Retic Bite

[Snakes4Africa]

After much pleading from BushViper and Bushbaby, I have relented and decided to post these pics here. I have been reluctant to do so for many reasons, not the least of which is my personal embarrasment! Other reasons include portraying these snakes in the wrong light and the usual general backlash these types of posts elicit.
Please bear in mind that almost all (captive) snake-bites are the fault of the keeper, not the snake.
These photos were taken in June 2006 and are not recent.
I have been keeping snakes for about 15 years now and regard myself as relatively experienced. Yet still accidents can and do happen!
How it happened: I was offering my 2.3m Reticulated Python a large rat at the end of a grabstick (90cm snake-tongs). She shot straight past the food, mouth wide open, and on the way back to the cage, bumped my leg. She obviously mistook my skinny, hairy leg for the rat, bit and proceeded to kill it.
I have been grabbed once or twice before by Burmese and Retics so I did not panic, they always have let go relatively quickly, leaving a few puncture marks. However, she was constricting my leg and her mouth was twisting around my calf like a can-opener! Once I saw the blood running BACK OUT of my boot, I realised this was quite serious! I convinced her to let go and assessed the situation. I realised I would need a few stitches to close this wound and as I could not reach to do them myself, called my good friends Richard Boynton and John Chinn to assist.
Below are the results:
















Please excuse photo quality, I was taking them myself!
The wound has healed to leave a neat scar, and the Retic lives to educate more people!
She is still one of the most placid large snakes I have.
This was a feeding accident, not an aggression bite.

[Fooble]

That's juicy!

[Pythonodipsas]

Wow, graphic photos and those teeth cut pretty deep. Even though you know the snake was usually calm I am sure you give more respect toward retics.

[froot]

Great post! Very important for people to realise that large constrictor bites should never be taken lightly.

When a big snake like this has got you, what is the best way to make it release? I've heard that pouring anything with ethanol in it such as whiskey etc. over where it has clamped it's jaws on you works but I've also heard that ethanol is highly toxic to snakes. I've also heard that simply pulling the snake off you only makes the wound worse because of the inwards pointing teeth.

Takes guts to post something like this, thank you.

[snake-5]

Yummy how did you persuade it to let go, i keep vinnegar close by at all times seems to work well. How many stitches if i may ask and were the very deep lacerations from the upper front teeth, eish glad u still with us today and teaching a very important lesson the graphic way.

[Bushviper]

That had to be sore. Those teeth went in quite deeply. Thanks for posting them as this shows that the huggable big guys can still give you a decent fright.

Do you still have this snake and can you post any pictures of it?

[Burmbuddy]

That is stunning! Amazing how deep their teeth go...
Thanks for posting!
I have heard that retics (esp bigger males) develop serrated (like a sharks) front teeth for fights in breeding season, I have always questioned this, but after those pics it might be possible.
Dont worry man, chicks dig scars...
Thanks for posting!
Cheers
DAN

[boing]

Looks painful. If that is from a normally docile animal, I would hate to see a bite from a normally aggressive snake of a similar size.

A good reminder to always be careful and pay attention when working with snakes, even the non-venomous ones!!

[DevenK]

Wow, that's hectic. Thanks for sharing.

Looks really painful....

[Snakes4Africa]

Thank your for the comments and questions.
Firstly, I do still have the snake, and I use her for kids parties and corporate functions. Pics below
Kids party

With the Wallabies Rugby team

Witg Tana Umaga (Please note, we won the next match against Australia)


Please realise this was not an aggression or defense bite. It was a feeding accident... She wanted to kill and eat my leg! A defense bite would not be as bad as she would have bitten and released.
I must admit, I was not too worried about making her let go as I did not think she would hold on so long after she realised I was not food. I, too, have heard of using vinegar, alcohol or hot water to make a snake let go, but none available in the room. I did not simply rip her off my leg but encouraged her to let go by bumping her nose with the grab-stick.
By the way, the teeth on the bottom jaw went deep enough to sever a nerve in the back of my leg.
Yes, it was relatively painful, but the stitches (staples) were worse. I would recommend using anaesthetic.
I don't know if males develop serrated teeth... They don't flipping need to! And this was a female.

[froot]

Backed the photos onto our gallery, Photobucket is painfully slow today.

[Bjorn]

Thanks for sharing. Those are some graphic pics. I have thought about how bad it would be if you got a bit in the face by a retic. Very scary thought. I was an episode of the croc hunter (Steve Erwin) where his male retic attacked the females and she had massive lacerations. Now that's with a snake that has tuff skin and to a human would be extremely bad.

[Bushviper]

By the way that is not Tana Umaga as he plays for the All Blacks. The winger in question is Lote Tuqiri.

Even their shortest players are taller than you. Pity Retics do not eat Wallabies.

[Snakes4Africa]

The winger in question is Lote Tuqiri.

Even their shortest players are taller than you. Pity Retics do not eat Wallabies.

Ooops! My bad! These Wallabies were too big to eat. But they were frightened.

[Bushviper]

Good .... can you go see them before every test match?

I heard some of the New Zealanders were suitably cautious of snakes when they went to visit a facility near Pretoria. They have nothing to compare them with because there are no snakes in New Zealand that they can relate too. To see huge hulks hiding behind each other when confronted by a cobra is a strange experience.