Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my male dumerils about 4.5 ft about 1400 grams just bit me - until now, even from arrival he had been perfectly docile - never any indication of agression in any way - never flighty when removing from tub - the last few days he had spent most of his time in the water dish - the only other time he did this was just before a shed - so i guessed it was the same again - i had opened his lid earlier - he seemed interested in coming out but i did not take him out then - his eyes are perfectly clear and its really too soon for a snake his age to be shedding again - at any rate my daughter was in from the army and she wanted to see one so i lifted the lid to retrieve him - he acted a little weird - not sure why but i had a weird feeling that i should just leave him but i didnt - anyways as i lifted him out he wadded his tail around the heat mat and seemed resistant to come out then he nailed me on the wrist breaking the skin on both sides of the arm - i had to twist him loose - i tried again to retrieve him and it was obvious that he would bite again so i left him alone - only 2 things are different about this handling attempt - first of all it was after the room light had cycled off so the room was dimly lit and secondly i had recently changed his feeding from weekly to every 10 days - maybe he thought he was hunting - i've read so much about people who have said that they had never seen a dumerils even pretend to want to bite - so much for that - thought you might share some thoughts and how to proceed from here - this is my first bite ever - thanks robert white

The most tamest of snakes may bite at some time. Might have been going into shed as he was soaking and could have been agitated. At times they just don't want to be bothered and if the snake displays any indication that it does not want to come out-leave it alone. Constrictors for the most part are nocturnal preditors so the reduced light could have made him more aggressive. I always handle constrictors in full light. I always use a snake hook to at least touch the snake before picking it up. Some of mine need hooked and started out of the cage before my hands go on them. Do you feed inside or outside the cage? Bill
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...three years ago it was just another snake cult...
The Retic is King.
Anacondas-the other Dark Side.
Afrocks-the dark side of the Dark Side.

thanks - always feed out in seperate container

I have kept constrictors all my life including the big ones: True retail BCC, burms, retics, and green anacondas-all very tame and easy to handle. Early on I fed outside the cage and that was the period of my life when I got bit on a regular basis all the time. When I started feeding inside the cage the biting stopped. Think I have taken about 3 bites in the last 12 years and they were my fault.

Feeding outside the cage stresses the snake when moved. With large constrictors it is more than dangerous as they hold onto the feeding response for up to 2 days. Feeding a snake outside of the cage teaches a snake that it may eat every time it is taken out. I want my snakes to think they will NEVER eat when taken out. It does not make them more tame in outside feeding. Snakes are territorial and may just bite no matter where fed. Everytime I open the cage for anything but feeding I touch the snake on the nose with a snake hook except when feeding, then they never even see a hook. The snake soon learns the hook means"no food is coiming" and they can be easily taken out.

I think what happenend here is with the lights low and being taken out a little feeding response kicked in. Give feeding in the cage some serious thought. It is much better for you and the snakes and the more modern recommended method. Best of luck for the New Year. Bill
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...three years ago it was just another snake cult...
The Retic is King.
Anacondas-the other Dark Side.
Afrocks-the dark side of the Dark Side.

everything you are saying makes plenty of sense - i guess all i had ever read was from the school of thought that if you fed in the "home" enclosure that just opening the lid might make them think it is feeding time - thats where the hook comes in i guess - what was weird was with is snake as with every snake i own i have always done the same thing - feed on sundays - then never handle til wednesday then always handle in 10 or 15 minute sessions on wednesday and as often as once or twice more before the next Sunday - particularly with this snake- i could take him out 2 or 3 times a day and do most anything i wanted to with him and he never, ever gave any sign of wanting to be agressive in any way - he just acted super weird that night - as i said i had this strange feeling that i should just leave him alone but i didn't and i paid the price for it - since then he has spent most of the time in his water bowl - i guess he's going blue - but he only shed 5 weeeks ago - this seems too quick for a snake his age to shed again - i don't know - i'm really gonna think about what you suggested - i have to admiti had been feedingmy juvenile dum pair in their tub because they refused to eat off the tongs - they would always take it later in the dark after looking at it or laying with their face next to it - i keep them on aspen so i have always feared aspeningestion with feeding - maybe i gotta regroup and go to newspaper and try what you said - i'm pretty new to this whole snake thing and igotta be honest - another bite and i probably bail out on this hobby - keep my corn snake and maybe my young ball and sell out and scrap the big snake business - i like em but i dont gotta have em - its just something i enjoy - thank you for taking time to reply and help me - what do you think baout what ive said in this post and what type of substrate if any and enclosures do you use with big boas in particular - i've got a bigger female coming on wednesday that was to be his mate that i've already paid for - at a crossroads i guess????

If the prey items are dry, aspen ingestion should not be a problem. I feed all my snakes in their enclosures. Some are aggressive, some not. You are describing a stressed snake hanging out in its water. I suspect it may have mites. Check around the eye scales and body for small black round dots. I have had snakes in the past get stressed and irritable with mites. Also, it could have just been defensive and startled due to change in routine with lighting, etc.

thanks for your reply - i have checked thoroughly for mites - it is not that - i think it was just a combination of a few things that made it happen but i continue to welcome opinions and ideas as it is a wonderful tool for learning for me