Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my snake is about 1.5 years old. when i bought him as a hatchling i held him often and i was bitten a couple of times.from what i remember he was not much of a biter.he was nice a lot more than he bit.i think i was bitten maybe twice,and i held him dozens of times.well that was all about a year ago.he has grown quite a bit sice then,and for reasons i can not fully understand,i have not held him since.when i was bitten by him as a youngster,it didnt hurt much,just felt like getting poked by a bunch of needles.i think the longer i went without holding him,the more i started to worry that he grew those large infamouse chondro teeth.i have seen him yawn,and when he eats,and yes he seems to have pretty nice sized fangs.hes not nearly full grown,he still hast even changed color yet,but he is far from being a little guy.im just wondering how bad you thought his bit is at this point?should i wear gloves? am i crazy or do you think i am more likly to be bitten if i dont wear gloves?from what i remember,he only bit my naked hand,never struck at any objects,or my hand when it is in a glove.is that because he can see my hands heat?i really wanna be able to hold him but i am now scared of the damage he may be able to do.what do you guys think?

I would suggest using a hook at first. Get him used to being touched and let him know it's not feeding time. Wash your hands in cool water to get the heat out of them. This should help a little. Some can be handled and some can't. Here's one that can't. lol.

Brandon Osborne

I can't figure out how you would be able to clean the cage of an adult chondro which can't be handled. Mine is a yellow neonate and occasionally lunges at me when I reach in to remove his perch for cleaning. Now, when this thing get bigger it's reach is going to be much greater. As for the snake hook, How do you get the snake to release from the perch to even use the hook?

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0.0.1 "Aru" Green tree python
1.0 Albino ball python
0.1 100% het Albino ball python
0.1 Normal ball python
1.0 Albino cornsnake
0.0.1 Snow cornsnake

well, not always perfect, but you'll get the hang of working with a hook. It would be a good idea to get used to hook handling with smaller animals. I wouldn't suggest using one on anything younger than a yearling that has good size on it.....eating small mice.

As far as the cleaning goes, most of my cleaning can be done with the snake in the enclosure. I have a couple of large nasty chondros that love to lash out, but the seem fine with me during the day. If you are worried, just give it a little misting before you have to reach in. This will usually make them hide their head and give you time to do your thing.

I'm sure you do fine and have a nice(numerous) collection of chondros before you know it. They are addictive.

Good luck.
Brandon Osborne

so what do you think? like i said i was bitten when he was a baby,it kinda pinched,but now he is about 1.5 years old.do you think it will hurt much? hes not nearly full grown but hes eating full grown mice with no problem.and you told me to wash my hands with cold water first? so you also noticed that they strike at your hands more often than they strike at say a hook? its the heat from your hands right?..its so true what you guys say about them being mean at night. he never strikes during the day,but at night.if its dark in the room and i just turn on the light,bam!hell strike at nothing!!just pissed i turned on the light.this happen to anyone else?

being bit doesent hurt too bad... i was taking pics a few weeks bacl of 3 on my new imports and i got bit about 50 times in a 2 hour period... and only one that kinda hurt was the one on my chin...
dont get me wrong, its not the best feeling, but it scares you more then it hurts... after having my new guys for a few weeks they have all calmed down alot... they will sometimes strike when i take them out to clean or handle, but once they are out i dont get bit...
the one thing i usually try to remember is: never reach for their head... your just asking to be bit doing that... i try to always grab them about mid body... and i am refering to after they are in my hand not getting them out of the cage...
like brandon said..... mist them and they will hide their head... then reach in and try to get a finger or two between their body and their perch...

good luck

Shiloh

>>so what do you think? like i said i was bitten when he was a baby,it kinda pinched,but now he is about 1.5 years old.do you think it will hurt much? hes not nearly full grown but hes eating full grown mice with no problem.and you told me to wash my hands with cold water first? so you also noticed that they strike at your hands more often than they strike at say a hook? its the heat from your hands right?..its so true what you guys say about them being mean at night. he never strikes during the day,but at night.if its dark in the room and i just turn on the light,bam!hell strike at nothing!!just pissed i turned on the light.this happen to anyone else?

