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Anyone else think this is a bad idea....seems like everytime somone takes a pic of a big snake its hanging around there neck...thats the last place i would want it....

I've heard of a 'rule-of-thumb' that any snake over ten feet long should not only NOT be carried on one's neck, but should also only be handled with more than one person present.

I do beleive that is good, sound advice; though I have to admit I am definitely a 'rule' breaker on this one. My Labyrinth Burm is about twelve feet now, and I regularly take him out by myself, as well as carrying him from time to time partially supported around my neck.

I honestly hate to be a hippocrit, but I also honestly believe I am able to handle a difficult situation, if one were so to arise (i.e., if he were to 'attack' and try to constrict me...). I have had bouts with large constrictors in the past), and have learned both by experience and by the teachings of others how to deal with surprise 'incidents' (though I understand that one can never really be 'fully' prepared - otherwise it just wouldn't be a 'surprise'...).

In my 'snake room' I keep handy a couple of small spray bottles of alcohol, in strategically accessible locations to help 'pursuade' a testy snake to release if ever I am struck at (and held). In addition I also have a couple of mirrors in there which serve to help locate the begininning/end of an 'uncooperative' snake. Most importantly I have an ample supply of knowledge and good sense about handling my pets (albeit in the face of the 'rule-of-thumb' I referred to earlier).

I always respect my pets for what they are, and I don't do stupid things like handling them when I've had alcohol, etc. If I've been to my sister's house I won't even open the cage door until I've had a chance to shower on account of the scent of her dogs being on my hands (don't want to take any chances). I always wash BEFORE and AFTER handling them, and I don't let visitors handling them without doing the same. And there are other things too, but I just want to illustrate, that although my burm exceeds the 10' mark and I still handle him alone, I do feel confident that I am knowledgable enough and able to do so safely.

I'm sure someone is going to fire one out at me for this - let me brace myself... ok, -go-

- Mark

This is from back when he was about 11 feet...

I know this looks stressed, but it was actually quite safe play...

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I was talking more along the lines of the 70-100 pound snakes..
I Dont think its so much length as it is weight..when you have a snake that is just hard to deal with alone simply because of its weight and then add a bad day into the mix.

a 40 pound snake will knock you out in less than a minute if it wraps around your neck. There is not one place on your body that is as bad for a snake to constrict you and if it does while you are alone........

It does not take much pressure on the jugulars to restirct flow of blood to the brian and cause you to pass out.

It actually takes a good amount of consistent pressure, accurately applied to render a person unconscious - unless of course that person is compromised to begin with (weak, ill, old, young, intoxicated, etc.).

Having had a fair deal of, let's call them, less than civilized disagreements, I know from unfortunate experiences how surprisingly resilient a capable person can be. Now, I'm a relatively little guy and I know the limits of my capabilities - I would expect that the average guy would fair even better than myself in a crisis situation. Of course, there are simply obvious limits whereupon any living creature, pitted against another, exceeds the threshold of it's opponent's ability. But it shouldn't come to that anyway, as it is just not appropriate or responsible to put yourself in a situation where you may have to grapple with your pet to save your life.

It is not excusable to get yourself into a bad situation in the first place, where it can be completely avoided with just a little thought and a healthy amount of respect for both yourself and your pet.

I'm going to miss carrying my Burm around, but I'd much rather save my life (and his) than take any more chances for what has effectively been a matter of convenience to this point.

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>>a 40 pound snake will knock you out in less than a minute if it wraps around your neck. There is not one place on your body that is as bad for a snake to constrict you and if it does while you are alone........
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>>It does not take much pressure on the jugulars to restirct flow of blood to the brian and cause you to pass out.

I would consider a 40 lb snake consicting someone's neck to be quite a bit of consistant pressure. Not trying to be argumentative, but a 20 lb snake is ALOT stronger that anyone who has not experienced a constriction would think.

You're absolutely right - even a 20lb snake IS alot stronger than one might expect; but it's still not all that strong, relatively speaking.

Wrestling with a 200+lb angry human - now that's a challenge. Unwinding a ten foot tube of muscle, with little more than instinct working in it's brain - well, it just doesn't compare really.

Still, I like to avoid either situation - just my MO.

- Mark
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>>I would consider a 40 lb snake consicting someone's neck to be quite a bit of consistant pressure. Not trying to be argumentative, but a 20 lb snake is ALOT stronger that anyone who has not experienced a constriction would think.

Me personally, over one shoulder, under the other arm.

Having worked with all kinds of snakes both small and large for more then 10 years. I do believe that placing any snake around your neck is a VERY VERY bad idea. I have seen situations where people almost died from snakes as small 4 feet being wrapped around their necks! I always have bottles of alcohol around my snake cages just to be safe. I also do not handle any snake I have hat is over 8' by myself.

I will say it is a bad idea to place a large constricor around your neck if you are alone but most of the pics you see around are taken by someone outside view of the shot. As for a 4 ft snake nearly killing someone I'm not saying it didn't happen. I respect your info but I will be damned if a 4 footer even makes me think twice. My guy is nearly 9ft and I could crush his skull in my fist if it realy came down to it.

