baby bite

cxbos · 10-22-17, 08:26 PM

Hi! So my 1-2 month old westie is super not into being handled but eats well and seems to be doing fine in general. Today I was holding him and, like I've heard other people say, thought he was trying to burrow in my finger and I looked down and he was NOMMING.

It was endearing, and he let go after like 1 minute but I was growing concerned about what I was going to do about it because I didn't want to hurt or stress him more. I realized later that I bet he chowed on my finger because I was handling toads earlier.

Anyway, my question to you is - what are your preferred methods for removing snakes when they are latched on?

Thanks!

<3c

SerpentineDream · 10-22-17, 10:35 PM

If it's not a rear-fanged snake I just wait for it to let go on its own. If it's rear-fanged I try to get it off me as quickly as possible.

With a hognose, you just use your finger and gently push up on its rostrum (the little hog snoot). They pop right off. Just be careful they don't grab you again.

Unfortunately the longer a rear-fanged snake such as a hognose chews on you, the more likely you are to have an unpleasant reaction to the bite. Nothing lethal, but likely swelling, pain and blistering. And you are right, that was almost certainly a feeding response bite due to the smell of toads on your fingers. There was a lady a while back on the forum that got a nasty bite after eating a tuna fish sandwich. The smell lingered on her hands even after washing them.