If your pet decides to take a snack out of you...

lacy_black":76a31 said:

Does it count if a snake mistakes your shirt for a rat? lol, that's as close as i've come to being bit by any of my snakes yet and it was absolutely my fault.

I held 1 of my pet rats earlier in the evening and then my bf being so (note sarcasm) brilliant freaked out because my bp female Sin had what he thought was missing scales ( because he never listens when I mention her flames). So of course he hands her to me and i'm just relaxing holding her telling him yet again what they are. All of a sudden he's freaking out telling me she bit me which she didn't exactly, she bit my shirt which thankfully was a thick sweater because lets just say i'm not into nursing snakes . So I yelled at my brother to keep his friends out of the living room and stripped off my shirt. She refused to let go for about 3 minutes and i'm so bright i'm sitting there trying to explain to Sin that it's a shirt not a rat :shock:
I was amused and reminded never wear the same shirt around both species :lol:

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lol! I'm just glad I had my reptile-phase (which will probably last for the rest of my life) after I had my hamster-phase. I had a bunch of hamsters a few years back.

herpfreak":28951 said:

lol! I'm just glad I had my reptile-phase (which will probably last for the rest of my life) after I had my hamster-phase. I had a bunch of hamsters a few years back.

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Hamsters make a great feeder if you have a small to medium rat sized snake and want to breed your own feeders. They don't get huge like rats do(large and jumbo rats are closer to rabbits and guinea pigs)

Trogdor80":84fe4 said:

Hamsters make a great feeder if you have a small to medium rat sized snake and want to breed your own feeders. They don't get huge like rats do(large and jumbo rats are closer to rabbits and guinea pigs)

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I expect so. That's a good idea; I might try that later on. However, right now, my girl has been fasting on and off (due to the breeding season, I'm guessing), and I'm afraid I'd end up with a few million hamsters and a snake that wouldn't eat any of them!

Yep, all the times I've been bitten have been my own fault. My oldest ball python tagged me twice while feeding (1) because she was a baby and (2) because I didn't wash my hands between mice. The BRB and lesser ball both have only bitten me once, and that was because I just had to handle them after they arrived (i.e. after spending 24 hours in transit).

I think it's stupid that inexperienced people get so riled up about their reptiles biting them. Cats and dogs do the same thing all the time, and yet, for some reason, that's okay...despite that dog/cat bites can be far worse than reptile bites (much higher chance of infection). *sigh*

Eventide":eed58 said:

Yep, all the times I've been bitten have been my own fault. My oldest ball python tagged me twice while feeding (1) because she was a baby and (2) because I didn't wash my hands between mice. The BRB and lesser ball both have only bitten me once, and that was because I just had to handle them after they arrived (i.e. after spending 24 hours in transit).

I think it's stupid that inexperienced people get so riled up about their reptiles biting them. Cats and dogs do the same thing all the time, and yet, for some reason, that's okay...despite that dog/cat bites can be far worse than reptile bites (much higher chance of infection). *sigh*

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Agreed. I think snakes get a bad rap because there are so many newspaper stories about venomous snakes biting and killing people, which is stupid.

When I was really young (I mean really young... probably around 6 years old), I decided to take my pet hamster to sunday school. :lol: Bet you can guess what happened! Just as we pulled up to church, the hamster chewed out of the box. I grabbed her and she bit--very, very hard--my finger, leaving puncture scars on either side of my finger. It hurt a lot, and of course I was bawling, but it was all my fault. I never tried to take a pet to sunday school again! But I was never afraid to hold her after that. I understood that it was my fault and that she wouldn't bite me that hard again. And then my cats.... I have owned so many cats in my life, I can't count, but my buddy Ira has bit me so many times when its not my fault; just randomly, sometimes drawing a lot of blood (he bit the cartilage at the top of my ear a few times; that hurt). I got mad at him, but I never avoided him. Being bit is just part of owning animals.

And yes, dogs have much stronger jaws than the average snake, and are much more dangerous than a non-venomous snake.

