ok (no offense ladies) but i'm a freakin GIRL when it comes to handling rogue

Rotfl i told my girl to pick him up haha... then she tryed but couldn't and then i did but when I did i tailed him and didn't support his weight very much cuz i was a chicken **** . Why am I SO freaked out i'm 26 years old and have been shot at before... (army) arg pls help guys.

btw he didn't curl up once i picked him up he wanted to get away no matter what.

Well first off if you are going to have a snake, you need to get over whatever fears you have. I don't know how big he/she is but even an adult's bite is less painful than a catscratch (from what I hear) so really there is nothing to be afraid of. Secondly are you saying that when you pick him/her up you are dangling the snake by the tail? If so then...well...don't. Not only would that stress the crap out of the snake but have you ever heard the term degloving? And no corn snakes do not curl up onto your hand like some other kinds of snakes do, they are more active when being handled. Hope this helps

---Kenny

Or you could get a hamster, or possibly a pet rock. I hear they don't bite.

Look man, if you can get shot at :twoguns: and take the risk of dying you should be more than willing to pick up a pet snake with the risk of getting your finger pinched. Its not like its going to take your finger off or something. :grabbit:

Fears are rarely rational and so it can be really hard to talk yourself out of them. I don't have a problem with snakes, but I am still somewhat terrified of bees. What finally got me somewhat better with bees was when my job as a caterer required me to work at one point with cookies and punch and a small swarm of a dozen+ bees. After forcing myself to do that and not being stung, I am now just uncomfortable with bees and not terrified beyond all measure.

I would advise that the best way to get over a fear of handling snakes is to... well, handle snakes. You can only retrain your subconcious thought patterns by having repeated, enjoyable, non-traumatic, calm experiences with the snake. If your snake is skittish it makes it harder, I realize that. But you can learn together. Not to sound condescending, but think about it like you would with a child; if you were six, what would help you get over an irrational fear? Calm and encouraging encounters with the object of fear until your brain is re-trained.


Leave him alone for almost all the time, and you and he will both keep your fears and be uncomfortable with handling. Deal in small sessions daily or every few days of picking him up smoothly and gently but quickly and then putting him back soon after, and you will both show improvement in no time!


I hope that helps. (-: Like I said, I totally understand the subconcious fear thing and I hated doing some things outdoors for years becasue I was terrified of bees. But there are ways to deal with that and I'm sure you will be fine.

I'd suggest picking up a really ornery rainbow boa and let it bite you a few times, you'll feel better then knowing what a snake bite feels like. It's nothing.
I know some people aren't quite as luck but I've never been bitten by a corn snake. I own seven of them and handle them quite a bit. I've got some of them really really pissed off but never have I been bitten or stuck at.

Corn snakes will never sit still on you. They are very active when you take them out so don't expect them to curl up in your hands or around your neck.
Also, may people believe that they will sit in place on you because they like your body heat. This is not true. If a corn snake heated up to human body temperature it would die. Corn snakes like room temperatures so body heat is no incentive for them to hold still, not that it hurts them or anything.

Try and support your snakes body, let them crawl freely from hand to hand you can steer them in the direction you want them to go but make sure you give them lots of head space so they feel safe.

I've been bitten worse by a hamster than I ever have by a snake.

I hate getting bit by rodents!

Little snake bites don't hurt- they barely have any strength in their jaws.

Has he struck at you even once?

Nanci

ive been bitten by an adult emerald tree boa, it sucked. i was struck by my friends corn, felt like corse grit sand paper. I.E. not enough to even break the skin on a mans hand.

on the flip side, the boa was terrible but i laughed it off.

I was bitten for the first time in december by Tiaga my adult corn. My fault totally because he stays in "hunt mode" for an hour or more after eating and I chose to try putting him back in his viv by picking him up. Well let me tell you. Pain factor was maybe 2, startle factor was a 10. From now on I'll know if any of my darlings decide to take a swipe at me, they will get the last laugh because there is next to no pain at all.

I know getting that first bite is something you don't look forward to, but just know there is really nothing to an adult corn bite, so I can only imagine getting bit by a baby really would be laughable.

SkyChimp said:

I've been bitten worse by a hamster than I ever have by a snake.

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Exactly....I'm not afraid of rodents, but I am very uncomfortable handling them because I've been bitten before. If anything it's the rats and mice that we all feed the snakes that we should be watching out for.

