Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey, i just got my first water snake, about a 15 inch northern. i got him about a week ago and haven't tried holding him yet. I just got him to start eating a few days ago and he seems to have acclimated well. He is eating well and even hunting the fish i have in the water in his enclosure. He doesn't freak out when people come up close anymore either. Just curious on any ways to calm them down when handling. I've only been bit once by my 2 foot king and while it didn't hurt i would rather not get bit. i doubt the water snake could even puncture my skin but just curious, how bad is the anticoagulent in the northern's saliva. I've seen some gruesome bite pcitures.

is the snake wild or cb if its wild the siliva is a lil stronger but not really bad. for tameing and u dont want to get bit but on a long sleeve shirt and a pair of gloves then take the snake out for a bout 20 minutes to an hour everyday in a week or so u should be abel to pick the snake up with no problems also dont handly the snake on feeding days or the day after couse it can leed to regurgitation. i tame a lot of wild cought snakes mainly northorn water snakes. i tame them mostly for local skools.
CrazyCody

Just handle it more. That is all you can do. A 15 inch water snake bite won't hurt, though it might itch a bit. It will break the skin though. But I would rather be nipped a bunch by a 15 inch water snake than wait and get chewed on a lot by a 3 or 4 ft water snake.
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Andy Maddox
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The Reptizone

If you steal in hunger, I will kick you when you try. These stand for me. Name your god and bleed the freak. I'd like to see. How you all would bleed for me.-Alice In Chains

I have never had any problems with their saliva but then again I have a great imune system. I'm always getting bit by them so that may be part of the reason. On Sunday I went to the tennesee river and caught a banded and a midland and the banded was about 3 1/2 feet long and it swam right passed the boat ramp and in about 1 foot of water it went under a rock( ihave never seen this before) and i just calmly walked out about 15 feet and lifted the rock and pulled it out and the 15 or so people just went carzy they didnot know what to think. Then it came up and snagged me on the fing and actually punctured a vein in my hand and blood squirted out. They all thought it was a copper head. I told them different. Don't think they beleived me. They probably think I'm dead. Oh yea and to ur ? just hold it a lil more and don't be worried about it biting you.
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Justin

As everyone else says, just handle him often. My W/C midland has tamed down greatly. He's never bitten me but he was a real wiggler when I first got him, now he's just as tame as my Eastern King. He loves just resting on my arm and hanging out.