Pet Snake Bites: How Do They Happen?

Pet snakes have become more popular in recent years with a growing awareness of the trade and along with that comes more people getting bitten. Sometimes people get bitten by their pet snakes because of carelessness and sometimes it is because they let down their guard. There are a number of scenarios where you could get bitten by your pet snake.

The most common way people are bitten by their pet snake is at feeding time. Some snakes are highly aggressive at feeding time, even if they are generally a docile species. This is especially true of the larger pet snakes that are out there such as the Burmese pythons and Boa Constrictors. These snakes are programmed to strike their food and wrap them up, and they can easily miss the prey and catch your hand if you do not properly feed them. Feeding should be done from a long distance and with snake tongs or a similar feeding device, especially with a larger breed of snake.

Venomous pet snakes are also highly aggressive at feeding time. When you are bitten by one of these snakes, it is a medical emergency. These snakes should not be kept as pets except by experts, and even then great care must be taken. Never open the cage and place the food in by hand - that is just stupid and begging for a snake bite.

Another common way that snakes bite their owners is when the owner starts to get overly comfortable with the fact that they won't bite. Countless stories are out there of snakes that have never bitten a soul and then suddenly turning on their owners. This is not a big deal with a little corn snake, but it can be deadly with larger breeds. This is another reason that large breed snakes should only be kept by experts.

Then there is the snake owner that simply loves watching their snake strike. They will poke and prod the snake in the hopes of watching them strike. More often than not, these snake owners will eventually get bitten. You can not poke and prod a snake and not expect to get snake bitten eventually. They deserve every bite they get and have no right owning a snake in the first place.

The bottom line here is that pet snake bites are almost always due to the owner making a wrong move. If you respect your pet snake, feed them at a distance and keep a healthy understanding of their biting capabilities, then you will not likely get bitten. Also, pet snake owners should stick to the breeds that are safe and easily cared for until they are knowledgeable and responsible enough to own a larger or venomous species.