Ok, so how bad is it, really?

[Punkymom]

Just got my 2nd bp. He's a hatchling and he hasn't been handled too terribly much. I've had him for a week, he's eaten for me once. Here's the problem. Every time I go in to try and pick him up (a whole twice now) he automatically goes into defense mode and tries to tag me. Tonight there was a whole lot of hissing and me using something between him and me to put his hide back (and he struck at it!) and he won. LOL why am I so afraid of a little baby bp? He's just over 100 grams so he's a little feller. So please tell me all about your horrific hatchling bite stories. I guess I could go through the 23 page bite topic, but I'd rather not! Pics are great, too! I keep trying to tell myself it's not that bad but then I wimp out! Argh! I am so embarrassed to be putting up this topic...

[omnibus2]

This is what separates from the every day poodle flaunting snake hating (insult goes here) pet keepers.

Snakes aren't your average pet, as I'm sure you know. You are going to eventually get bitten, sorry there is no way around it. Just pick him up like a doughnut, and do not release him when he bites. That way, he'll learn that biting you is inane and he will eventually stop.

Just don't do it too much, if he gets too stressed he will stop feeding.

[maria1232]

dont worry, hatchilng bites dont hurt at all...its more of the shock and the "oh %^$&*%^ I JUST GOT TAGGED" lol! get it over wiith =P....but i would say leave him alone for a week of so, just go in to feed him and dont try to handle him at ALL....he is just in his whole rebel phase

[Jay_Bunny]

Well I had this one baby ball python who bit me. Took the skin clean off my finger and it wouldn't stop bleeding for an hour. There was blood everywhere!

Ok, not really. I've been bitten by a couple ball pythons. One was a hatchling and I can honestly say I couldn't feel it. I saw a small dot of blood and that's the only thing that convinced me that I actually got bit. Baby ball pythons don't hurt at all. When they get larger, it feels like a tiny pin prick but that's it.

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

If you get bitten it will scare you more than anything. It doesnt really hurt. Babies are naturally more defensive and shy. I have one baby that has bitten me twice already. She has a great feeding response and will come sailing out of her hide at the first movement.

Once you take the hide off reach in coming from well behind her head. Scoop up the part of her body that is farthest from her head. Use your other hand or the hide to distract her. Once you have her out of her home she should calm down. She will calm down with age regardless.

Id rather be bitten by a snake than a dog, cat, bird etc..

[angllady2]

My husband has a little monster of a BP, and he's tagged me.

The only reason I knew he'd got me, I felt him hit my finger and there was a very teeny tiny eentsey weentsey little microscopic drop of blood. If you had a magnifying glass you could just see it.

It's more then instant shock of, " That snake just bit me! " Then it's, " At least I think it did, I don't see anything, but I'm pretty sure that was a bite." And finally it's, " If it did bite me, and I didn't just imagine the whole thing, I can't figure out where it got me. I guess we'll just keep this between us."

Really, it's nothing to be afraid of, kittens do way more damage than even an adult BP does. Your best bet is just to get it over with, once you know there isn't anything to be afraid of, you'll feel better about handling.

Gale

[Danounet]

This little scratch made me scared of my little 250g plus little spider hatchling for about 2 weeks, no joke! I still dont understand why...

[blackcrystal22]

He will probably get better as he ages.

[BOWSER11788]

i think it pyschological, most of use are raised to fear snakes, its more the fact of OMG a snake just bit me than i just got my finger pricked by a needle(what i think snakw byte feels like)

[West Coast Jungle]

Your little guy is probably still stressed from being on his new enviroment as well as he is a baby which makes him more defensive times 2. You have to figure the only chance they have of surviving is hoping they can scare off a potential predator with a few strikes, otherwise they are pretty much defenseless especially considering they cant do any harm or damage if they actually tagged you. Until you get used to being tagged your reflexes will get the best of you and you will jerk even though you know they cant do any harm. It still happens to me sometimes and I have been dealing with 100's of them for years, LOL

He will get over it and stop as he gets older and he settles in. The first time a baby tagged me I was reaching into a tank of like 50 CH imports and I pulled my hand away so fast I banged it on the side of the enclosure. Needless to say smacking my hand on the enclosure hurt way more then the bite ever did. I can control my reflexes better when I am expecting to get zapped, its when I am not that I tend to jerk away out of pure reflex.

Dont worry, he's not Satan, just a scared little baby just trying to defend himself the only way he knows how.