Reptile & Amphibian Forums

After getting tagged by my BRB today, my wife and I got to talking about some of the dangers of having big and large constrictors. A safety precaution everyone should take while handeling things like large pythons is to have someone else around incase you need help getting the snake off of you.

This got me to thinking about the BRB we have. I have read that they can get up to 4.5 to 5 feet long on average, maybe some larger. But how strong are they? Obviously a large python or the equiv. is going to be much stronger. Can the average adult who is used to handeling snakes handle an adult BRB if it freeks out and starts to constrict on the person?

Just wondering. Thanks,
Rob
-----
"I reject your reality and substitute my own" Adam Savage
0.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boa
1.0 Creamscicle motley corn
0.1 Creamscicle corn
0.0.1 Normal corn
0.1 Black Pine
1.1 Bearded Dragon

I got tagged as well last night, was cleaning like normal. Had picked up the moist hide box with snake inside. Like I always do. Any ways, she poked her head out and tagged me. No jerk back reaction but she didn't let go. She tried to pull my finger through the hole. Even re-grabbed me two times. I always keep spray bottles around for cleaning. The first spritz caused her to re-bite, the subsequent spritzes did make her let go. Have several rows of pinpricks on the inside of my pointer finger and thumb.

As to strength, several years ago one wrapped my hand....OUCH....nothing broken but it hurt like #ell!! Again water did the trick but I submerged gthe snake (and hand) into a sink full, it shortly let go. IMO much better to get the snake to let go than to overpower it. Also, less damage to both the keeper and the snake.

>>After getting tagged by my BRB today, my wife and I got to talking about some of the dangers of having big and large constrictors. A safety precaution everyone should take while handeling things like large pythons is to have someone else around incase you need help getting the snake off of you.
>>
>>This got me to thinking about the BRB we have. I have read that they can get up to 4.5 to 5 feet long on average, maybe some larger. But how strong are they? Obviously a large python or the equiv. is going to be much stronger. Can the average adult who is used to handeling snakes handle an adult BRB if it freeks out and starts to constrict on the person?
>>
>>Just wondering. Thanks,
>>Rob
>>-----
>>"I reject your reality and substitute my own" Adam Savage
>>0.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boa
>>1.0 Creamscicle motley corn
>>0.1 Creamscicle corn
>>0.0.1 Normal corn
>>0.1 Black Pine
>>1.1 Bearded Dragon
-----
Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC)
0.2 kids (CBB, selectively bred from good stock)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
12.24 BRB
11.13 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Rob,
I don't know the answer to your question. As a female living alone with 27 boas, I wonder if this is a real concern. Personally, I have more fear of my neighbors than I have for my constrictors. It isn't something I am worried about for myself as much as for my kitties. I assume I am strong enough to unwrap any of the snakes that live with me. I cannot have anything larger than what the Peruvian Rainbows will be. They are my size limit. Just for preparedness I have a suitable hook and a bottle of alcohol near the enclosures. Recently there was an effort to write into our local ordinances a size limit of 6 feet. Everyone was so focused on getting the cat leash law proposal shattered that no one seems to even notice the snake rule in there. 18 months later it all went to the trash can. I have watched these forums for 4 years nearly daily and have yet to see a post about any of them acting anything different than how a snake should act. That doesn't mean I haven't seen bad bites and heard of folks finding more suitable places for their giant pythons and constrictors after an incident. Maybe those experiences are kept quiet for the sake of those weirdos who have nothing better to do than cause grief. Everyone thus far that I know in these situations clearly understood their error in the incidents. Responsible ownership is essential. Snakes will have to do some major damage across the world before they can catch up to the dangers of owning a dog IMO.

>>After getting tagged by my BRB today, my wife and I got to talking about some of the dangers of having big and large constrictors. A safety precaution everyone should take while handeling things like large pythons is to have someone else around incase you need help getting the snake off of you.
>>
>>This got me to thinking about the BRB we have. I have read that they can get up to 4.5 to 5 feet long on average, maybe some larger. But how strong are they? Obviously a large python or the equiv. is going to be much stronger. Can the average adult who is used to handeling snakes handle an adult BRB if it freeks out and starts to constrict on the person?
>>
>>Just wondering. Thanks,
>>Rob
>>-----
>>"I reject your reality and substitute my own" Adam Savage
>>0.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boa
>>1.0 Creamscicle motley corn
>>0.1 Creamscicle corn
>>0.0.1 Normal corn
>>0.1 Black Pine
>>1.1 Bearded Dragon

Hi - first of all, I hope you'll consider keeping a bottle of alcohol gel or rubbing alcohol in your snake room in case you ever have a snake latch onto you in a feeding response and not let go readily. Just a dab of the alcohol close to a snake's tongue usually provokes a VERY quick release. When you submerge a snake in water, it may just hold it's breath for a bit, and eventually if you are running a forceful stream from the faucet, I'd be concerned that the animal might eventually aspirate some water into its lung.

Anyway, these posts reminded me of a dumb feeding mistake a long time ago with a six-foot male Brazilian rainbow boa. I wasn't paying close enough attention when I opened his cage, holding a rat in some 12 inch tongs. I can't remember if the snake latched onto my hand or my arm when he struck, but he threw his coils around me so quickly that I barely had time to yell "Ouch!" before he had my arm wrapped up like a compression bandage from my elbow down to my hand and on past it onto and around the tongs. And he was constricting my hand so forcefully that I couldn't open my grip to drop the tongs. There's something about those recurved teeth that makes you not want to struggle.

So I ended up walking to the closest sink and depositing the snake, my arm, the tongs and the rat under running water. He actually didn't let go for several minutes while my hand was turning purplish from the constriction. I wish I had known about the alcohol trick back then.

How often do you have something happen that is both acutely painful and acutely funny at the same time?

-Joan

"I reject your reality and substitute my own" Adam Savage
-----
"I reject your reality and substitute my own" Adam Savage
0.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boa
1.0 Creamscicle motley corn
0.1 Creamscicle corn
0.0.1 Normal corn
0.1 Black Pine
1.1 Bearded Dragon

Adult rainbow boas are pretty strong. As one person posted, they can easily stop blood flow to a limb. They can also be a serious danger if they decide to constrict around your neck (hence one reason it is never wise to let them crawl around your neck, even a snake just moving around can put quite a bit of pressure against your neck and if it feels insecure, it will tighten and could easily cause you to pass out or injure your throat etc.)

Also, I certainly don't recommend letting young children handle an adult BRB, even one who is not known to bite. Accidents happen and a bite from a BRB to a young child can be extremely painful and if the snake decides to constrict, it can be a greater risk to a very young child than to an adult.

However, the chances of being constricted by a BRB in such a way to pose a danger to life and limb, is very rare. But certain precautions should be taken. Washing hands after handling prey. Finding out where your snake is before opening up the cage to feed, don't drape snakes over your shoulders and around your neck, never let young children handle snakes alone and ensure cages are secure so kids can't get access to the snakes when you are not around.
-----
PHLdyPayne