Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello!!

To those of you who would like hand protection, I have a tip. BTW I make no money for sales. That will be proven when you see they don't ask for any info about me when you make a purchase.

I may have brought this up before. If so, sorry.

There are gloves out there that are knit with stainless steel encased with a thin coating of textiles. It's steel-cored yarn. Mine were knit, and they are absolutely bullet-proof. And I didn't notice when I bought them, that there is a glove made with two steel strands in the yarn. I'm going to get a pair of those. Their main purpose is to protect fish-filleters, butchers, etc.

I don't want to even give a hint of spamming, so I suggest you use your search engine with keywords steel and glove. Look through the results to find the two-strand version.

I also have arm guards with thumb holes. They are made with finely woven Kevlar, with enough layers to give assurance that a bite or big scratches to the forearm won't penetrate the protection. The gloves go on first, then the arm guards, so the lizard can't just push the glove off. You can find them on-line too. They are not at all expensive.

For me, with an untame (I'm working to get him to not get way stressed if I ever have to pick him up when he's grown.) pre-adult Blackthroat, the protection makes me feel a lot safer.

My dog decided to chew up one of the woven steel-core gloves, and he made holes in it because the gloves are knit and flexible. I pulled out about a two inch strand an tried to cut it with a sharp knife. It would not cut, and that was just one strand. I sawed at that strand. Now I need to sharpen the knife. I peeled of the layers of fabric that surrounded he steel strand, and boy I never would have known that such thin s-s wire could stop a sharp knife. I'm gonna get the two-strand model.

I'm convinced that those of us with Arguses and other biting lizards, would enjoy the extra protection. I count on it, because my pre-adult BT would make a very bad bite if he ever decided to do that during training.

Just trying to be helpful,
and
Happy herping,

clffdvr

I really do not know what to say, other then, when hes an adult, he will crush your fingers in the glove. With albigs, its not the teeth thats the problem, its their jaw strenght.

Also, why know just learn to read you monitors, they really are easy to read. And keep your hands away from the sharp areas/and crushing for albigs.

I do not wear gloves, because I need to feel the monitor. With gloves, you lose control. With gloves you will end up taking them off an on and off, all while working the animals. Again best to learn how to handle them.

One really easy trick to use if your afraid of getting bitten, give the monitor something else to bite, like a rat. I do that all the time. Or if your really messing with it, give it a rolled up towl or similar(thats what my vet did) Cheers

I used to have an Argus that would bite first before looking when you open his enclosure, thinking your hand is food, regardless of the fact that he was well fed. Could be typical Argus behavior, but my other Argus was not like that, nor was the young Flavi-cross pair that I used to have. Regardless, each monitor has it’s own personality, I know.

Anyhow, back to the topic, FR’s suggestion of the towel is what I used with that crazy Argus back then. I would just toss the towel ahead of my hand, a bit over his head, and then pick him up. Once he was up in my arms the biting stopped and he could be held properly without issue. I never did get bit by that one.

He was a really great monitor. Once, when I was allowing him to walk freely around my finished basement, he smelled food on the table (that I forgot was there). Before I could get him, he was on the table and engulfed a half-eaten piece of chicken right off a plate!

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dragonbreeders.com

I am much more concerned with their claws than their bite...if only because there is only one mouth a four really strong flailing claws. It is just lovely when they dig into your arm, thigh and stomach all at the same time while you are adjusting your hold because they are squirming...hahahha - like 10-15 big fish hooks stuck in you with people pulling on them from all directions...

OW OW OW OW OWWWWW ow ow AHHHHHH OWWWWWW DAMNIT OWWWWW GOD OW OW OW MAN GET HIM ow ow ow

Of course that is usually followed up with a tail whip to the side of the head because you tried to pull the claws out of your flesh and momentarily forgot about that weapon...hahha

Anyway - I think it was you Frank who described wearing gloves with BTs this way: "Smash your left hand with a hammer. Now put a glove on your right hand and smash that with a hammer." Sure it sorta helped but um, not really. At least not enough to off-set the loss of 'feel' from wearing gloves.

Tom

Been bitten by your albig, even at a small size.
I say this because I have been bit by a few over many years. Even a 2ft long WT I looked at in a petstore once produced some horrendous crushing force. Ive been bitten by albigs from 1-about 5ft long (proud to say its been a long time since the last one). A 3ft subadult took an electric stun gun to get him to release once (refused to let go), a few at 2ft long resisted dunking in cold water for 10 minutes straight, they were carefully pryed loose. A 4ft albig crushed a bone in my right hand, I am reminded every time I pick up something wrong when the free floating piece of bone grates against the other bone (this bite was so fast, it was a grab at a mouse and release before I could move out of the way). The force behind that bite can sever flesh even with the teeth worn and dull (like an ear, almost lost half of one once to an albig almost 5ft long).
Now those gloves are woven material none the less, this means with a bit of force the teeth go between the layers, unless they are many many tightly woven layers opposing each others grain.
Kevlar gloves made to feel something, to be touch sensitive, such as search gloves have a very thin layer to help protect you from a razorblade or needle while searching a suspect.
I dont think that the gloves would stop an argus, they bite very hard, and the teeth may penetrate the gloves easily. If not, the material of the gloves will be forced into the flesh from the force behind the teeth.
I wear gloves (welding gloves) to protect me sometimes from the claws of a larger monitor. I just hope that I dont get bit, and have become good at reading them after so many past bites with several species.