I too was a little freaked out at first, that was the main reason for getting one because I didn't want to pass my fears on to my kids. I suggest waiting until the little one goes to bed before handling your snake. Establish a bond so to speak, it's easier to do with nobody around talking in your ear.(you know kids) Just tell your daugher the snake need more time to adjust before being held alot. Wait until your comfortable with your pet snake before you share your experience with your daughter, because as all kids are she'll pick up on your fear and develop one for her self. :wavey: JMTC

Maybe if you guys named your snakes with kinder, gentler names instead of Rogue, Striker, Killer, Sir Killsalot, Fang, etc. they wouldn't feel obligated to live up to those names!

For instance, Lila is like a little lavender flower. Jake- Jake the Snake, well, he's like a powerful wrestler, so he likes to squeeze a little, but that's all!

Just an idea... :shrugs:

Nanci

TrpnBils said:

Exactly....I'm not afraid of rodents, but I am very uncomfortable handling them because I've been bitten before. If anything it's the rats and mice that we all feed the snakes that we should be watching out for.

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I'll only handle a live mouse by the tail, once they're past fuzzy stage. And rats? Ain't happening. I'm afraid of being bitten. I had evil gerbils and hamsters as a kid, and I've been bitten by mice, and I don't like it. I love f/t. :grin01:
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I've been bitten by corns from hatchlings through adults. Their bites can hardly be called painful until they're large, and even then it's not THAT painful. I put a yellow dish-washing glove on to get the meanest big snakes out of their tubs. They're usually ok once they're out. Sometimes if one of the not-so-mean ones gives me the neck-crane and evil-eye, I'll avert my gaze so I can only see the snake in my peripheral vision. Then I just go in and grab without hesitation. I've never been bitten when I do this. :shrugs: Even if one bit me, I'm sort of looking away, so I wouldn't see the strike and risk jerking my hand away and injuring the snake.

I didn't get the impression that Glock was affraid of being bitten. Just a little skittish. When you remember back to the first time ever holding a snake weren't you the least bit skittish?

I know I was just at the awe of the sensation and not wanting to drop it etc. and not feeling secure enough to know just how fast it can move or how tight it will hold on. Just that sense of unknowing and uneasiness of the situation.

For me it was just a few years ago so I still remember it vividly. I just held (well just the head and first foot) a burmese for the first time and felt the whole thing again. I was always a bit afraid of snakes but I'm working through it and enjoying it very much. The feeling of a burmese moving her muscles like no other as well as the texture of the scales. when I warmed up I fell in love. Mind you I would never own one.

I just think Glock needs so quality one on one time with Rogue for the two of them to get over the newness of the stuation.

Joejr14 said:

Or you could get a hamster, or possibly a pet rock. I hear they don't bite.

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Lol! Hamster bites hurt way more than any bite I have gotten yet by my snakes. Not even my texas rat was painfull. And rocks can bite if thrown hard enough ...:grin01:

After you receive your first snake bite, you're entire perspective will change immediately. It's more of a mind psyche thing than a pain issue, trust me. If you keep snakes, you will get bit occasionally, it just happens. When I first started, I was your age and had a real phobia about it. Once I got that first bite, I wore that blood proud! I wanted everyone to see, but nobody cared. :grin01:
Just trying to ease that fear as I sort of remember what it was like to be apprehensive. Good luck in getting over it :cheers:

I'm sure I read a scale on here once comparing a hatchling bite to the scratch from velcro. I've been tagged a few times by my naughty ratsnake, and it's honestly most like a pin-prick when you're sewing, just a sudden sharp (small) pain.

Hard as it is, you really do have to make yourself hold the snake. Why? Because the less you handle it, the more likely it is to bite you when you do. :grin01: Handling the snake will get him used to you. Even bites from adult corns don't hurt, not really.

I recently had to take my rabbit to the vet. He's fine with me, but doesn't like other people, and did he ever freak out with the vet - kicking out as he did so and tearing all the way down my arm. It's not the first time that has happened either, and it HURTS. My small bunny has injured me far worse than any of the five snake bites I've received ever have, and given the choice, I will ALWAYS be bitten by my python :grin01:

Just trying to put things in to perspective a little. I agree with what everyone else is saying... corn snake bites are truly nothing compared to the bites and even scratches of other, supposedly "cuddly" creatures :wavey: Unfortunately bites come with the territory when you work with snakes and there's no real way around them except to just try and deal with them.

Good luck!

im afraid of rodent bites, just because theyre mammals like us so any pathogens would be spread easier