- Joined
- Dec 11, 2002
- Messages
- 788
The picture wasn't showing for me, so I fixed it, Miami corns normally have a grey background and red saddles, I don't think that appearing on him was a trademark, just another spot 
Corn snake questions... and don't laugh!
- Thread starter Cirith Ungol
- Start date
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2004
- Messages
- 281
being a owner of a few different snakes.1 ball python ...2 burm pythons...1 african rock python ...and 2 corn snakes....my female rock python is a biter...i think she has bite me and all my brothers...if your worried about your corn wear some latex gloves while you hold her they (any snake) hates the taste of the gloves and lets go immediatly .this is what i did for about 2 months and now my african rock doesnt bite any more i guess she assumes i i have gloves on ...give this a try i know lots of snake handlers and this is what they all told me to do with mine and it worked great...its 1 of many methods to use to get a snake not to bite any more....hope this will come in handy for you next time..
- Joined
- Dec 22, 2004
- Messages
- 3,883
Thanks NC!
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2002
- Messages
- 1,197
I used to carry a small spritz bottle of vodka in my pocket when I handled tokay geckos, asian ratsnakes, and large skinks a lot. Worked really well for me.
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2002
- Messages
- 2,927
For you guys using vodka, rum or whatever to get snakes to release, shame on you for wasting perfectly good booze!
Ordinary rubbing alcohol works just as good (probably better). I soak a paper tpwel with it and hold it over the snakes head, mouth nostrils and all. The fumes make most snakes release quickly.
Snakes are many things, but "smart" isn't one of them. If they're hungry and something reminds them of food, they'll go for it. I've had it happen with kingsnakes and with pythons. Although they EVENTUALLY will realize you aren't food, it might take them awhile, and in the meantime you'll be very uncomfortable. If it's a really big python though, it could be a lot worse!
My 14 foot burm latched onto my hand recently, and I found a slight variation on this theme. I wasn't able to drag her 100 lb+ bulk over to the cabinet where the alcohol was, but I was able to get to a bottle of hand sanitizer, which is just alcohol in a glycerin base. I smeared this all over her mouth and nose, and sure enough she let go. It also probably helped disinfect my bleeding hand!
To illustrate how hard-wired snakes are, I once had an outer banks king latch onto itself! It had been placed in a container while it's cage was being cleaned. Since the container had recntley held annother snake, the scent may have been there and he decided to latch onto whatever was around...his own back end. Again, the alcohol got him to release.
Wade
Ordinary rubbing alcohol works just as good (probably better). I soak a paper tpwel with it and hold it over the snakes head, mouth nostrils and all. The fumes make most snakes release quickly.
Snakes are many things, but "smart" isn't one of them. If they're hungry and something reminds them of food, they'll go for it. I've had it happen with kingsnakes and with pythons. Although they EVENTUALLY will realize you aren't food, it might take them awhile, and in the meantime you'll be very uncomfortable. If it's a really big python though, it could be a lot worse!
My 14 foot burm latched onto my hand recently, and I found a slight variation on this theme. I wasn't able to drag her 100 lb+ bulk over to the cabinet where the alcohol was, but I was able to get to a bottle of hand sanitizer, which is just alcohol in a glycerin base. I smeared this all over her mouth and nose, and sure enough she let go. It also probably helped disinfect my bleeding hand!
To illustrate how hard-wired snakes are, I once had an outer banks king latch onto itself! It had been placed in a container while it's cage was being cleaned. Since the container had recntley held annother snake, the scent may have been there and he decided to latch onto whatever was around...his own back end. Again, the alcohol got him to release.
Wade
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2002
- Messages
- 1,197
Wade, I wasn't giving them the good stuff.
- Joined
- Dec 22, 2004
- Messages
- 3,883
mimic58 said:
That sounds very logic! If you were to start using Famous Grouse Malt Whisky I bet ya they'd start going for your arms and fingers every time you come close enough! I know I would!! I'd latch on to about anything that has those juices sprayed on them LOL I had been considering a large snake i was going to get just a common boa, the women in the shop tells me it will be 6 to 9 ft so i think Ok i should be able to manage that (Just about) but decide i best do some reading first, Infact this was coblers they can often reach upto 14Feet an regularly do people dilibratly starve them hopeing to reduce there end size but ofcorse u just get a hungry snake....Cirith Ungol said:
I still want one but i just cant risk something that large im sure i could get it off with a tazer if need be But its more my litle sister and my pet dog an escape is just to much of a risk ,
Full Respect to Wade for keeping a berm, im not dising him for handling it alone i know they can be very tame, But after having had to help get one of a freind that was trying to constrict him i take the 8ft rule very seriously, im not sure if it was panic or a feeding responce ,But i can say this It took myself an 2 other fairly well built blokes to get it off him it was incredably powerfull and had he been alone i truely beleive it would of killed him he was unable to breath an turning red while we litrely wrestled this thing off.
