Reptile & Amphibian Forums

In this hobby I know everybody has/or will have a tale to tell...and the recent post of somebody mentioning that they were afraid of the "bite" that interguied me..here's mine.

I was ordering a pair of brooksi from a breeder a couple of years ago.. (I'll change his name to save him any embarressament as he does post here occasionally)..I'll call him "Nitetime Tim"..anyway..I was on the phone with "Tim" as he was in his snake room..he had a escaped honduran ..and he was trying to corner her as we talked.. he caught her as we were still connected..
Everything got quiet..and He muttered,"(insertt religious idol here)"..I hope she don't bite me."..LMAO..here's a guy that handels hundreds of snakes a year and he's worried about the "next bite"..(acually, I think he was pissin his adult diapers at the time)..as I do everytime, I recieve a new addition or open a cage.
I used to say..,"Owned snakes for two and a half years..Never been bit..that was 6 months ago..DAMN MBK...but I got a new story..enjoy your animals..relish the stories..
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Richard Evans

no not THAT one

As many times as I have been nipped, I have still retained my strong "pull away" reflex. Unfortunately my reflexes have slowed down(as my reflux has sped up) with age and the pull back occurs AFTER I have been nailed. One time I had just refilled a large water dish for one of my outerbanks kings and was in the process of placing it back in his enclosure. Out of nowhere came a strong open mouthed feeding response charge. This time, miraculously, I avoided the bite, but in my ensuing pull back reflex I spilled the entire contents of the water dish all over my face and hair.As I was laughing at what happened, charge number two came and I got nailed anyway. I almost died laughing sitting there drenched and dripping wet with a king furiously chewing and wrapping around my finger.

OK...I get to line 2..and I chuckle..then, I somehow get to line 3..I'm bustin a gut...you paint a great story Howie..thank you

P.S.. is there a spellchack here anymore?
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Richard Evans

no not THAT one

That's awesome. Great story.
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1.1 Florida Kingsnake
1.0 Kisatchie Cornsnake

I have had the “jerk” reflex kick in and jerked the snake all the way out the cage and onto the floor a couple of times. Usually followed by picking those tiny teeth out of your “wound”. I feel bad for the poor snake that just plopped on the floor and a little embarrassed for the over reaction. A regular old nip is way less painful!

I'm gonna come clean..it was a MBK..but as it struck me..I let out a Tarzan yell..(my wife may say it sounded like a loud "HEY" ..but I distincly remember Johnny Weismullier shouting at the time..that's my story and I'm sticking to it...where
's that damn spellchecku
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Richard Evans

no not THAT one

My corn snake nipped me yesterday for the first time, really startled me even though I saw it coming. He let go instantly, but I could very clearly feel a whole bunch of tiny teeth! I was trying to grab a mouse he was near to dangle it in front of him.
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1.1 Florida Kingsnake
1.0 Kisatchie Cornsnake

The first time I was bitten was about a year ago. I'd fed my Cal king around noon one day, and friend came by some two hours later to show me her new milksnake. Needless to say, I had to brag on Zorro. So, I got him out and the next thing I knew, he's gnawing on my finger. Apparently, I tasted bad because he let go.

LOL!!,..That's too funny Howie!!, that stuff happens to the best of us buddy!

Could you please post a pic or two of the sticticeps that assaulted you? Those are an item you don't see around very often.

thanks!, ~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Wow! I thought you were going to tell of my reflex to keep your brand new adult female hypo bull away from your dog and almost hoister her into a ceiling fan!!

Tony I would have brought it up if it came to mind. very funny ,still laughing about it.You should have told the whole story in detail however. and Doug, sorry to say the marauding outerbanks male died in my shed accident of 3 yrs ago. 3 of my 6 breeder outerbanks however have that intensely ferocious response- kinda like bite and wrap first ask questions later. I love it, never have a finicky eater problem with ob kings(the babies are another story however).

Sorry to bring those dreaded thoughts up again for you, but do you have ANY pics at all of the other three(of the six) sticticeps that you could post?, or any other sticticeps you might have?. I've always had high regards for them thar serpents!

Here's a pic of a mishaps I had a while back..LOL!

~Doug

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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Hey Doug, No I do not have pics of hardly any of my collection. I am in the old dog category and am only now beginning to figure out how to use my kodak instamatic, to give you an idea of my photographic skills. I got to get some of my buddies to come over and snap away so I can post some of my collection. My sticticeps are largely 3rd generation from the ones I originally got(which may have been 2nd or 3rd themselves). The babies now hatch out almost already highly speckled, which is not the norm for ob kings, who develop the full expression of their speckling the first 12-24 months of their development.You'll just have to visit to see them till I can get some pics to you.

