Well, I had a feeding go slightly wrong the other day and I thought what the heck, I'll share with you all... I was feeding my female super tiger and she missed when she struck at the rabbit. When she missed, she came about 5 ft. out of her cage onto the floor (the vision she is in is the bottom one on the shelves). She came out and by me only about 8 inches away from me, I tried to react quickly to get away, but she returned back with another strike in just a split second. Here's a pic of her from a couple months ago in case you don't remember...



Luckily I was wearing jeans and she only got me "a little" on the back of my right knee, with just the front part of her lower jaw. The rest of her bite went just to my pant leg. But she hung on hard and then coiled and constricted my other leg. Obviously the big thing in a situation like this is to stay calm, and that's what worked. I grabbed her head (gently) as soon as I knew she had me and I just waited, as still as I could, and then after about 60 seconds, she started to back off because I knew that's what she always does before she eats. I then kept her head in my hand and had to unwind her from my other leg without letting her bite me again. She was resisting quite a bit, and I have to admit it REALLY wore me out getting her off me, but it wasn't too bad overall...

I eventually got her back in the cage, and the great news is that she went ahead and took the rabbit after all of that...

Here are a few pics of the bite, and thank goodness it was the day I was wearing pants, because who knows how much worse it would have been if I wasn't... this first pic isn't great, but good for the size reference...


and as you can see in these two, she released easily from one side but then kind of twisted and ripped a little on the other, and I have to admit that didn't feel real good... :wink:




thanks, and guys please be careful... it's been over a year since my last big bite before this, but even that's WAY too often... it's not that they are mean or evil, but sometimes they are a little unpredictable... :wink:

Serves you right!! lol kidding.. maybe she just was really hungry and was angry all you gave her was a rabbit lol

maybe, but it was a 6 pounder... :wink:

Sound like Brady Barr there Blake

BTW...I'm sure it was a mouthful of hairy leg more than the thought of a tasty rabbit that made her let go

sorry, but it really didn't hurt that bad... I actually thought it was funny how it happened...

First let me say that I am very glad you are ok Blake. I cant tell you enough how glad I am. Secondly, that is one absolutely beautiful animal. And lastly, were you alone?

yeah, it was one of the few times that I have been alone at a time like that, but that's why I was just feeding her in her cage and with my big tongs, so I wasn't "anywhere near her"... that obviously didn't work out the way I had planned when she came launching out of her cage... goes to show it's not okay to be alone even once...

it takes so long to thaw those big rabbits, and I had forgotten about it before I left so I just ran home real quick to feed it before it went bad. If I waited until I wasn't alone, that would have been another 4 or 5 hours, and the rabbit would have gone bad. Stupid reason, I know, but I'm having a tough time getting rabbits lately, and I just couldn't afford to waste one, especially one that size...

Dammit Blake you bone head. I know you know, but man if she would have got both legs we may have been reading about you in "Herps in the News" over on Fauna. And I dont want to be reading about my friends on "Herps in the News". Got it you bone head?

Well done on keeping your head in the game though during the incident. I have the utmost respect for you and dont want to lose a friend over being a bone head. I am guilty of doing bone head things sometimes myself, but that aint going to stop me from bitching at you about it.

Hopefully everyone else learned something from this.

All's well, ends well.

But in all seriousness....in case this should happen again, perhaps you should have a backup plan for all your snake...especially your carpets!! I mean, who's going to look after them while you're in the great golden herp paradise above?

Nudge, nudge, wink, wink

sorry, skunk, the carpets are all gone... and I know shrap, the first thing that came into my mind was "Man, you're an idiot..."

won't happen again.

I am just glad it all ended with no real harm done my friend.

me too, thanks

Why'd you let the carpets go?? You had some beauties!!

Thanks, and I know, but they just weren't for me... as much as I liked the look of carpets, I just didn't like interacting with them, if that makes sense? They aren't bad, but I needed to downsize and they were just what had to go...

Man I just got my first retic. He's about a 5'er and at first he was nice and calm but now he wants to eat my face. I know the feeling of the bone head. The other night I was feeding my carpet and the rat slipped from the tongs I was using I got distracted and put my hand in just a bit to far and it nailed my fingers. Glad it let go right away. Although it would have been nice if he'd just let go rather than ripping out. I must admit I do like the retics now mean or not. I'd prefer not but what can you do. Glad you are ok though.

wow scary! im glad your okay, thats my one big fear about getting big snakes is that. becuse no one is every home with me so yea. thats why i think corn snakes dont get big so some day i want one.

glad you are okay blake, be careful. Just goes to show how unpredictable snakes can be, even blake being one of the best snake keepers on this forum has this stuff happen to her. Glad your okay though, like shrap said I don't want to read about you being eaten:D