Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Saturday, which is the day before I feed, I made a dumb mistake, broke every rule I follow whenever handling my 9ft Burm. I had a friend over, we had been looking at all my animals including baby rabbits. She wanted to hold Damien, the Burm. He is normally the sweetest most docile animal so I said okay. Unlocked his vision cage and picked him up. I got bit, made him release, got bit on the other hand, made him release and put him away. Wasn't "really" painful. Bled like a stuck pig. I don't need a lecture, already got one from my husband. I know everything I did wrong, it was totally my fault, I accept all the blame. This is my first bite from a burm. Been bit by baby corns before! But now I'm hesitant and untrusting, a little afraid. Is it like falling off a horse? Do I need to just get him out? He was a rescue we've had for a year and a half, I really want to get over this so we can have our old relationship back. HELP!

You probably startled him and/or the scent of the bunny rabbits.
Just keep a little hand sanitizer in the room and wipe your hands down in between handling snakes or animals.
Just go in there and open the cage to let him know you are there and not food, then slowly pick him up... If he snaps again give him a few more days...
I had one snake that bit me a few weeks ago, she followed me around the cage for an hour afterward to say sorry...
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Coastal Carpet Python 0.1 (Lillith)
Albino Burm 0.1 (Kimba)
Columbian RedTail 0.1 (Squishy)
Kenyan Sand Boa 1.0 (Shai'hulud)
Common Snapping Turtle 1.1 (Sherman and Abrahms)
RES 1.0 (speedy)

He did sem to be following me around since then but I thought it was because he still wanted to have me for supper! Especially after I gave him a huge thawed rat yesterday and he ignored it. I finally threw him a live mouse and that got him started. He ate it and then the rat. He's pooped now so when my husband gets home I'll take him out....I'll also get the hand sanitizer, one with a floral smell!!!!

Just a casual observation I made while reading this post was that you are still feeding a 9' burm rats and mice. I understand you fed the mouse to et a feeding response but even rats are pretty small for a 9'er. You should honastly consider making the jump to rabbits. At 9' the snake should be able to easily take a 3-4 lb rabbit. Todd

Not really! I hve a 9 footer who looks real good. Not to big or small. I fed him a small rabit which was maybe 2 inches larger around than his thickest area. He looked like a stuffed sock when the back feet were going down and it ripped his mouth a little. He was out of commission for over a week and I vowed I would never do that again.

As far as getting him out, I use a snake hook I made. All it does is remind him it's not time to eat when I take him out. Once I can get his head beyond my hand and my arm under his neck, he's calm enough that I feel comfortable removing him form his cage. No bites yet.

Why do you say 3 - 4 lb rabbits? This seems to big.

I use hooks to get all of my larger constrictors out.

Get yourself a sturdy snake hook. And only use it to get him out of the cage.
(or when he gets really big, you can tap his sides with it, and if he's ok gently drag a section of him to the outside of the cage and grab a hold of it...)
So your hand isn't the first thing that touches him.

That way, if he gets startled, or it triggers a feeding responce, he grabs the hook and not you!

About the hesitation.... I understand, but it is kinda like a horse, you just have to get back in there and go for it.
I'll be ok.

..

I was the same way. Yes you now know what can happen. It took me a couple weeks to not be hesitant with mine but things got better. And it happened again, by my fault again, different thing the 2nd time. But we live and learn. But if you let that define you, things will never be the same, so get back on that horse and ride, its worth it.