Antegy, I think your guy is just about the cutoff of handleing alone but I understand rounding up a buddy or 2 everytime you want to handle your snake is hard sometimes. I always feed with someone else.

Please don't get me wrong though, I respect the power of these animals but I think sometimes people go overboard which is probably a good thing for potential and inexperienced keepers
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1.0 Ball Python
1.0 Burmese Python

I think you're absolutely right that people tend to go overboard with the safety aspect of all of this (handling boids) - and still I agree with you that it is a good thing to do in light of potential and inexperienced keepers. It makes very good sense to err on the side of safety, even if it seems a little much at the time.

I aslo agree with you that a four footer is hardly a threat; and I too could simply crush the skull of my 12 footer if it came to that (and it would be rather easy, as his head fits easily into my fist - provided his head was to be accessible in such a hypothetical crisis). Of course, it would have to be a very, VERY, grave situation for me to even consider doing such a thing (as I'm sure you would agree). There are much better ways to deal with an irritated or irrational large snake.

In considering the matter during the course of this morning I think it may be appropriate for me to turn over a new leaf - that is, to commit to change my practices, for what can only be said to be the better. I think you're right that my burm may just be at or around the cut-off point. I've decided that I agree, and so, from here on out I will no longer carry my burm on my neck or alone. That now will be my personal policy. As for feeding though, I will still feed without 'backup' personnel, as the technique I use employs feeding in the cage (which seems quite safe enough to me, as there is little to no risk of exposure to the animal).

I hope this new personal policy is a responsible and appropriate one. Please share any comments / advice you may have.

Thanks,
- Mark

>>I will say it is a bad idea to place a large constricor around your neck if you are alone but most of the pics you see around are taken by someone outside view of the shot. As for a 4 ft snake nearly killing someone I'm not saying it didn't happen. I respect your info but I will be damned if a 4 footer even makes me think twice. My guy is nearly 9ft and I could crush his skull in my fist if it realy came down to it.
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>>Antegy, I think your guy is just about the cutoff of handleing alone but I understand rounding up a buddy or 2 everytime you want to handle your snake is hard sometimes. I always feed with someone else.
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>>Please don't get me wrong though, I respect the power of these animals but I think sometimes people go overboard which is probably a good thing for potential and inexperienced keepers
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>>1.0 Ball Python
>>1.0 Burmese Python

I mean if a snake has never showed a sign of agression and knows its owner then you have nothing to worry about.

And that thought has just allowed your 4 year old child to be eaten or has landed you in the hospital looking stupid on Animal Planet. There is no reason to put any snake around your neck. Why even consider it? I am sure you could escape a 4 ft snake but they are very strong and it is painfull to both of you to deal with it. Alcohol can even be enough to stun the snake and could possibly kill it. And crushing the skull is deffinitely painfull to the snake. People look stupid with snakes around their neck and it is a danger to your life and the snake. You have enough precautions to worry about just working with a large constrictor..there is no need to push the limits on safety. There are too many irresponsible people out there with burmese pythons, why have the responsible people giving a good example of what appears to be irresponsible behavior. Just my opinion.

I agree, it just isn't necessary to push the limits of safety - in most any situation really.

However, I don't agree with how you seem to be against the use of alcohol. It is a very effective and safe remedy in a crisis situation. Anyone who would use enough alcohol to stun a large boid, never mind kill it, probably shouldn't own or be handling them in the first place. And I think it goes without saying that for any living animal having it's skull crushed would be painful. I didn't think that was going to be a point of contention. The point being illustrated there was that if it came down to the wire it would be me who survives - IF it was actually a life or death situation (which is admittedly reaching a bit far, even with respect to this subject). And I still don't agree that ANY snake should not be on one's neck. I think there is definitely an upper size limit, but anything under that is not a threat that merits the same precautions that should be employed with large boids (of course, this does not apply to hots; which just shouldn't be handled at all).

As for a person 'looking' stupid with a snake around his/her neck - well, that is up to the beholder to decide.

In general I agree that you are right in that there are more than enough other precautions to worry about in keeping large boids. And there are unfortunately way too many irresponsible owners out there. Personally, I have conceded that it is time I accept the fact that my Burmese python has reached the point at which I need to change my handling practices over to the guidlines being discussed here. And I am completely okay with that.

- Mark

I'll probably still allow for holding him, around my neck or not, for photos, as long as there are other people around...

