# Missed Strike



## Yellowtail (Oct 26, 2017)

Just been feeding a few of my snakes and this girl was hiding under the newspaper (recently shed), but had stuck her head up after smelling the rats so I decided to offer her one, I held the rat around where her head was last sighted and no reaction so I persisted dragging the rat along the newspaper edge, nothing?
Then in a blur she struck across from the far side of the 1.2m enclosure, missed the rat with her mouth (and my hand) but wrapped a coil around the rat and grabbed the thermostat probe (no where near the rat) in her mouth. This was funny until she refused to let go the probe and proceeded to swallow it, I had to force open her mouth and free the probe, dropped her and whipped my hand out while she grabbed the rat before she dropped to the enclosure floor. This is her 3rd large rat since laying eggs on 1/10 so she is not exactly starving. I've had this sort of thing happen before with cage furniture, when they are in a feeding frenzy they will swallow anything, I don't have anything in my cages now that can be accidentally grabbed but you don't expect them to grab a probe stuck to the cage wall 2 feet from where you presented the rat. I have to add this is a very calm girl that is good to handle.
Anyone else had interesting experiences with mis-strikes.


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## Pauls_Pythons (Oct 27, 2017)

lol. Love it YT. BHP's are masters at grabbing anything that might remotely be considered as food but never had one try to eat a thermostat probe before


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## SpottedPythons (Oct 27, 2017)

I had a spotted that saw the reflection of the rat in the tank and struck at it, bounced off, struck again, bounced off, and somehow latched on to the actual rat in the process. All in the space of 3 seconds.


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## pinefamily (Oct 27, 2017)

We've had missed strikes into thin air, where we started to think there might be something wrong with the python. Nothing to that degree. 
On a similar note, when the EWD is hungry, I have to be quick not have my fingers bitten. Ignores the cricket tub, and goes straight for my fingers.


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## Tarron (Oct 27, 2017)

My girl when she is hungry she strikes at anything that moves. Striking the screen top, the hook, feed box, me, her self, she is a very aggressive eater.


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## Yellowtail (Oct 27, 2017)

I remember now a very aggressive jungle that grabbed herself and would not let go, ended up having to use the vodka to get her to release.
This should be a lesson to those who think it is ok to feed 2 snakes in the one enclosure.


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## Tarron (Oct 27, 2017)

Yellowtail said:


> I remember now a very aggressive jungle that grabbed herself and would not let go, ended up having to use the vodka to get her to release.


She doesn’t hold on to herself just bites her self, if she did that I don’t know what I would do jeez


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## Scutellatus (Oct 27, 2017)

What is the silver looking ball above the snake and probe Yellowtail?


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## Yellowtail (Oct 27, 2017)

Tarron said:


> She doesn’t hold on to herself just bites her self, if she did that I don’t know what I would do jeez


Alcohol is the best to get them to release they don't like the smell, I keep a bottle of vodka handy mainly in case I get grabbed.


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## Tarron (Oct 27, 2017)

Yellowtail said:


> Alcohol is the best to get them to release they don't like the smell, I keep a bottle of vodka handy mainly in case I get grabbed.


You could use just cold water out of the tap?


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## SpottedPythons (Oct 27, 2017)

From what I've heard, never use cold water, since the temperature shock could kill them. When a snake grabs me and doesn't let go, I use diluted metho or put the snake's head under lukewarm water.


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## pinefamily (Oct 27, 2017)

Yellowtail said:


> Alcohol is the best to get them to release they don't like the smell, I keep a bottle of vodka handy mainly in case I get grabbed.


Also handy if you get the food response bite.


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## Yellowtail (Oct 27, 2017)

Scutellatus said:


> What is the silver looking ball above the snake and probe Yellowtail?


Thats aluminium tape that was covering the probe cable where it came thru the enclosure wall, it pulled loose when she grabbed the tip of the probe. Normally that stuff is almost impossible to remove.
Thankfully the Habistat pulse thermo is still working or it would have been an expensive bite.


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## Yellowtail (Oct 27, 2017)

pinefamily said:


> Also handy if you get the food response bite.


Many years ago I had a bad experience with a big jungle that just would not let go, tried to swallow my hand, have kept an old bottle of vodka in my snake room alongside the fire extinguisher ever since.