Been down the road of breeding hampsters, and guinea pigs. At 1 time I had over 60 animals in my bedroom :lol: Maybe i'll look into hampsters again for breeding but for snake food instead of selling to pet stores

While I have not been bitten yet i think i'd rather be bitten by a snake than a hamaster, rat,or even a cat

the only one of our pets that have bitten me is Yoshi the Giant Madagascan Day Gecko and thats been because she's scared (basically my fault) and she's accidentally nipped me when missing a mealworm on my hand. It doesn't hurt at all, it makes me jump a little tho (although thats not differcult)

I've been bitten and scratched by my cats to many times to count, and I've been bitten multiple times by by friends' rats and my ferret, the school pet chinchilla, wild praying mantises (one tore a nicely-sized chunk out of my thumb), and my dog even bit me in the butt once (apparently he had to go to the bathroom and wanted me out of my bet to let him go :lol: ), but I've only been bitten by a reptile twice (a box turtle and my first iguana, Godzilla; the scar from Godzilla's bite is still clearly visible on my palm.)

But the problem is that some people don't realize that anything with a mouth can bite. And some people have a double-standard between mammal (cats and rodents mainly) and reptile (snakes mostly) bites. When a kid is bitten by a cat, their parents say "What did you do to make it bite you?" But when the same kid is bitten by a reptile, their parents get real nervous and say "That animal is a danger to society!" (or something like that)

Lots of people have grown up around Cats and Dogs, not many people can say the same of reptiles which I think is a shame, but I think in many cases its fear of the unfamiliar

The media definately doesn't help
A personal pet hate of my is the fuss made over samonella exposure risk connected with Reptiles
because its not as if you should wash your hand before and after handling any animals is it?
not as if all animals present a possble risk as far as contact with infection is concerned, I meant dogs will eat poo given the chance, cats dogs and most animals will groom themselves licking and cleaning their bums and many people will allow these animals to lick their face but hey

sorry about the little rant

wigglesworth":19780 said:

The media definately doesn't help

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That's true in most cases, but you'd have to look at which news station too.

With the exception of Larry King Live (when he has animal experts on), CNN seems to be mostly anti-reptile, while FOX is neutral on the subject (have no clue about the others since I only watch CNN & FOX).

I remember the same story of a monitor that escaped his home and was found by a pet shop: CNN told the tale of a big lizard capable of tearing muscles into shreds and eating puppies and kitties loose in the city, while FOX tells the same story, but about a nice pet lizard named Fred, who is slightly malnourished, found by a pet store and raised back to health before returning to his owner.

CNN told the tale of a big lizard capable of tearing muscles into shreds and eating puppies and kitties

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Key word here is "capable". A dog is more than capable of tearing muscles and eating its puppies, as well as full-grown cats. But nobody talks about that, do they, because a dog wouldn't. Of course my opinion doesn't really count here because I haven't owned a dog or a monitor, but I know a lot about lizards and I take care of dogs sometimes, but it seems to me that there isn't a huge difference between a monitor and a small, lazy dog. Of course feeding is different, but they are both potentially harmful, but that doesn't mean that either should be feared.

herpfreak":430f7 said:

CNN told the tale of a big lizard capable of tearing muscles into shreds and eating puppies and kitties

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Key word here is "capable". A dog is more than capable of tearing muscles and eating its puppies, as well as full-grown cats. But nobody talks about that, do they, because a dog wouldn't. Of course my opinion doesn't really count here because I haven't owned a dog or a monitor, but I know a lot about lizards and I take care of dogs sometimes, but it seems to me that there isn't a huge difference between a monitor and a small, lazy dog. Of course feeding is different, but they are both potentially harmful, but that doesn't mean that either should be feared.

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But unless a dog actually injured someone (or if it's a pit bull), the media never mentions what kind of damage a dog can do.They instead tell a story of a dog, lost and alone, finding it's way back into the loving arms of it's owners. With reptiles, they (mostly CNN) usually tell the tale of a dangerous, slimy reptile loose on the streets: lock up you kids and pets in the house because they can cause some serious damage! They throw the word "capable" in there to stay accurate with their monster story and avoid slander/liable (sp?) lawsuits.

The only time Ive been bitten is when I was handfeeding and they got to excited. The only time it hurt was with the frilled dragon. Girl got TEETH!!