Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was wondering if one can get any diseases/illnesses from being bit by a python. Theoretically the blood from their prey can contain it, so what prevents them from infecting someone, esp. after a meal? Just wondering. Never been bit, but I was just curious. Thanks in advance to anyone who has insight on this.

mmm never really thought about it. I have been bitten a few times by baby burms and retics...but just washed with soap and hot water then used purell hand sanitizer afterwards

I have been bitten thousands of times, sometimes ripped wide open, and I have never had any infection, serious or otherwise. When I was younger (and a lot dumber) I never even took any precautionary steps against possible infection. I would just wash the blood off and continue what I was doing. These days if it's a good bite I do put peroxide in/on the wounds to help flush out any germs or bacteria and I make it bleed a lot (same reason) and then I may top it off with triple antibiotic cream. These days I'm more realistic and a bit of a worry wort. Like,. "what if??".

In my opinion any tears, puntures or cuts in our skin can certainly lead to a bacterial infection. I doubt that there's any risk of anything as dangerous as say Rabies, unless you're feeding road killed wildlife. If you are feeding domestically produced food items any infections should be more "run of the mill" type infections.

I welcome any corrections here as I was mostly speculating.

>>mmm never really thought about it. I have been bitten a few times by baby burms and retics...but just washed with soap and hot water then used purell hand sanitizer afterwards
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"If I had 365 enemies it would only take a year out of my life to settle all scores." Mia Miselfani

“In my opinion any tears, puntures or cuts in our skin can certainly lead to a bacterial infection. I doubt that there's any risk of anything as dangerous as say Rabies, unless you're feeding road killed wildlife…. I welcome any corrections here as I was mostly speculating.”

Rabies is caused by a virus which cannot survive for long outside the diseased animal’s body, and snakes don’t get rabies so the chance of getting rabies from a snake bite even if one were feeding road kill is about zero. Although, if I were handling road kill on a regular basis, I guess I would want to wear protective gloves!

I know Joan. But I feel that there could be some risk of the python's teeth possibly becoming infected when piercing the diseased animal's body (like used hypos) and then if one is bitten that *maybe* there is a good chance that rabies could be transmitted that way.

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>>Rabies is caused by a virus which cannot survive for long outside the diseased animal’s body, and snakes don’t get rabies so the chance of getting rabies from a snake bite even if one were feeding road kill is about zero. Although, if I were handling road kill on a regular basis, I guess I would want to wear protective gloves!
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"If I had 365 enemies it would only take a year out of my life to settle all scores." Mia Miselfani

Hi Mike –

See, that’s the nice thing about keeping cold-blooded critters, snakes anyway. Lizards like monitors are a whole other thing, however. I’ve rarely used anything other than soap and water; don’t usually bother with antibiotic ointment. Most bites occur to the hands or arms, so I usually try to find a band aid to fit for a day or so if the wound gets in the way of other activities. Where you often do get an infection (even though it is so mild, it hardly warrants the term) is when a tooth or two dislodges from the snake’s mouth and gets embedded under your skin. That actually happens fairly frequently, I think. Assuming the snake isn’t a giant-sized python or an emerald tree boa, the teeth are really quite tiny, so sometimes you don’t even realize they are there. Sometimes, even if you DO know they’re there, they can be the devil to remove because even if you dig around with a needle trying to uncover them, it is often hard to get a grip on one with tweezers. So you just leave it alone, and usually a little local infection develops which causes the tooth to work its way out, so to speak.

I consider every snake bite a failure on my part to either read the situation correctly or to take proper precautions. If I were to average it out over the years, I’d estimate I haven't gotten bitten by captive adult snakes more than five times a year. It is often a mistake surrounding feeding (or the snake thinks its time to eat, anyway!). It is never the snake’s “fault,” of course; always mine.

-Joan

I've also been bitten many times. I've never had a notable infection from a snake bite and I'm pretty sure that for me at least, the incidence of minor infections has been much LOWER than for "clean" puntures (cutting myself with a knife or razor, or poking myself with a needle). I have however had minor but long lasting infections from rat bites. I would think if you're handling live prey, that's far more of a risk than the snake, and even with dead prey, I'd worry more about washing my hands afterwards (which I probably don't worry about as much as I should) than the risk of infection from the snake...
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Larry D. Fishel
Side effects may include paralysis
and death but are generally mild.

It is so true. Rat bites are the real risk in this hobby. I almost died from a rat bite before that caused blood poisoning that almost reached my heart. This after keeping hots for over 18 years and never being bitten by them. It was SO ironic. People I knew used to always tell me I would get bit and die from a hot but no one ever imagined that the real threat was the rat dangling in my hand.

>>I've also been bitten many times. I've never had a notable infection from a snake bite and I'm pretty sure that for me at least, the incidence of minor infections has been much LOWER than for "clean" puntures (cutting myself with a knife or razor, or poking myself with a needle). I have however had minor but long lasting infections from rat bites. I would think if you're handling live prey, that's far more of a risk than the snake, and even with dead prey, I'd worry more about washing my hands afterwards (which I probably don't worry about as much as I should) than the risk of infection from the snake...
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>>Larry D. Fishel
>>Side effects may include paralysis
>>and death but are generally mild.
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"If I had 365 enemies it would only take a year out of my life to settle all scores." Mia Miselfani

I have been bit many times (all my fault)and I have never been concerned with, or ever had, any type of infection from bacteria or anything like that. One time though, I took a good bite on my hand and I several teeth were left embedded in me. I thought that I had gotten them all out but I ended up with two large infected areas on my fingers. I opened up the infected ares and popped out a couple more teeth that I did not originally see. Make sure you get all the teeth out!

Tom

One day I was getting a check-up and I asked my doctor if my snakes have any chance of becoming infected by biting myself. Well, my doctor isn't too trained when it comes to snake bites but she just kinda laughs at me and says, "I'm amazed that your more concerned about your snakes getting an infection from you than you from them!" I think it was the first time she had been asked that question and was caught off-guard. She said she highly doubts any risk of serious infection to my snakes. Personally I've been bit many many times from most of my snakes and all I do is give them a good wash with soap and water. I've never had any type reaction from a snake bite (of course I don't own any venemous! ) Take care, Scott.
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"If A$$holes could fly, this place would be an airport", Not particularly for this place, I just liked the saying.

"In any civilized society, it is every citizen's responsibility to obey just laws.
But at the same time, it is every citizen's responsibility to disobey unjust laws."
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