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## pythoninfinite (Oct 27, 2017)

Yellowtail said:


> Alcohol is the best to get them to release they don't like the smell, I keep a bottle of vodka handy mainly in case I get grabbed.



I guess it helps with the pain...

Jamie


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## Wokka (Oct 27, 2017)

Yellowtail said:


> Alcohol is the best to get them to release they don't like the smell, I keep a bottle of vodka handy mainly in case I get grabbed.


Wouldn't you have to drink a lot of alcohol for the snake to taste it and let go? i guess if nothing else it will dull your pain!


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## Yellowtail (Oct 27, 2017)

Wokka said:


> Wouldn't you have to drink a lot of alcohol for the snake to taste it and let go? i guess if nothing else it will dull your pain!



No Wokka, you just take a mouthful and breath on the snake and it has to be Russian, snakes are fussy.


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## Tarron (Oct 27, 2017)

A snake catcher told me if a snake grabs on just put it under water out of the tap


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## Bl69aze (Oct 27, 2017)

Tarron said:


> A snake catcher told me if a snake grabs on just put it under water out of the tap


This may work sometimes but it’s also known to make the snake bite down more.

OT: I’ve had my coastal completely miss his rat and went straight for my knuckle and wrapped my hand up, LOTS of blood from my hand waiting for him to let go. Finger went like a balloon and hurt for month or 2


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## Tarron (Oct 27, 2017)

Bl69aze said:


> This may work sometimes but it’s also known to make the snake bite down more.
> 
> OT: I’ve had my coastal completely miss his rat and went straight for my knuckle and wrapped my hand up, LOTS of blood from my hand waiting for him to let go. Finger went like a balloon and hurt for month or 2


Jeez, you could either wait for them to let go, or search up on yt how to get a snake of ya finger


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## Scutellatus (Oct 27, 2017)

Yellowtail said:


> Thats aluminium tape that was covering the probe cable where it came thru the enclosure wall, it pulled loose when she grabbed the tip of the probe. Normally that stuff is almost impossible to remove.
> Thankfully the Habistat pulse thermo is still working or it would have been an expensive bite.


Wouldn't you be better off with a piece of ply cut in half with a circle drilled in the middle then nailed or screwed off?


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## pinefamily (Oct 27, 2017)

In my experience, tapwater does make them bite/wrap that bit harder, but then they let go.


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## Tarron (Oct 27, 2017)

pinefamily said:


> In my experience, tapwater does make them bite/wrap that bit harder, but then they let go.


Well if it makes her let go I’ll do it, even if it hurts a little bit more


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## Bl69aze (Oct 27, 2017)

Tarron said:


> Jeez, you could either wait for them to let go, or search up on yt how to get a snake of ya finger


Unfortunately it was sort of my fault and was at 2am after I fell asleep and woke up in a panic realising I’d forgotten to feed him


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## Yellowtail (Oct 27, 2017)

Scutellatus said:


> Wouldn't you be better off with a piece of ply cut in half with a circle drilled in the middle then nailed or screwed off?



Ive been doing it this way for years without problem, the probe is inserted through a hole and the tape just secures it flat against the wall and seals the hole. I use the same tape to secure the heat cable in my hatchling racks and incubators and it is permanent and cleanable. It might be a bit crude but it makes it easy to optimise the probe position.


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## littlerose (Oct 27, 2017)

Mine has missed spectacularly and ended up with a mouthful of bedding (I use chipsi, so wasn't a big issue).. Nothing that extreme though


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## Yellowtail (Oct 27, 2017)

Thats why you should never use sand or pebbles with snakes


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## MDPython (Oct 27, 2017)

This is a interesting thread love hearing about the different feeding mishaps, YT do you mind telling me what the brand name of that tape is i like it and have some ideas. Oh and for the newbies, Please it is best not to use tape in any snake enclosure as it can be disastrous. 

MD


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## SpottedPythons (Oct 27, 2017)

You know, a guy at the reptile park told me that with smaller snakes, you let them swallow your fingers up to the knuckles, then at the knuckles place two pencils parallel to each other across the top and bottom of your finger. When the snake reaches there, it has to open up wider to try and get what it perceives to be a bump in the prey (the pencils) down, and while the mouth is open wide, simply slide your finger out.


