What are corn snake teeth like?
 

My kids were asking me about our new corn...does he have fangs, does he have teeth, how many, how big are they?, etc. I know he has teeth, b ut not much about them.

Luckily, Nitro has been sweet enough to not to do anything remotely like biting us in the last few weeks, so we haven't really gotten a good look in his mouth or any first hand experience.

I haven't found any good info on this in my internet or forum searches- anyone care to answer?

Thanks,
Sara

Their teeth are short and sharp. They are designed to hold onto prey as the constrict it. A bite feels like a bunch of pin pricks, enough to draw blood, but not very bad.

In the almighty words of "Tim" from Monty Python's The Holy Grail, "Big, sharp pointy teeth..." :grin01:

Kidding...:) I think that I've heard it best described that their teeth are like stiff Velcro (not the soft fuzzy side of Velcro!)...I've been bitten once, by a sub-adult, and I got essentially "pricked". I'm sure, if your snake was to bite you or your children, you'd feel more from the shock/surprise of being bitten than the actual bite itself. At least, that's how it was with me. :)

I defer to all of those who have been bitten by adults, as I have yet to experience that.

(I did have a slight bite from one when she was a juvenile and I could see that she was aware in the same second that she "gripped" onto my finger that she knew that my finger tip was not what she wanted at all...and she let go immediately. I felt nothing but the slight pressure of her mouth from that...it was funny. :) )

LOL

I've never been bitten by an adult corn, but I have been bitten by my 5'+ kingsnake, which have similar dentition. I wouldn't say it hurt per se. More like a hard pinch that drew some blood. A little triple antibiotic cream and a band-aid took care of it. :eek1:

You probably wouldn't even need a band-aid. I've never had more than one drop come from any bite. I'd compare it to a quick poke from a hypodermic needle or a sewing pin. Their teeth are quite short.

It is the shock of the bite that gets to you not the bite itself. you will need antiseptic for it unless you've taught your snake to clean its teeth.:rolleyes:
I've been bit by an adult corn (a rescue that hadn't been handled on a while (it's nothing ) don't drop them keep hold and after a few more bites it stops.
As a matter of interest I had a large anaconda that was very nasty, it bit me on more than one occasion. It bled quite a lot but after a quick wash it stopped bleeding quite quickly.
A good tip but it's almost impossible to do , don't pull your hand out of its mouth. It can tear your skin and more than lightly snap off teeth that stay in you.
MIKE

I've only been bitten twice (by the same snake actually, strange because she is actually very sweet and quiet!) but she's only 7mo so wasn't that bad! lol Feels like lots of tiny pin pricks.

I wouldn't like to be bitten by my adutl corn though, though I am sure its not that bad! lol He's just super grumpy.

The worst bite I had felt more like sand paper being rubbed on my skin than like a pricking. It drew a decent amount of blood; but looked worst than it was. I have a slight alergy to their saliva (or something else in their mouth); I always get a little bit of swelling in the area that lasts for a day or two.

Me too... Sort've burns/itches.

My son (11) was handling the corn (2 y/o, 36") Steve-the-snake (we did NOT name him) we'd adopted 6 days prior to "the bite." My son said it felt a bit like a cat-bite. Here's my question: How to you stop the snake from biting, once it's teeth are in. Do you let it realize "oh, this isn't food" and let it release, or...? When Steve bit my son, I, instinctively (I guess) tried to pull the snake off. In hindsight I see my son would've been (and is) fine, but I could have really hurt Steve. Suggestions completely welcome! I am new to snakes, but am really interested in them. Thanks, Alexandra