An almost bite?

kasper22 · #1 (**permalink**) 11-13-2002, 06:35 AM

I had a wierd experince today and was wondering if anyone else has had this happen to them. I got a new boa today. She is huge, something around 8' and 45 pounds. anyway this is what happend. I had her out and she wouldn't hold still, and at one point she went over my shoulder and then down by my hip. So her head was near my hip and her body was over my shoulders. then she looked up and lunged at me like she was going to bite, but she kept her mouth closed, so she just kind of poked me with her snout. Scared the poo out of me.
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RevMojo · #2 (**permalink**) 11-13-2002, 06:47 AM

Sounds like she's just firing warning shots. Lucky you.
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#3 (**permalink**) 11-13-2002, 07:45 AM

LOL.. With a snake this large your really going to need to learn how to prevent such from happening when handling the snake [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_eek.gif[/img] Last thing your going to want happen is to get a ful strike in the face [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_confused.gif[/img] Just "learn" to keep a hand/arm between you and the snake in such a manner that if the snake were to lunge like this..it won't get very far ie near your face at all. This is actuially quite an easy thing to do when handling large boids "off the shoulder" [ which btw is how you should have them.. NOT around your neck at all. BTW.. That movement is a normal one for the big uns to be doing from my experience anyways lol. If your not used to it at all.. could be a bit intimidating I would think LOL. I usually handle the large boas in such a manner so that their head is right about my wrist area when holding them.. That way if they do bite.. it will be the wrist and not the face [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] let their body hang off the shoulders, wrap the waist..legs etc but NEVER the neck. ALWAYS know where their head is at all times also !!
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Dr.Oviparous · #4 (**permalink**) 11-13-2002, 07:56 AM

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font class="pn-sub">Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT class="pn-sub"><BLOCKQUOTE> ALWAYS know where their head is at all times also !!
</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE> Great advise, even if your not holing the snake. If you don't know where the head is pointing it can slither under something and get stuck in no time flat. If you've never tried to dislodge a large serpent from a small area, trust me, you don't want to have to! -Juggalo
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#5 (**permalink**) 11-13-2002, 08:17 AM

LOL.. Jug.. True that! We were taking pics one time and my dtr. was holding an 8'er boa and the head went behind her..where the car front end was.. Had a lovely time trying to remove the snake's head from the grill of the car without damaging the snake..arghh

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JuliusSqueezer · #6 (**permalink**) 11-13-2002, 12:25 PM

She was letting you know that she didn't like being draped over where she wasn't supported by several points of her body....when handling large snakes, this is a must...It hurts their spine to have all the weight dangling from one point.
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Ti · #7 (**permalink**) 11-13-2002, 07:56 PM

It could have been that she was trying to get comfortable. My large ones do that from time to time. If they are going to strike, I *think* that I would know before hand that they are about to do something, but you never can tell.

When I get the bigguns out to show people, and for whatever reason the people want to hold the bigguns, that jerky movement scares the people a lot of the time. Generally, they will start to hold a lot stronger with the bottom 1/3 of the body (ie tail) and quickly move in one direction or the other to get a hold of somthing else, kinda like doubling back on themselves. I dont know if this is what happened in your circumstance, but my bigger boids do that often, but never in a defensive manner... At least not yet... [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]
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faze · #8 (**permalink**) 11-13-2002, 08:17 PM

also yet another word of advise that has been told by a lot of regular's is any boid over 6 foot dont handle it while noone else is around (and that doesnt mean a two year old thats gonna be staring at you while your being constricted)

oh ya btw the snake shooting blanks at ya doesnt count you into the "bleeders club " [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img]
my latest bite wasnt from a snake or a lizard it was from a momma hairless rat protecting her baby's [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]
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kasper22 · #9 (**permalink**) 11-13-2002, 10:21 PM

Don't worry fazed i've donated plenty of blood to the bleeders club. I've just gotten better at not getting bit. My last bite was my 6' boa she broke three teeth of in my finger (hard to explain how it happend) but one tooth was in my finger for a month before I got it out.

Don't worry I know not to take her out by myself. I can't anyway. She is in one of the Boaphile cages right now and I need someone to hold the cage cuase she'll try and take it with her. They just don't have enough wieght to stay in one place with such a big snake. i"m working on building her a new cage just havn't finished it yet.
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