a very strong feeding response and will bite/chew due to that...california and florida kingsnakes especially. Every snake is an individual, though. I'm sure you'll enjoy your new snake!

BillyCostume · 07-20-17, 09:01 AM

The fear of being bit is much worse than the actual bite. Most of my bites have come from smaller snakes, the worst bite I got was from a jungle carpet python when I was a teen. It bled quite a bit but wasn't really painful in all honesty. The bite I took from a chow chow 2 years ago was much worse lol. I wish I could lose my flinching reflex when it comes to bites, all in due time I suppose