Do snake bites hurt? Also if you get a snake to do they bite a lot?

Question

I keep seeing on discovery channel whenever a guy gets bit by a snake he seems to be in a lot of pain. Are snake bites really as bad as they appear to be?

Answer 1

I've been bitten by a lot of snakes- my own, ones in the field I was working with (measuring, photographing, etc.) and ones I was moving to safer places to protect them from people.

The average non-venomous snake bites does not really hurt- the teeth are rather small and needle sharp- they penetrate quickly and cleanly. However, you will almopst always yelp, mostly from surprise or shock.

On the other hand, a decent bite from a big snake hurts like the dickens, and a bite in a sensitive location hurts as well.

Most of the pain comes from trying to pull or shake them off. The snake is not stupid enough to try to eat you, so usually lets go almost instantly- but if you pull it, its teeth will sort of hook in and cause more damage.

I've been bitten by a lot of things, and the bite of the average hamster hurts a lot more and causes more damage than the typical small to medium snake.

If bitten, you should certainly clean the wound- snakes tend to have rather dirty mouths.

Answer 2

I would say it depends on the size of the snake, the location of the bite and if venom is involved. Some venoms attack the skin surrounding the bite case death of the tissue which hurts like mad. A bite from a full grown Rock python is gonna sting just from the pressure of the bite and the size of the teeth. If you pull back against a bite it will hurt alot more. Most people jump at the shock of being bit and thus make the bite more painful and much worse. Some snakes bite so fast (Tiawan Beauty Ratsnakes for instance) that you can get bit ten time before you can put the snake down.

Answer 3

Well, obviously venemous snakes have fangs which pierce the skin and, depending on the venom, it affects muscles and/or nerves and can cause pain throughout the body.

For non-venemous snakes like boa constrictors which are often kept as pets, yes, they have a painful bite. They have sharp dental plates inside their mouths that function as teeth and strong jaws. Keep in mind they have to grab struggling rodents and small animals in the wild and hold on until they are dead. So, yes, the bite hurts and can even draw blood.

Whether the snake will bite depends on many factors. Personality is one consideration. Some snakes are very docile and never bite their owners while other snakes are more moody. A conscientious snake owner is observant. Snakes that are sheddding their skin are often cranky so might best be left alone. Snakes have poor eyesight so when feeding you want to keep your hand out of the way so that the snake does not grab your hand instead of the rodent. But all animals including cats, dogs, birds, hamsters, etc, will bite under certain circumstances.

Answer 4

From what you and I have both have seen on the Discovery Channel programs, don't you think snake bites might hurt? While fangs are sharp, they're not as small as a hypodermic needles, so imagine taking a pair of skewers from your kitchen and stabbing them into some part of your body, like the back of your hand, your arm or maybe your leg, under the pressure exerted by a biting action of a snake at the same time. I would guess a snake's fangs and bite would be similar to that and that's going to hurt ... a lot!

Answer 5

A snake bite will hurt, some more than others. Most of the time, the shock of being bitten is greater than the actual bite itself.

A small snake like a corn snake feels like a pinch and after a while, it'll feel like a papercut because of all the small teeth that they have.

A larger snake (in my case an 8ft. Red-Tail Boa) bite feels like a door slamming on your finger/hand, and it'll sting a while.

I have not been bitten by anything larger, but I would imagine that it will hurt even more.

Answer 6

well some hurt some dont, depends on alot of stuff, like size of the snake, kind of snake bitting you, where it bites you and how much pain you can take. say a 4 foot corn snake bites you in the hand, and 5 foot emerald tree boa bites you in the same spot of course the emeralds is going to hurt more cause it has bigger teeth, emeralds have been know to cause nerve damage with their bites

emerald tree boa teeth
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b353/parker1167/My%20Snakes/emerald_tooth02.jpg


i have been bit alot of times, i got bit by a 5 foot red tail in the forarm and a 3 foot african rock on the thumb that was prob half the weight of the red tail the rock bite hurt more.

dont get bit and you wont have to worry about if it hurts lol

Answer 7

Why anyone wants a snake as a pet is beyond me, but to each his own. The problem with snakes is you never know when they might bite. They also can & do carry the saminela germ and can transfer it to humans, just as from under cooked poultry. If bitten the chances are even greater. I like snakes, but not as a pet. Feeding them is a pain. You have to buy all those little dead baby mice. But if you love them, don't put them near youe mouth, and wash your hands....A LOT!!! Better yet, get yourself a Lab or Golden retriver...A REAL PET that you can relate to and LOVES YOU and becomes part of the family!

Answer 8

generally yes, it depends on the type of snake that bites you. even small snake bites hurt (small snake bites are shallow but sting ). Frankly getting bit by anything hurts. I've been bit by a number of animals (what an interesting life I lead) but the worst bite (in relation to pain) was from a gerbil that nipped the tip of my finger so hard it bled.

Answer 9

it doesnt hurt that bad , it is like getting pricked with a thorn thats about it. now on the other hand if you are bitten with a poisonous snake the venom will burn once injected into into your body that is were the pain comes in effect.it feels like a hot poker going up the extremity that has been bitten.

Coil snake have three colors on there body, black,red,yellow if the snake has the black band on both sides of the yellow one meaning red band, black band, yellow band,black band this snake is not poisonous yellow black friend of jack
now if the snake has black band,red band,yellow band,red band, black band this is the poisonous one stay away from them red and yellow kill a fella. there poison is like that of the cobra

timberrattler snake bites ( Hemo Toxin ) effect the nervous system and will make your tounge tinggle and make the mouth go dry it takes your balance away from you as well, makes you hemerage through your kidneys and bouls. A very good chance you will die if not treated imeditly, but dont panic cause this just makes things worse cause the venom will go through your blood stream faster.

The Majobi Rattler is a bad mojo there venom works both ways nervious system, breaks down the blood cells,works on the heart
body organs, himorraging ect...

Cotten Mouth Snake is simular to the timberrattler's venom


Copper Head you shouldnt have to worry about that you will die. 99% will will not. Unless it is a small child

Answer 10

It's not pleasant but it's not unbearable either. One thing to do is not pull back as that may cause the fangs to come loose in your skin which will become infected. Times to avoid handling a snake are when shedding and when feeding, snakes can become aggressive. If you get a snake that is known as a fairly calm breed then you probably won't have a problem if you avoid the times when they are shedding and feeding.