Python bite: An unusual case of hand injury. Dealing with snakes: Emergency planning.You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy. Healthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. These bites may be painful during the bite and as your injuries heal. You will probably feel the effects of a python bite because it can cause scratches, puncture wounds, bruising, and even possibly deeper internal damage. Most nonvenomous snakes do not have fangs. Instead, they have as many as 100 inward curving teeth. People, even children are too big for a boa constrictor to swallow. Do ball pythons have fangs?īall pythons do not have fangs. Boa constrictors rarely, if ever, attack people, except in self-defense, according to the ADW. When capturing and killing prey, a ball python will hold the bite down and try to constrict the object it’s biting. Do not allow a child to handle a boa constrictor, especially unsupervised, as they can mishandle a boa and be accidentally strangled. Boas do not eat humans, but there are many incidents of them biting humans. In the wild, the snake would do this to warn a predator. While they are large and strong, they are not deadly snakes. The bite may become more severe if you have to pry the python’s jaws open to release the bite.Ī defensive bite may be a quick bite that the python releases quickly. A bite may appear as several teeth marks in a curved shape. Younger ball pythons may be more prone to biting, but even this is unusual.īall pythons have small inward-sloped teeth. With proper care and an attentive owner, snake bites are generally an uncommon occurrence.Ball pythons can bite but they don’t usually attack humans. Even happy, satiated snakes can get startled and strike. If you want to avoid being bitten by your pet snake, stay away from keeping the less unpredictable species as pets.īe cognizant of your pet’s mood and circumstances before you put your hand into its tank and never let your guard down. Alternatively, reticulated pythons and black racer snakes are generally more aggressive and can be more prone to biting when threatened. Species such as corn snakes, ball pythons, rosy boas and California king snakes are usually gentle and make great pets that are not known to bite. Not all snakes make the best pets, and even the best pet snakes can become irritable at times. If the pet is acting lethargic, hiding excessively, refusing to eat or shows skin color changes (such as looking flushed with a pink hue, which can indicate sepsis), be sure to have it checked out by your veterinarian as soon as possible so that any underlying illness may be diagnosed and treated. If the snake is shedding, aid the shedding process by providing the snake with water in which it can soak and mist it daily. If you think it bit you because it is hungry, feed it killed prey by either leaving it in the tank for it to consume or offering it to your snake with a long-handled tweezer. Once your wounds have been addressed, make sure that your snake is replaced and contained safely and securely within its enclosure and that it no way looks ill or injured. Ways to Keep Your Snake from Biting Again Never offer it food directly from your hand.Here are some good rules of thumb to follow to avoid being bitten: Even non-venomous snake bite wounds can become infected with various bacteria, including Salmonella, from the mouths of rodent-eating reptiles, so addressing them immediately is crucial. Be sure to call your doctor immediately to get advice about specific medical treatment. Flush out broken areas of skin with copious amounts of water for several minutes and apply pressure to bleeding wounds to promote clotting. Assuming that the snake isn’t venomous (because if it is, you may need to go to an emergency room for anti-venom treatment within minutes), thoroughly clean the wound with warm water and antiseptic soap. The first thing you should do if your pet snake bites is to treat yourself or the person your snake has bitten. Learn more about what to do if your pet snake bites you, and how to prevent it from happening again, below. Snakes may also be more irritable and more prone to bite when they are shedding or have an underlying illness and are not feeling well. Starving reptiles may lash out to grab rodent prey and accidently bite a human hand holding the prey. All species can, however, bite unexpectedly if they are startled or excessively hungry. In general, most non-venomous snake species commonly kept as pets are gentle and do not typically bite their owners if they are unprovoked. By Laurie Hess, DVM, Dipl ABVP (Avian Practice)
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