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Ok my hypo Brooksi about 18 inches bit me for the first time today on my hand. I think it was my fault i may have gotten too close to her head. Is this just a defense mechanism or is this due to her getting older? Sometimes she's feisty and others she's a dream to hold, I try to hold her daily if she's not digesting.

With Brooks, it could be defensive or it could be a feeding response (especially if your fingers smell like mice!). My friends who work with Brooks say they will try to eat anything, your hands included. If it was a defensive bite, I wouldn't be too concerned. Sometimes they get startled and lash out. One of my pythons would nip me when he was tired of being messed with. He obviously wasn't scared, but just wanted to be left alone.
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different things can set a snake off and cause them to bite. If the temp in the enclosure is too high, it can cause aggressive behavior. If you move your hand too fast, it could startle the snake and prompt a defensive strike. Your hands might have smelled like mice, or perhaps you gave your dog a pat on the head before handling the snake. And those are just external stimuli. Your snake is an individual animal and will not behave EXACTLY like other brooks. It may get agitated easily.

Just handle your snake more and observe it and in time you should be able to figure it out. But figure out it's habits while it's 18 inches long. Don't wait until it's a monster to tame it. You'll seriously regret that decision.
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1.0.0 Great Plains Ratsnake
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My brooksi,(especially the male) also rush the lid and shoot out to bash anything that moves....and I do mean ANYTHING!. The other day I was removing a shed skin from the male's enclosure, and he lashed out and snatched it right out of my hand and had it in several tight coils before I could blink!..LOL!

It's funny to think he was trying to kill and consume what was once part of himself!..hahaha!. I guess it's much better than actually consuming his own body like some are known to do.

My female is as easy-going and as placid as can be, and will just sit there when held, but the male on the other hand will be okay for a short bit, then suddenly "JET-OFF" out of nowhere in shear panic,..thrashing all over....really weird!, he does this on a regular basis. I can barely manage to get him back in his enclosure without him smashing up the lid and bolting before I can secure it...he is one "live-wire"..LOL!

Those floridana are somethin' else!

~Doug

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

>>My brooksi,(especially the male) also rush the lid and shoot out to bash anything that moves....and I do mean ANYTHING!. The other day I was removing a shed skin from the male's enclosure, and he lashed out and snatched it right out of my hand and had it in several tight coils before I could blink!..LOL!
>>
>> It's funny to think he was trying to kill and consume what was once part of himself!..hahaha!. I guess it's much better than actually consuming his own body like some are known to do.
>>
>> My female is as easy-going and as placid as can be, and will just sit there when held, but the male on the other hand will be okay for a short bit, then suddenly "JET-OFF" out of nowhere in shear panic,..thrashing all over....really weird!, he does this on a regular basis. I can barely manage to get him back in his enclosure without him smashing up the lid and bolting before I can secure it...he is one "live-wire"..LOL!
>>
>> Those floridana are somethin' else!
>>
>>
>> ~Doug
>>
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>>"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"
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Roberts Realm Of Reptile Research
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Thanks,

I opened my mouth and out flowed a melody black.

thanks guys, I do hold her each night if she's not digesting. I give her 48 hours to digest. I think, and I could be wrong, I washed my hands after handling my gray banded, she struck between my fingers. Maybe I didn't scrub hard enough and she smelled the gray banded. Either way she was fine tonight, no problems

I noticed that when I started using GermEx or other alcohol-based hand sanitizer that my snakes became less likely to bite. I wonder if they're associating the scent with handling.
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1.1.0 Hondurans Het Amel
1.1.0 Hondurans Anery, Het Hypo
0.1.0 Honduran Hypo
0.1.0 Honduran Hypo, Het Anery
0.2.0 Pueblans
1.0.0 Pueblan Hypo
1.0.0 Thayeri MSP
0.0.1 GBK Blair's Phase
1.0.0 California King
0.1.0 California King Blue-eyed Blond
0.0.1 Speckled King WC
0.0.1 Jungle Carpet
0.1.0 Ball, Normal
1.0.0 San Diego Gopher, Poss. Het Applegate
0.0.1 Sulcata
0.1.0 Girlfriend, Caucasius Mexicana, Fiancee Phase

http://www.cafepress.com/shedz

I have to agree with the lightening fast response of some kings...had my big hypo female miss the rat and tag me...took me about five minutes to get loose...I now feed the big ones with tongs...lol