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Shiloh Hawkesworth
kansas
(Midwest Serpents)

alright,im just gonna sike myself up and go in!!..i dont know what the hell happened...i used to handle him all the time..then i just stopped for a couple of months,and everyday after that i kept telling myself...alright..ill hold him tomorow..then before i knew it..he was a year and a half old and i was wondering what the hell happened..i have never used,nor do i like the idea of using hooks..its not that i see anything wrong with them,but i like to think of my snake as a pet,not just a specimen..know what i mean??theres just something not very "pet like"about using hooks or gloves or whatever..he really never was a biter when he was young..i just hope hes still not a biter..i guess ill find out soon...its late now so ill wait till morning and give it a shot..haha ..there i go again...putting it off..is it a good time to handle him right after he eats?? will he be less angry on a full stomache??

Well, as long as you don't have a biak you shouldn't have too much trouble. I just got one a few weeks ago and handling her isn't an option without either a hook or restraining her head and treating her as a "hot" lol. I found that out the other day when I let go of her head to see what would happen, and within a few seconds she'd clamped onto my other hand...luckily I had gloves on, cuz she still drew blood!

My advice is very simple: do it all during the day! My biak, as bitey as she is, will let me do pretty much anything other than handle her during the day..hell, i've been able to pet her a bit and do spot cleaning ect without so much as a hiss. Open up that tub at night: forget it, put my hand anywhere near strike range and she'll go for it.

Good luck.
Chris
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0.0.1 Biak GTP-Angela
0.0.1 Senagel Chameleons-Bud
0.1.0 Red-tail Boas-Xena
1.0.0 Bearded Dragons-Ruff and Alexis-*R.I.P.*
1.0.0 Ball Pythons-Donnie
0.1.0 Carpet Pythons-Lindsey
0.0.1 Savanah Monitors-Izzy

the locality really makes no difference... some snakes just bite... i have a few biaks and non of them bite... i have a few aru's that do, so trying to saw which snakes bites more is not possable by locality...

holding at night is something that you should just not do.... expecially if the lights are out... and holding right after a meal... lol... you better get that idea out of your head... lol... all my snakes would bite right after a meal... in fact all of mine start looking for seconds right after they eat...

the best time would be on a non feeding day and probably before 5PM... do like brandon said... wash your hands in cold water and mist as you open the cage..... then just do it... it it bites i'm sure you will jump, but i dont think it will hurt that bad... i dont have any adults but i do have 56 that are between 1.5-2 years old and i did not get bit until i got my new imports a few weeks back... and i got bit about 50 times in a short period... including one to the chin... if they really hurt i would have stoped taking pics... i'm sure that once you have him out of the cage he will be just fine... just move your hands real slow when moving them around his head and always try to grab at about mid body....... and when i say that i dont mean grab him out of the cage and pull him from the middle of his body... i mean if your holding him and he is going from hand to hand, dont put your hand in from of his mouth...

these guys are kinda hard to get off their perch some time so if you having problems just tickle the area that he is holding with... i have found they they usually let go right away...
and as far as hooks go...... brandon is a breeder... he owns several snakes and does not have time to mess around with a snappy snake... this hobby takes alot of personal time when your a breeder and somethmes the hook is the only way to handle even your favorite snake... plus you have to clean the cages, so if you had a snake that you knew would bite would you rather reach in and get bit every time or would you get a hook and save yourself the trouble???

hope this helped... i think i covered all the bases here.. good luck

shiloh

>>Well, as long as you don't have a biak you shouldn't have too much trouble. I just got one a few weeks ago and handling her isn't an option without either a hook or restraining her head and treating her as a "hot" lol. I found that out the other day when I let go of her head to see what would happen, and within a few seconds she'd clamped onto my other hand...luckily I had gloves on, cuz she still drew blood!
>>
>>My advice is very simple: do it all during the day! My biak, as bitey as she is, will let me do pretty much anything other than handle her during the day..hell, i've been able to pet her a bit and do spot cleaning ect without so much as a hiss. Open up that tub at night: forget it, put my hand anywhere near strike range and she'll go for it.
>>
>>Good luck.
>>Chris
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>>0.0.1 Biak GTP-Angela
>>0.0.1 Senagel Chameleons-Bud
>>0.1.0 Red-tail Boas-Xena
>>1.0.0 Bearded Dragons-Ruff and Alexis-*R.I.P.*
>>1.0.0 Ball Pythons-Donnie
>>0.1.0 Carpet Pythons-Lindsey
>>0.0.1 Savanah Monitors-Izzy
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Shiloh Hawkesworth
kansas
(Midwest Serpents)

It's funny now no one mentioned removeable perches. Its more or less a MUST have with these animals.