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## Yellowtail (Oct 27, 2017)

MDPython said:


> This is a interesting thread love hearing about the different feeding mishaps, YT do you mind telling me what the brand name of that tape is i like it and have some ideas. Oh and for the newbies, Please it is best not to use tape in any snake enclosure as it can be disastrous.
> 
> MD
> 
> ...


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## MDPython (Oct 27, 2017)

Hmm thanks YT look like some sort of special fire tape or something never seen it before but i just like that it has a reflective foil like surface. The closest i can find is the silver air con duct tape so that will have to do. Thanks for the photo.

MD


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Yellowtail (Oct 27, 2017)

MDPython said:


> Hmm thanks YT look like some sort of special fire tape or something never seen it before but i just like that it has a reflective foil like surface. The closest i can find is the silver air con duct tape so that will have to do. Thanks for the photo.
> 
> MD
> 
> ...


It is aluminium foil and the adhesive is unbelievable, I think I got it from Masters when they were closing down so it is probably American.


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## pinefamily (Oct 27, 2017)

You can get a similar silver heat tape from Bunnings.


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## Bl69aze (Oct 27, 2017)

SpottedPythons said:


> You know, a guy at the reptile park told me that with smaller snakes, you let them swallow your fingers up to the knuckles, then at the knuckles place two pencils parallel to each other across the top and bottom of your finger. When the snake reaches there, it has to open up wider to try and get what it perceives to be a bump in the prey (the pencils) down, and while the mouth is open wide, simply slide your finger out.


With the bigger snakes wait till it’s at ur elbow. Duhhhh (that’s silly advice to be completely honest, surely that’d be hurting the snake if u just slide ur finger out from inside :/)


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## Scutellatus (Oct 27, 2017)

Bl69aze said:


> With the bigger snakes wait till it’s at ur elbow. Duhhhh (that’s silly advice to be completely honest, surely that’d be hurting the snake if u just slide ur finger out from inside :/)


How is that silly advice? Anything you can do to lift the teeth out of your finger before pulling it out is not silly. Another good release method is the edge of a credit card slid slowly into the mouth to lift the teeth.


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## SpottedPythons (Oct 27, 2017)

Bl69aze said:


> With the bigger snakes wait till it’s at ur elbow. Duhhhh (that’s silly advice to be completely honest, surely that’d be hurting the snake if u just slide ur finger out from inside :/)


Apparently it feels weird, but not as weird as you'd think...


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## Bl69aze (Oct 27, 2017)

Scutellatus said:


> How is that silly advice? Anything you can do to lift the teeth out of your finger before pulling it out is not silly. Another good release method is the edge of a credit card slid slowly into the mouth to lift the teeth.





SpottedPythons said:


> Apparently it feels weird, but not as weird as you'd think...


I misread ur comment, I was thinking of second knuckle  so yes I’m sure that would be a viable way although not the best


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## Scutellatus (Oct 28, 2017)

Bl69aze said:


> I misread ur comment, I was thinking of second knuckle  so yes I’m sure that would be a viable way although not the best


So from your limited 'experience' what is the best way to remove a snake from your finger then Bl69aze?


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## ronhalling (Oct 28, 2017)

For feeding mishaps and wrap and hold bites where the snake has its teeth well and truly in to you or any inanimate objects and refuses to let go i have a spray bottle with Listerine in it, 1 quick spray into the snakes mouth and they let go real quick, and on the plus side they end up with nice "Minty" breath, there is nothing in it that does the snake any harm and whether it is the Alcohol or the peppermint essence it works well. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) -ronhalling-


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## Yellowtail (Oct 28, 2017)

ronhalling said:


> For feeding mishaps and wrap and hold bites where the snake has its teeth well and truly in to you or any inanimate objects and refuses to let go i have a spray bottle with Listerine in it, 1 quick spray into the snakes mouth and they let go real quick, and on the plus side they end up with nice "Minty" breath, there is nothing in it that does the snake any harm and whether it is the Alcohol or the peppermint essence it works well. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) -ronhalling-


Good idea to have snakes with nice breath but the vodka is dual purpose.


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## Scutellatus (Oct 28, 2017)

Yellowtail said:


> Good idea to have snakes with nice breath but the vodka is dual purpose.


One for you two for me!


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