My corn snake bit me...?

Question

My corn snake bit me this afternoon as i was feeding it, i put its mouse in its cage and it atacked my finger, my parents just let me get a corn snake and i dont want them to know it did that or they might make me give him away, do corn snakes bight a lot or just sometimes?

Answer 1

While I agree that people are being rude and not very helpful I disagree with some of the other posters.

Someone said other than an Anaconda only venomous snake bites hurt, HA! I have two large boa and they have many a sharp teeth in their mouths and if you do not think a bite from either my 7 foot or my 12 foot would hurt come on over and give them a go.

You need to feed prekilled prey or frozen thawed and the snake will lose a bit of its feeding edge. It still cannot be trusted 100%, but it sure makes it nice when your snake is used to something that isn't going to fight back. None of my snakes get live food and I have six snakes that kill by constriction. They simply slide up to the prey, grab it by the head and suck it back. No striking, no coiling (other than when they are forcing it down their own throats but that coiling is more holding than squeezing).

I know live prey vs dead prey is a hot topic but I have seen what happens when you feed live, it is not pretty. Go to this page on proexotics, http://www.proexotics.com/live_prey.htm and check these photo's out, the snake was given live prey, just a rodent. I figure why take chances.

-Good luck.

Answer 2

If your corn snake bit and then let go, it was a defensive strike. If he bit you and hung on, that means he got confused as to which was food, the finger or the mouse... and he attacked the wrong thing.

This is important because the first problem can be fixed and the second one really can't. If your snake is nervous around you, he'll bite if you get too close. The only way to break him of this is to handle him. Pick him up and let him get used to being handled. He'll probably bite you once or twice the first time, but corn snakes tame down really quickly. Once he's accustomed to you, he'll never bite you again.

If he bit your finger because he thought it was food, then there's really nothing you can do about it. Just be more careful next time. If you hand-feed any kind of snake, it's pretty common for them to miss the intended food and get your finger instead. It takes them a while to realize their mistake, and they'll actually start trying to swallow your finger for a few seconds. If this is what your snake is doing, just make sure the mouse and your finger aren't close enough for him to make the mistake. Also, make sure you keep him well fed. Otherwise, he'll start trying to eat anything you put in his tank, including fingers.

As for infection, that's extremely rare. I've been bitten hundreds of times by various non-venomous snakes, and I've never once developed an infection. It's always a good precaution to wash your hands after handling your snake, but the risk of infection is nearly zero.

Answer 3

I have a cornsnake and it is very, very gentle. It has never bit me or even acted like it wanted to bite me. But they are wild animals so you have to be very careful when your around their food source. When they are hungry they get in a kill mode and they are more likely to strike out.
What I do is take the snake out of his cage at feeding time. Feed him in a different area ( I use a rubbermaid storage container). That way he doesn't associate his cage with the food and he will let you pick him up anytime, no problem. P.S. Keep an eye on him cause after he eats they like to go for a crawl...and they can disappear quick. Mine was missing for alomost two months and then one day he was just back. Stupid snake!!

Answer 4

A fair question deserving of a fair answer, not a rude one, people, where on earth is the manners we have here? If you can't be polite, don't bother to reply, simple as that! (If you disagree check your Community guidelines)

A snakebite does not hurt badly if it's a non-venomous snake, except with an anaconda. The suggestion that it would be very painful is ridiculous in itself.

All snakes bite at some stage, mostly it's a warning strike, like my Taiwanese Ratsnake (1.5m). Remember when they bite to not pull back quickly or you may break their teeth.
Cornsnakes don't bite a lot, they're not snappy as such.
Check when it bit you, was it when you normally feed it? Something may have triggered it, always keep an eye out for the S-coil, that's how you know you're in danger of being bitten. Perhaps take it out and socialise with it some more, if you haven't done so normally.

Answer 5

They are not typically biters. Wear a glove if you have to. I'd say feed him in a different tank that is strictly for feeding, but a lot of people don't like moving snakes for about a day after they eat. Feed him on the same day every week, give him a day to digest, take him out at least 10 minutes the other days. It was just a defensive/confusion bite. Let it slide unless you think something is wrong with your finger. It's a snake, it's what they do.

Answer 6

Jesse P got it right, you need to feed him is seperate container.

For my little guy, I have a feeding tub. I defrost the mouse, place it in the tub, get FinFang and put him the tub (making sure my hands don't smell like mouse). That way he doesn't think my hand going in the tank = food. Other people have had sucess in getting their snakes to stop biting by doing this. I'm sure you'll be fine.

Answer 7

Odds are it missed the mouse and hit you. Also a corn snake will bite in self defense if it thinks your going to hurt it.

Answer 8

i had 2 cornsnakes, and i'm pretty sure the only reason it bit you is that your finger was mistaken for the mouse. if the food was close to your finger, the snake could very well have mistaken the mouse and your finger for two mice.

Answer 9

only when threatened or when they are feeding and a corn snake bite is nothing to worry about it doesnt hurt

Answer 10

I don't think they bite often, but I would definetely tell your parents about it. It could be infected, but I doubt it because corn snakes aren't poisonous in the least bit. But, your own personal care is definetely more important than what your parents might say. Tell them!