I've been keeping chondro for about 5 years now and have never once been bit. Mind you, i've been struck at countless times but this is usualy at night or with babies. I'm wondering how you guys *coughshilocoughbrandon* manage too get bit all the time !

*Removeable perches
*Misting
*Don't handle at night
*Don't force it! (some chondros just don't like to be touched ever! I only have one in my collection of 13 like this)

I handel my chondros about 6 times a year or so and well...
These things are just kittens!

personaly I wouldnt be to worried about it... I dont have any pythons but I do have a ~6ft columbian boa. And I can tell you from experiance theyre teeth are sooooo sharp that its like a hypodermic needle... theyre so sharp they make very clean cuts as in they dont just turn your hand to hamburger. Owning a boa, I worry more about a full out attack and him constricting (say when hes wrapped around my neck) then bitting. Just my two cents... snake bites dont hurt that bad!!!

Man, I've never been bitten by a chondro. I use the removable perches as well, but half the time, I don't need to. I probably handle mine less than 6 times a year, and yeah, most are kittens. I have a couple that I don't dare touch. lol. Even those won't let you take the perch out without a good misting.

Brandon Osborne

well my animal , unlike most speculation is actually a nice fellow! he never even gets into an S position outside of the cage , he rarely strikes , even at night , and he is a Biak. Hes almost 3 years old and is just a big sweety most the time.

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John woodward
JW REPTILES

HAHA, glad you got one. When I got mine, after paying for her I asked about the temperment...the breeders answer was simple: "She will bite you if she gets the chance. If you manage to handle her more than once without getting bit, call us immediately cause there is somethign wrong!" lol. Maybe it's just the ectothermics biaks that are mean, who knows...one of my girl's clutch-mates stuck its head out the egg, took a breath, then bit the breeder!
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0.0.1 Biak GTP-Angela
0.0.1 Senagel Chameleons-Bud
0.1.0 Red-tail Boas-Xena
1.0.0 Bearded Dragons-Ruff
1.0.0 Ball Pythons-Donnie
0.1.0 Carpet Pythons-Lindsey
0.0.1 Savanah Monitors-Izzy

I dunno..but in my experience, any aggressive snake can be tamed!

I really don't know, but for me, the moment the snakes are out of the cage, they feel a duty to trust me and not bite or....fall down 4.5 feet to their unknown death. I have a wild caught white lip that would like to bite, but so long as I'm not a complete puss around her, she wont. In all of my 13 supposed "aggressive" pythons, I discovered that none of them were aggressive. Even a wild caught mulluecen scrub...definitely a bigger struggle, but still no bites.

best,
john (pay little attention to my bloated quote)
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Many feel that I need to be balanced with equal time. Wrong. I AM equal time.

-Rush Limbaugh, 1992

I'm one to believe almost any snake or lizard can be tamed with enough effort, but some are a lost cause. If you get bit while trying to take the snake out, but you're fine once you have it in our hand...it's tamable. If the snake still bites you, without being provoked (i.e. waving your hand in front of it)after several minutes of handling.....you're screwed.

Chris
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0.0.1 Biak GTP-Angela
1.2.0 Black Rat Snakes-Robert, Cady, Kylie
0.1.0 Red-tail Boas-Xena
1.0.0 Bearded Dragons-Ruff
1.0.0 Ball Pythons-Donnie
0.1.0 Carpet Pythons-Lindsey
0.0.1 Savanah Monitors-Izzy

i think snake bites from small snakes are 99% mental and 1% physical. it's like psyching yourself out about jumping in a cold pool . . . you're so afraid to jump in but if you got pushed in you'd be fine in a second. every time one of my smaller snakes bites me when a "non-reptile person" is around they just about faint, and they're not even the ones getting bitten.

i don't know how big your chondro is but in my experience once you get used to it, bites from small snakes are more annoying than painful. granted something a little bigger like a red tail python or burmese python would not be quite so pleasant but at a foot and a half the bite will tickle more than sting.
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Jesse Rothacker
Forgotten Friend Reptile Sanctuary
Find out how YOU can get involved in reptile rescue...
www.forgottenfriend.org

Green Tree Pythons aren't the best snakes to be handled, they can get pretty nippy. However, some do quiet down when they mature, mainly captive bred snakes. If you really want to handle the snake and are afraid of getting bitten, just use gloves, avoid handling them at night which is their active time and it will make it more difficult.

