Reptile & Amphibian Forums

does anyone have any pics of marks or wounds left by rat snakes? if so, could you please post them along with what kind of snake did it, and roughly how big the snake was.
thanks :]

Here's one from my male black ratsnake. This is not a typical black ratsnake bite - he bit and constricted and held on for over 20 minutes, which I actually didn't care about. He was hungry, because my brother accidentally allowed him to escape while looking after my pets, and obviously my hand should have had food in it when I finally found him again.

The snake who inflicted this is close to 5' in length.

This is a bite from my 2' female Japanese ratsnake - she's a slasher. She actually bite me about five times on the wrist before slashing across my knuckles. I find their bites itchy

You've got more patience than me! I pried my rat off after 5 minutes. The way he was trying to pull my skin down his throat pinched really bad.
I also wanted to note to scapelli that the bites look a LOT better once you wash the blood off.
(are Japanese ratsnakes usually like that?)
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"The serpent crams itself with animal life that is often warm and vibrant, to prolong an existence in which we detect no joy and no emotion. It reveals the depth to which evolution can sink when it takes the downward path and strips animals to the irreducible minimum able to perpetuate a predatory life in its naked horror."
Alexander Skutch

I was very excited he was back, since he's one of my favourite snakes, so there was an extended photo session since it's apparently really funny to everyone else that I was actually quite happy about the whole event.

When I tried to loosen some coils, others tightened. When I tried dunking his head underwater, he tightened. Anything I could think of to try that has worked with other snakes, he tightened. Basically, leaving him to decide I was inedible was the best course of action, since I didn't want to go to the step of trying to put some alcohol or something in his mouth to sting a bit, because all I could see of his lower jaw was his trachea and esophagus, not so much gums with nice sensitive tastebuds.

Afterwards, it was a mess. My hand (which was constricted) was trembling for over 2 hours, and there was a lot of bruising.

Apparently most Japanese rats are like corn snakes. Mine are little spazzes who are unpredictable. Sometimes they coil nicely, sometimes they bite everything in sight. They're actually more like fractious garters in temperment (sans the puking, but with the musking and squirming and nipping)than like a ratsnake.

I like your quote, where did you get it from?