So I was playing with my little redtail today. I'm trying to keep him as tame as possible and as used to being handled and basically able to tolerate anything anyone may want to do to him. So a part of his handling routine involves me touching his head, either rubbing him under the chin or on top of the head. Today i got a little more bold and decided to touch him on the tip of the nose with my index finger. Ive done this a couple times before, usually he will stick his tongue out just far enough to touch the finger and will just kinda sit there looking around. Today well.... not so much. He pulled back a little, gave one good flick with his tongue, then WHACK!!!!!!

suddenly my finger was in his mouth . i couldnt help myself from reacting and jerking my hand back, and i felt the teeth pull out of my finger. I scolded him (which im sure did alot of good ) and we sat for a little while longer as i examined him, everything looked ok, and there were no teeth left in my finger. judging by the marks left his bite is about 3/8 inch wide though . anyways, based on his previous behavior and the way this all went i think this may have been a feeding response. hes usuallly very shy about eating in front of me, but maybe something triggered him..... either that or i had just mucked with him a little too much today. What does it sound like to you guys?

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0.0.1 - Jack, Ghost corn, never sexed, but its a He darnit
1.0.0 - Neo, Columbian Redtail Boa. Everybody's best buddy :) except my roommate.... he bites my roommate....

When is the last time he ate? I'm going with he's hungry, but wait for the experts to weigh in.

I'll go with - Its a snake, you put your finger in front of its mouth, what do you expect! you can't tame snakes like you would a dog. You have to remember that they bite, and respect that.

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I agree with Shell, I dont believe hunger had anything to do with it. Good thing you didnt decide to go nose to nose

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MARSHA
A man without a woman is a bachelor, A woman without a man is a genius!.

We have enough youth, how about a fountain of smart!

I dont ever put my finger in front of any snakes mouth. They are absolutely not fond of being caressed under the chin or on the face. They see you as a threat at that point.

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I have sucker tattood on my forehead

All of my boas are a bit skittish when I am around their head. I make it a point to not make them apprehensive at all.

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Ken
"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem." -- Ronald Reagan

i usually dont. however this snake had a history of force feeding, and was pretty used to his head being manipulated. i considered it a good trait and didnt want him to lose it. ideally i wanted a snake that, should the need arise, i can just put my hand over his head without a reaction. with the common stigma about the face i figured it was worth a shot. as a rule he is generally not snappy at all, and i saw the strike coming because he locked onto the finger right before he struck, i just wasnt fast enough. he didnt act startled at all by it, it really did look like a feeding response. besides, sunday/monday are his usual feeding days.

also, after the event he didnt act startled or stressed at all. he just kinda went about doing what he normally does, i was able to handle all of him, even his head without him pulling away.

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0.0.1 - Jack, Ghost corn, never sexed, but its a He darnit
1.0.0 - Neo, Columbian Redtail Boa. Everybody's best buddy :) except my roommate.... he bites my roommate....

I have no useful advice. I pet Roxy all the time under her chin and on top of her head, although I have never put my finger up to her nose for a taste test. Even on the days I don't take her out of her cage, when I stroke her, I am able to touch the top of her head. But she has been handled quite a bit. Maybe I would just stay away from the strike zone, so to speak.

My boa can be a tad bit shy about her head, She's okay with a hand under her head, and even rubbing the top of her head, i don't push it. But putting a warm, meal sized object in front of your snakes mouth is only asking for a bite, chances are your snake saw it as a meal, or a threat. Just because your finger is attatched to you, does not mean the snakes always realize that.

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"Nobody can do Everything, but Everybody can do Something."

i know, it probably would have helped to wash my hands before handling as i had just got done eating chicken...... this can be logged as yet another "dont take ur snake for granted" thread

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0.0.1 - Jack, Ghost corn, never sexed, but its a He darnit
1.0.0 - Neo, Columbian Redtail Boa. Everybody's best buddy :) except my roommate.... he bites my roommate....