A little trick I use for my occasional bitters is to wash your hands in COLD water.
Dry off your hands and immediately wipe your hands and arms with Isopropyl alcohol.

This helps reduce smell and heat.
Depending on how nippy they are, this usually works pretyy good for me.
Hope this helps.

Rick

I started owning snakes about 4-1/2yrs. ago and the first snake I bought was a Grey-band Kingsnake. Then I decided to buy a Chondro. Not knowing that much about owning one, I learned quickly. I bought an ARU and she turned out to be a true SWEETHEART. Didn't handle her until about two weeks later and it was ever so slowly. Chelsea is almost 4 yrs. old and she never bit me until about a month ago. When I was trying to help her shed a difficult patch of skin. Had her out awhile and she started getting annoyed with me and then she let me know just how annoyed she was. WHAM! She turned around and bit my left hand just above the thumb. It hurt some (just for a second) but I think I was more shocked then hurting. I had it coming to me. Tried wearing gloves but they feel too cumbersome. I do use a hook when I need to get her out of the cage to clean it. Then I just let her rest on my shoulders, while I work around her cage. When using the pc she usually rests on my shoulders, climbs on my head, wraps around my hair barrett, or just hangs out. She even rests on my shoulders and in my arm while we watch tv.

Heard about Biak Chondros and their tempermental attitude. But there are all types of tempermental reptiles, good and bad. Had a Hognose snake once and she was as cute as can be. Her disposition was wonderful. Then gradually she changed and why I cannot understand to this day. When she reached 5 yrs. old I had to get rid of her, only because she had bit me so bad (rear fanged) and being poisonous I ended up in an emergency room.

SD_Badlands

Forgive me if this is a stupid question, but I didn't think hognose snakes were venomous...?
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0.1.0 Ball Python - Shaman
1.0.0 Green Iguana - Ike
1.0.0 Tokay Gecko - Fang
2.2.0 Cats - Pumpkin, Furball, Pixie, Stitch
1.0.0 Cockatiel - Ozzy
0.1.0 Budgie - Tweetie
1.0.0 Dwarf Rabbit - Floyd, R.I.P. Rascal
0.0.1 Rat who was too friendly to be eaten - Scabbers

Hognoses are venomous, but from what I know, the venom isn't very strong. I've heard of a few cases of bad hognose bites, but usually nothing serious. Anyway, this is only from what I've heard. I've never kept them, personally.
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-Prttyhtmchn
1.2.0 ball pythons
0.1.0 albino California kingsnake
0.1.0 Columbian red-tail boa
1.0.0 albino burmese python
1.0.0 Argentine B&W tegu
0.0.1 albino leopard gecko

The Hognosed Snake is venomous...but very mildly so...and from what I've read the fangs are located so far in the back of the jaw that it most likely wouldn't even puncture you if you were bit....that's with the Western...i don't know about eastern or thers... cool article here:

http://www.baars.org/hognose.html

I realize it's after the fact, but if you wanted a "pet" snake; one that is handleable, why did you choose a green tree python? Did you not research prior? I guess there is always the "I'll handle it every day" mentality which some people get sucked into, especially after seeing a few really tame specimens. I recently adopted a mangrove monitor from a lady that listened to the pet store when they said that it would make a great lap lizard!

I didn't read all the above posts, but many did offer some good advice. As per the cage cleaning, getting a nipper off of the perch, .. why not just remove the perch snake and all?

Perfect idea! That is exactly what I still do from time to time. Just before I remove the Chondro w/perch I have a large pillow case on aside and ready to use. Then I just move slowly to the pillow case and before the snake starts looking around I put her into the pillow case. No problem at all.

But now that my 5ft. Chondro is in a large 30 gal. interior decorated tank, I have two pieces of driftwood for her to use. And when the necessary time comes for me to clean her cage I have had to lift the large piece of wood out with her still attached to it. I mean she is so tightly wrapped around that driftwood I give up trying to get her off of it.....

SD_Badlands