Thanks for the info on your sticticeps collection. That DOES sound awesome that your later generations have tended to speckle-up that early. Also, I'm sure we'll get together one of these days somehow, I don't think there will be a shortage of "snake stories"(or beer) to share with each other..LOL! I'm guessing that between us, we probably have about 85-90 years of combined snake experience.....Wow!, that sounds ridiculous, but it's true!

~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Several minutes later, after he finally thought he "killed" the prey.

note: the rat still hanging by one tooth..LOL!

~Doug

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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

And THAT is why I wear gloves.

Yeah, I don't tend to hold my snake while he's feeding... >_<

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Holly

0.1 Lavender California Kingsnake (Lizzie Borden) (missing )
1.0 Florida Kingsnake possible mix (Eddie Gein)
1.0 Bearded Dragon (Charley Manson)
1.0 Orange Marmalade Cat (Oliver)
1.0 Egyptian Arabian (Bagan)

2.0 Toddlers (Justice & Trevor)

Holly,......I wasn't holding it while it was eating, it rushed up to snatch a small F/T rat from his enclosure that I held directly above him with the rat's nose directly in front of his face. When he shot up to grab it, he missed and grabbed my finger instead, while just barely getting the rat with only one tooth. It "looks" like I'm casually holding it because he was constricting the crap out of my hand, trying to kill the rat(so he thought). While I was sitting there waiting for him to eventually let go, I decided to take a couple shots with my free hand.

I have used this method of feeding many adults for decades, and use minute adjustments in positioning the prey item as I watch the snakes reaction to the food,....but as you can see, once in a very great while, it doesn't quite go as planned..LOL!

I don't really recommend that people use this method, as you might get thrown a "curve-ball" from time to time as this snake demonstrated..LOL!!

~Doug

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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Ah... thanks for clarifying... I was wondering. ^_^ Thankfully, Eddie eats whatever is in front of him that smells like food, so I don't even have to tempt him with the mice. ^_^ I just have to keep my hands very, very clean. Hehehe.

By the way, my son loves the orange one you just posted.
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Holly

0.1 Lavender California Kingsnake (Lizzie Borden) (missing )
1.0 Florida Kingsnake possible mix (Eddie Gein)
1.0 Bearded Dragon (Charley Manson)
1.0 Orange Marmalade Cat (Oliver)
1.0 Egyptian Arabian (Bagan)

2.0 Toddlers (Justice & Trevor)

n/p
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

I'm too fond of my fingers to try hand-feeding. I dangle the mouse with needle nose pliers and hope Zorro doesn't miss.

You must taste bad, Doug. The snake looks like he's crying in agony. LOL!

You've probably heard the term .."that person left a bad taste in my mouth" used by others in the past before,.... well I guess the snake literally thought so as well!....I guess he didn't like the taste of my blood type..LOL!

Wish he would have let go a little sooner though(4-5 minutes)

~Doug

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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Ouch! The bite I got only left one prick and nowhere near that much blood. Got to love that feeding response.

That was very mild when compared to my 14ft. Python(130 lbs.) when it grabbed my hand and wanted to pull me into the cage to constrict me, the bite covered my ENTIRE hand!

It looked like the scene of a "slasher" movie, I was pouring blood like a stuck pig!.........It was ENTIRELY my own fault though, as I did not feed it for quite some time. This was about 25 years ago when I had to drive about 40 miles to get BIG rabbits from a guy that raised them way out in the country.

It was the ONLY time it ever bit me since I had it as a small hatchling. Some months later, I donated it to the Metro Zoo in Miami/Dade County, and it had a great environment there. It was being used for breeding programs for other zoos in between being displayed and allowed to be held by zoo patrons as well.

~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Howie!!
I still can't stop laughing!!

Now...here is a story that Howie wanted me to share. I shall but I have to change the name of my friend that this happened to. Reason being..if he ever read this with his name attached, he may hunt me down and welcome me to an ungodly end, and then my snake collection will be divided amongst my friends, as you see, I just would not be here!! ha ha!!

Let's call my friend, " Friend X. "

Back in the early nineties, I was at a pool party where Friend X and myself, and also some other friends, were sharing a delightful night swimming at his pool, sharing herp stories, and such. Friend X's little brother, who shall remain nameless, decided then was the most appropriate time to share a story that no one knew but those two alone. Of course, Friend X was very unhappy about this, but then admitted it was true as well, as there was no need to deny it.

This is a bite story.