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My personal website: www.antegy.com
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My Kingsnake.com Picture Galleries

- Labyrinth Burmese Python Gallery
- Suriname Boa Gallery
- Mexican Black Kingsnake Gallery
- Pueblan Milksnake Gallery
- Trinket Ratsnake Gallery
----------------------------------------------
My photography on photo.net
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Me on myspace.com

That is an excellent looking animal.
Second...I am not against the use of alcohol in a crisis situation and it SHOULD be on hand with large boids..along with other safety measures. I just feel just because it is there, one should not compromise their other safety precautions. Also, I do feel strongly that you should not put any constrictor around your neck. Of course I do not mean tiny babies you can easily unwrap...I mean anything that would be somewhat of a struggle where it would cause potential injury to yourself or the snake. I understand you know what you are doing with that snake and I am sure you did not set up the camera to take that shot yourself. I will assume you had equally knowledgeable people with you in case there was a problem. That is deffinitely a large enough snake to cause yoyu a serious problem. While I feel no need to put a snake around my neck for a picture, I respect your nice photo and see it much differently than people with snakes around their neck in the park..or even worse, a bar. If I am holding a snake myself (not alone..just the only one holding) I will put it over my shoulders...there is just no other way to support them. I still feel this is a risk and I am very alert and keep it to a minimum. i do not let myself get lazy with any snake that can the ability to cause me a lot of harm and trouble.

I have been dealing with large pythons for over 12 years. I have a huge love and respect for them. I currently have a 17ft tiger retic that is as gentle as a mouse. For a single person to try and handle a snake over 8 or 10 feet on a regular basis is definitly a risk, but so is riding a bull for a living. When you have a genuine respect for these animals and take all the precautions, these are risks we take doing something we love. If you know your snake well enough, you can tell when it's a good time to handle it this way. Any way, most accidents happen during feeding time, not while simply holding the snake.
On the other hand, I do not condone handing over a snake for friends and neighbours to hold...especially children! Taking risks yourself is one thing, but putting others at risk is what makes us all look bad. Just use your head when handling these big guys and chances are you won't have anything to worry about.
MrClean

I agree. Most 'attacks' dont happen during regular handling while the snake is already on you, but rather during feeding time or an 'SFE' as people like to call it or possibly reaching in the cage, etc. As far as putting it around or on your neck, when youre alone, there is simply no other way to handle or move a 8 foot python. PERIOD.

I move my 9ft male burm all the time without hanging him around my neck....so i dont understand your having to hang a 8ft snake off your neck to move it...that just isnt necessary

If you have an 8 foot python that is very active, it does not work out very well to try to hold him with one hand while the other hand is trying to keep him from slithering away. In other words when the center of the body is leaning on the back of your neck and your shoulders while your hands try to control him you put less strain on him by having all his weight centralized on one or even two hands, especially if he's heavy. Im just speaking out of experience, I dont know if you have a 9footer that just sits there and doesnt move, but mine is very active and hyper and the more control I have on him, the better the handling experience for him and I. Does this give you a better understanding?

It's alot harded to get hung if you don't put the noose around your neck.

The 13' Burm i held i supported it with my body, I held him up with my arms, but if he got mad, i could have freed them, and he was not around my neck any, that seemed like a fine way to handle it. I guarantee ill never hold my African Rock python around my neck when he gets to that size.

With my larger snakes I just drape (sp*) them over my shoulders and they hang down to my a**, only 3-4 ft of them is in front of me on each side. So in order to strangle me, they have to work their way up to neck first, they are very active, but you've got to know how to control them.
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I have them over one shoulder and under the opposite arm. It supports them enough and reduces the risk factors involved some.

I had a situation where a 12ft snake had constricted a 10ft snake. I used my trusty bottle of rubbing alcohol, the whole thing, then a bottle of vinegar, a big bottle, the whole thing. It did work, after about 5 minutes. Not really going to be much help if your the one being constricted. Then I had to really pissed off snakes slopping around in about a gallon of rubbing alcohol and vinegar mixed. Thats when the real fun started.

Dude, I know it may not have been funny at the time but reading your post cracked me up!
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DZ

"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." -- George Orwell

1.0.0 Burm, Moses
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I have found that a can of Coke works on getting a big snake off you during a feeding accident.

>>I have found that a can of Coke works on getting a big snake off you during a feeding accident.
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No it wasn't funny at the time, but I can see the humor afterwards. I had put a male and female together for breeding purposes. I had put them together several times within a week span for 4-6 hours at a time without incident. This particular time they had been in the same enclosure for about 2-3 hours and had hooked up quite a bit but had now seperated. The male was in a rubbermaid hide box while the female was coiled up on top. I came in to check on them. As I approached the enclosure, they both immediately took interest in my movement and were moving their heads in a parallel line towards me to investigate. Her head was above his by about 4 inches. She was the first to realize I wasn't food and started to move backwards to assume her coiled position and as she did this the male noticed her movement and did a sideways lunge at her. It was immediate pandomonium. They instantly constricted each other and they were in a massive ball with neither head visible within the mass of coils. I think that was the major problem with applying the alcohol/vinegar. I called a friend that lives nearby and they had just seperated when he showed up about 5 minutes later. They were thrashing about in the cash and I was worried that they may have been poisoned by the mixture, but that was about a year ago now and they are both fine and living well.

I agree with the alchol taking too long. Not sure if anyone said it above, but if you can get to it, nothing like some hot water to convince a snake to let go of your ass.