large snakes and dogs

Reticsrule · 06-22-05, 07:40 PM

i was wondering if you have a large snake such as a burm and you have a dog, would the burm attack you in a feeding response because of the dog's scent on you? and then i thought well not if you wash yours hands before you handle the snake but what if the dog brushed your leg or something then you were handling the snake and its head was near your leg? would it see the dog's scent as a food source and bite you?

varanus69 · 06-22-05, 09:00 PM

well i am no expert but i know they will see your girlfriends cat as a food source... Lets clarify before there is a flood of hate messages. My ex ( this story is partially the reason shes my ex) left the door open to the burms room while i was at work and her cat went in to investigate... kitty was never seen again. The burm had the room all to himself ( free range). anyways enought rambling.. if they will eat a cat with out a 2nd though i think that there could be an issue with the scent of your dog..

Reticsrule · 06-22-05, 09:26 PM

well i figured if a large burm had a chance that they would eat the dog/cat. but what if the dog's scent was on your clothes or something? i know someone here has to have large snakes and a dog/cat. please let me know if you have ever been bitten or attacted by a large snake because of a dog/cat scent on you.

McCarthy Boas · 06-22-05, 10:51 PM

HI Reticsrule

I have two dog and lots of boas in my home. I have noticed with any new boas I get that they are a little more alert when my dogs are in the same room. However all my boas that I have had for over 1 year don't even care if the dog walks by them. In my opinion my boas learn human scent is not a threat nor a food source. So in my home I believe my boas don't think my dogs scent is a threat nor a food source. However I do keep an eye out when my dogs are around my boas as you never know what could happen. I should also let you know my Lab will not get to close to the boas as when he was a puppy he sniffed a baby boa's head and the boa bite him in the nose and left a few teeth in his nose. I don't think my Lab as ever forgot what that felt like. LOL

Take care,
Tom

Reticsrule · 06-23-05, 05:59 PM

so nobody here has ever been bitten somewhere that their dog had touched them? i have never heard any stories where people have been bitten by their snake because of their dog's scent on them but i got to thinking about it and a dog is kinda like a giant rabbit if you think about it lol. any more input is appreciated.

McCarthy Boas · 06-23-05, 09:47 PM

I did have a friend tell me about someone he knew that was holding two small dogs under his arms while posing for a picture. When he went home, he was reaching over his 16' long burm to pull the water dish out, and the burm bit him in the arm pit and started to coil around him. He's a bodybuilder, and he had a very hard time getting the burm to release him. I was told he still has the burm, and he now has a new respect for how strong they are. All costrictors are much stronger than the average person thinks.

Take care
Tom

Linds · 06-24-05, 12:25 PM

I have three dogs and a cat, and none of my reptiles have seemed to have any sort of feeding response to their scents. I don't own any burms, just large boas, but even when I regularily worked with large Burms we never had any issues. That being said, whenever I am working with my snakes I make sure that my cats and dogs are either out of the room, or crated. Cats especially like to dart around and the last thing I need is for an accident to happen... whether or not they just threaten, startle, or provoke some sort of potentially dangerous response... snakes simply do not mix with other pets, and many don't mix with them - it's something that needs to be respected.

I couldn't agree more with what Tom said, constrictors are definitely much stronger than most people think, even many experienced people take their strength for granted,