One day, Friend X, was relaxing at home, doing duties such as cage cleaning, and then had decided to rest and watch some tv with his adult male cal king Cody, resting on his arm. Well, nature called. No, not Cody, but Friend X and his calling...a simple trip to the bathroom to relieve himself of number 1. He made a run for the bathroom.

Now readers, and I am sure you all have done this, myself included...have you ever done things while not in a full train of thought?

Let's add a little background music: A timpani softly playing in the distance.........

Friend X went and did the normal thing. Friend X started with using the restroom.

( timpani getting louder )

Friend X thought nothing of his adult male cal king Cody in one hand, while his other hand assisted in nature's calling of number 1. Cody was maybe a foot away from it all......

( LOUD Timpani! )

Cody strikes.................WHAM!!!!!! Cody retracts quickly!

( imagine the movie screen in your mind right now going pitch black for 5 seconds..then a long, scream filling the speakers with massive reverb detailing the horror and shock of poor Friend X. )

That to me...dear readers..may be the worst bite story I have ever heard in my life.

I think I remember having at asthma attack from laughing so hard.

Friend X's little brother finished the story with loudly exclaiming amidst the gathering by the poolside, " what did he think it was....a pinky mouse!? "

The End.

True Story.

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Genesis 1:1

LMAO! Omg... I'm sure the guy didn't find it funny at the time, but jeez! I read that one off to my boyfriend, he was rolling with laughter. ^_^ Good reminder: Guys, never take your snake to the bathroom, eh?
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Holly

0.1 Lavender California Kingsnake (Lizzie Borden) (missing )
1.0 Florida Kingsnake possible mix (Eddie Gein)
1.0 Bearded Dragon (Charley Manson)
1.0 Orange Marmalade Cat (Oliver)
1.0 Egyptian Arabian (Bagan)

2.0 Toddlers (Justice & Trevor)

Man!,....that is TOO FUNNY..hahaahaha!!!

What did he expect would happen when dangling a "pinkie" in front of a snake?....I'm laughing just thinking of the snake doing a long, drawn-out constriction thing for several minutes!LOL!!!!

~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

I know exactly who you're talking about...

You should have him tell you about the time one of his big Woma's got out, reared up like a cobra, and chased him out of his snake room while he was screaming like a little girl- hilarious!

//Todd

I can see To...err "Tim" doing that...but, I'd probably be running too. Cobras or womas..they all end in "A"...LOL
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Richard Evans

no not THAT one

My most recent bite was about two years ago, from a Cal king at the pet store I used to work at. I was in the process of showing her to a customer, and explaining how they're a little high-strung but not very likely to bite. Then she (the snake, not the customer) rubbed her head against my finger a few times and took it in sideways and wrapped around my hand and wrist. It didn't hurt, but it was a little embarrassing, especially after five minutes when she still wouldn't let go.

I've been bitten so many times over the years that it doesn't even phase me anymore, unless it's something big.

i was feeding all of the snakes and when i get to my young female childrens python i get a little leary she always comes up out of the cage to get her meals. so this time i decided i would just open the little screw on feeder hole in the top of her 10 gallon and hold the mouse by its tale until she grabs it. so i slide the tank off half way and balance it on my knee and shelf, im holding the mouse in the hole and the phone rings so i answer the phone and at the same time she strikes misses and grabs my thumb!!! so i answer the phone using many explitives and its my mother on the phone!!!
so now im explaining and apologizing and getting pulled through a hole about an inch and a half across. now the snake is fully coiled, dangling from my thumb im stuck in the lid and im balancing the tank between my knee and the shelf. so i finagle the locks that hold the lid on and take the hole lid and snake into the other room and sit on th couch to wait it out. 5 minutes later the snake only gets tighter as my thumb wiggles and now its a little mis colored so i start uncoiling and the snake not only has me but a little of its own scales in its mouth
lets say i had to get the girl friend to help undo this not
adam
i might have pics ill have to check
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" a.k.a. farfrumugen "
hybrid breeders association
1.1 puebladurans
1.1 sinacorns
1.1 hypo corns
1.1 kenyan sand boas
1.1 mbk
1.1 albino corns
1.1 childrens python
1.2 ghost corns
2.2 butter(both females motley)
2.2 pyroxgreerixruthvenixalternaxcampbellixholbrooki
0.1 hypo pyroxgreerixruthvenixalternaxcampbellixholbrooki
1.0 snow corns
1.0 jurassic milk
1.0 house snake
1.0 crimson corns
0.2 albino pueblacorns
0.1 striped ghosts
0.1 anery pueblacorn
0.1 bloodred
0.1 striped albino corn
0.1 albino nelsons
0.1 anery motley
0.1 normal corn het hypo,anery
0.1 hypo tang hondo
0.1 rosy boa