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2002
- Messages
- 2,927
Well, having help when handling large snakes is always a good idea, but I wasn't handling it. I was feeding her, and I thought she took the rat off the long tongs, but she had dropped it and grabbed the next available thing...my hand! If I had been carrying the snake around my neck or something stupid at the time, I would have been in real trouble. As it was, it was just painful. If I had been new to it I would have been freaked out, but I've had this snake for close to 17 years.
Wade
Wade
- Joined
- Jul 9, 2004
- Messages
- 489
Wade said:
Well there is always MD 20/20 or everclear...
My concern on using rubbing vs drinking alchy was that should any get in the mouth and ingested it could be detrimental to their health whereas drinking alchohol could be safely ingested and processed if it was splashed or poured. Is this a valid concern?
Of course this would be minimized by the soaking a paper towel like you mentioned, but should that not be a readily available option.
I imagine a spritzer of viniger might also do the trick.
- Joined
- May 1, 2004
- Messages
- 2,290
A bite from a big Burm must be painful, but it can't beat a feed-response bite from a big Emerald Tree Boa! I got nailed by a 6-7-footer a few years ago-typical feed response; snake missed the rat on the tongs and grabbed my hand. This was the worst non-venomous bite I've ever received. Those things have HUGE, long switchblade teeth, and I could literally hear those teeth scraping on bone as the snake chewed and constricted. I was fortunately able to grab the tail and unwind her, but it took some time to get her to let go of my hand, which bled like the proverbial stuck pig! I didn't even think of pouring rubbing alchohol in her mouth, since THAT would have just hurt ME even more. I really haven't had much inclination to keep arboreal boids since then, for some reason.
pitbulllady
pitbulllady
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2002
- Messages
- 2,927
Oh, yeah those tree boas have some wicked teeth, they need them to snatch monkeys and birds and other fast-moving arboreal prey. When I worked for a reptile breeder a co-worker got nailed bad by one and if I remember correctly he required stitches afterwords. Much smaller than a burm, but much bigger teeth!
Wade
Wade
- Joined
- Dec 22, 2004
- Messages
- 3,883
I hope you experts don't mind me asking - this question might look a bit odd, but what would you rather be tagged by, a "medium" hot snake or a tree boa or other snake with some really nasty teeth?
From what some have said the bites from such (the later) often turn out to be extremely nasty - wouldn't it then be better to get tagged by a poisonous one? This comparative question only holds if you presume that you get to hospital and that the venom and bite can be treated without any big delay.
From what some have said the bites from such (the later) often turn out to be extremely nasty - wouldn't it then be better to get tagged by a poisonous one? This comparative question only holds if you presume that you get to hospital and that the venom and bite can be treated without any big delay.
- Joined
- Jul 9, 2004
- Messages
- 489
I think I would rather take a hognose bite than a large boid bite. But that comes from not having been bitten by either before.
It depends on the size of the boid, if its for example a large retic i would probably lean toward the mildly venomous one due to the massive mechanical injury a retic bite have (a friend got tagged by a massive one, and the doc thought hes hand was caught in a machine of somekind...). A treeboa bite is not much in comparison even if they got long teeth.Cirith Ungol said:
But my choice is not to be bitten at all.
/Lelle
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2005
- Messages
- 477
Eastern Garter Eats Childs Finger :evil:
When I was 10 years old (give or take, d@mn, over 30 y ago!) I caught a garter snake in the woods near the house. Not only did the snake take my middle finger as something to eat, he hit so hard and fast that by the time i realized what was going down
(my middle finger) he was half way to the joint. the teeth would not allow removal and the muscled in the jaw just kept him moveing. I remember not being able to even slow him! It was horrifying! By this age i had already caught everything out there, including 40-50 copperheads and maybe a dozen rattlers, even timbers! At the knuckle he stopped. Of course. I didn't want to hurt him. At the time there were no parental units about.... After some thought, as things were now, static.. I submerged my whole hand in a pot of water until he relaxed (half drowned) I was then able to open his mouth and work him off. He left many teeth in my finger. I was a bloody mess. I used antibiotic on both my finger and his mouth. Since i released him, i don't know the outcome... I hope he was ok. One of several reasons to leave garters alone!
When I was 10 years old (give or take, d@mn, over 30 y ago!) I caught a garter snake in the woods near the house. Not only did the snake take my middle finger as something to eat, he hit so hard and fast that by the time i realized what was going down
(my middle finger) he was half way to the joint. the teeth would not allow removal and the muscled in the jaw just kept him moveing. I remember not being able to even slow him! It was horrifying! By this age i had already caught everything out there, including 40-50 copperheads and maybe a dozen rattlers, even timbers! At the knuckle he stopped. Of course. I didn't want to hurt him. At the time there were no parental units about.... After some thought, as things were now, static.. I submerged my whole hand in a pot of water until he relaxed (half drowned) I was then able to open his mouth and work him off. He left many teeth in my finger. I was a bloody mess. I used antibiotic on both my finger and his mouth. Since i released him, i don't know the outcome... I hope he was ok. One of several reasons to leave garters alone!
- Joined
- Dec 22, 2004
- Messages
- 3,883
Yes, absolutely no question there!! My point was just the theoretic comparison.