Reptile & Amphibian Forums

OK, Ive read posts about freehandling on this site and why it should not be done, but Im really wondering about it.

I found a glossy snake last night. It was 35 inches, and it did not like us. It was striking at us whenever we got close enough. To move it, I lifted it by the tail. He was unalbe to strike at me when I had him lifted like this. As soon as he was back on the ground, he was ready to stike again. How was handling this one any different than handling some of the venomous snakes? Ive never freehandled, Ive only twice touched the local rattlesnakes, holding the tail while supporting the body with a hook. Is the hook and tail methood safer? I feel that the hook gives the body enough support to be able to strike out.

Please give my guidence on handling venomous snakes in the field without use of tongs.

My advice is don't do it. Why would you EVER need to free hand other than to prove something to yourself or worse, try to impress someone else? Handling a glossy and a HOT animal are two TOTALLY different things. If you make a mistake with a glossy, all you get are a few minor abrasions. On the other hand getting tagged by a mojave or something similar would have dire consequenses. That's why we have the tools we have. Should you get bit doing something totally unnecessary such as freehandling, we fellow Hot keepers pay the price with all the bad press involved, not to mention the unnecessary medical expenses you will incur, plus the pain and suffering you and your loved ones will have to experience. It's just not worth it.
If you feel you MUST put your hands on an animal, the hook and tail method is the safest. The hook is not merely to support the body of the animal, but also to keep the business end of the animal away from your body. There is defintely technique involved, other than just slipping a hook under the body of the animal. Good luck and be safe.

np
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"The luxury of not getting involved departed with the last lifeboat Skipper..."

Freehandling is not a must for me, I was just asking about it. I use the hook, and I rarely touch the animal, usually just hooking it and carrying it to safety (off of the roads we cruise).

What is the proper technique behind the hook and tail method? I have no desire to take a bite, but there is also method to tongs, as you can crush or injure the snake that way, especially smaller ones. Sometimes just hooking doesnt seem to work well, so I feel hook and tail may be more effective, but I want to be sure that I am doing it right. I dont feel comfortable holding the animal from behind the head, which is the method that my mentor says is the only way to handle without getting bitten.

No offense but that worries me that your mentor thinks that holding the animal behind the head is the only way to not get bitten... Not only is it inaccurate, but pinning and picking up a venomous snakes is probably the most risky handling technique outside of free handling, and is not needed much outside of venom line working.

Well, he does milk them. He works at a venom research center. I believe he meant without tongs, as that is their method of catching in the field. I dont think he likes the hook and tail method.

The hook & tail method works fine for larger crotalids. Using it on smaller crotalids or elapids will land in you in the hospital. I could explain how it's done, but you'll understand that that would not be wise on an open forum like this.

~~Greg~~

Unless you are in the business of milking snakes, there is absolutely no reason to pin and grab behind the head. Not only is it dangerous to you, it is HIGHLY stressful to the animal. There is also the very real possibility of the larger Hots thrashing about thereby breaking their necks during your "death grip" on the animal because you don't want to get bit while he is thrashing. You should really have someone who is comfortable with the tail / hook method to show you the proper way to control and handle the animal properly. For the smaller animals, they are easily hooked into a bucket that is prelined with a bag for collection purposes. If you are just attempting to scoot them off the road, even better; just scoot them off the road with the hook. Good luck, have fun, but above all: Be Safe!

A couple of things:

When most people here talk about freehandling, they are talking about actually supporting and holding more of the snake than just the tail, without using hooks. That's the type of handling that gets everyones panties in a bunch. Some snakes can probably safely be held by the tail alone, but it's usually because they are too heavy to strike up, which means it's very hard on the snake's spine.

Other than some large crotalids (see above) almost every venomous snake (and non-venomous for that matter) that I've worked with has been capable bringing it's head up to it's tail. Some can't "strike" that high, but can get up there to bite you, and a few will go as far as to climb thier own bodies to get you. Please don't generalize from the one snake you tailed. It's also possible that he didn't really WANT to bite you, since you would then know that he was harmless...

Also, with almost any snake, getting ahold of the tail in the first place puts your hand in range unless you're controlling the front end with a hook...

Hook-and-tailing is about more than just supporting the snake. It's about positioning the hook in such a way to block or at least slow down a strike while supporting at the same time. As other's have said, it's probably impossible to explain adiquately in text. You need someone to show you and a fair amout of practice.

So your mentor said that pinning is the only way not to get bitten???? I guess he has never seen a gaboon or other long fanged snake stick a fang through its bottom jaw in an attempt to evenomate its handler...... Also hanging any heavey bodied snake upside down by the tail can be very stressful on the snake and can cause death if held there too long..... Puts too much pressure on the heart....... Pinning does need to be done at one time or another..... But it is not the way to go about things most of the time..... There are ways to do it to make it much safer for the snake and handler..... Letting the snake crawl through a tube before pinning it is a good way to keep the snake from thrashing around and breaking its neck.... Its body is secured in the tube so it cant move around..... Tailing is much safer for the snake and handler but there is a risk of being bitten using the tailing method..... But I guess there is always a risk of being tagged when you handle a venomous snake no matter what method you use but some are much more risky than others......