Can I use vinegar to uncoil when I get attacked by bp

I want to keep a vinegar spray bottle at my enclosure just incase if I ever get bitten by my bps I can uncoil by spraying it. I want to know if I can use 100% vinegar without any concentration. Or should I use some water in the vinegar?

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I’ve heard of people using vodka or alcoholic mouthwash, but not vinegar. Can’t speak to the safety of vinegar, personally I’d just use some sort of hard liquor.

But I’ll add that you’re extremely unlikely to need anything like that at all with a ball python. Balls really aren’t known for biting and latching on (or biting at all). I won’t go so far as to say that no ball python has ever done that in the history of ball pythons as pets…but I would honestly be shocked to hear about a ball python biting, latching on, and wrapping a human arm/hand. I really don’t think you need to worry about keeping a solution nearby to get them to let go, because the likelihood they’d have ever latched on in the first place is so, so low.

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So I am curious. Have you been bitten by your bp in the manner you are speaking of before?

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Good point.
I have never been wrapped and chewed with ball pythons and not let go, just strike and let go defensive bites. Unlike other snakes.,
I panicked when I switched from colubrids and other pythons and boas to ball pythons. Got hooks and gloves.
Never needed them, Yea I took a bite or two to start in my error but less worse no than others, and alot better than Green tree pythons and Asian red tails rat snakes and even some north american rat snakes.
Ulike those previous snakes, it was never a deliberate attempt of them to get me, (unless the odd hatchling before it acclimatised to me but thats just like sandpaper ) just my error at feeding time.
Despite my unfounded fears, I never needed to use the hook or gloves with ball pythons.

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Of all the bps I have had over the years (i have 20 right now) I can count on 1 hand how many times I’ve been bitten by one of them when feeding and most of those times it was my fault. And I too have never used a hook or a glove.

However my BRB mistakenly struck and wrapped around my lower arm with his teeth sunk in between my left thumb and forefinger. But as soon as he realized I was not food he let go. I was of course feeding at the time.

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Is this your first BP? Have they gotten you before.

The only time I have been bitten by a BP and wrapped was always with snakes under 6 month of age. Babies that didn’t know better.

Usually the worst you will get is a quick snap and tag. I do have a couple who huff and try to tag me when I go in to spot clean.

If you have an adult BP and it is wrapping like that with a bite it would be for a reason. Either the snake is very hungry or it is very upset. Having a BP that is that upset is extremely rare. And I would be concerned about why it’s acting that way.

As far as what I’ve done… Never tried any trick other than just water. A quick little dip into a bowl of water or under a slow cool water faucet usually does it for me.

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I saw a reddit post of a women she got bitten and coiled up and it remained there for 5minutes. It was painful to her she shared images and videos. Some people suggested her to use vinegar spray.

I am new to bps its been just 3-4 months, I am trying to prevent that if it ever happens to me.

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Well honestly I would not pay attention to anything anyone says on Reddit regarding reptiles. Quite frankly I would not waste my time on Reddit period.

Now about the chances of being being “bitten and coiled up” by a ball python, let me say the chances of that happening to you are slim to none. Granted there are some snakes that are very food motivated, including ball pythons, but as long as the keeper knows what he or she is doing, there should be no need of “vinegar” or any other form of spray. As far ss the woman on Reddit, I don’t know if it really happened because I was not there. But that story sounds utterly bizarre and far fetched.

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Ive never had any of mine bite but i researched it when iron man was super defensive and food motivated it was when he was a lot smaller the bigger he gets the less he does it unless its close to feeding days or in shed he still will most places i saw was like what was suggested above just a little water or something spritzed by the mouth or a quick head dunk in a bowl but hes started to grow out of it thankfully i still have the snake hook now as hes gotten bigger trying train him to know food time vs cleaning time without the cardboard blocker he doesnt strike at me anymore anyway lol (never made contact though when he did) i saw a couple places saying something about vinigar though but i just didnt like the thought of what if it went in his eye

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Also side note to forgot to mention it if they do bite some people just wait them out and it doesnt take long for them to figure out ur not food like other people said to they have very small in diameter teeth so they actually dont do as much damage as ud think from what ive read its the equivilant of getting a tattoo ive even watched videos of people getting their own defensive or food motivated ball pythons to get their arm on purpose to show what to do and how bad it actually is

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One of my bps accidentally bit himself when feeding and was unable to detach on his own. I sprayed him with just some water and that worked immediately. Nothing in it just plain water in a spray bottle

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Remember that just because it happened to someone else doesn’t mean it’s likely to happen to you.

As a few others have said, plain water often does the trick, so if you already keep a spray bottle of water around, you should be good.

I have two snakes that have quite strong prey drives, and for this reason they’re probably more likely to bite and wrap my hand thinking it’s food than any ball python (my boa once struck and wrapped a paper towel roll :roll_eyes::joy:), but I don’t keep any sort of special spray around. I have a spray bottle of water for misting that I kept nearby, and I guess I have some whiskey in a downstairs cupboard if it ever came to that, but I guess I’m just not all that worried about a bite-and-wrap scenario. I feel like tap training is a good method for preventing that, and I’d rather prevent in in the first place than be prepared to react to it after the fact. :person_shrugging:

But if it gives you peace of mind, you can certainly keep a small spray bottle of vodka or alcoholic mouthwash nearby.

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I’ve never been bitten by a BP, but my woma has tagged me a couple times. I find hand sanitizer works best or you can just go over to the faucet and run his head under the water. Whatever lets him realize that you’re not food. He’ll let go pretty quick. I’d personally be concerned about spraying vinegar. Would it hurt to get it in his eyes?

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I believe the vinegar has been ruled out above but yes vinegar would definitely be harmful to the snake as well as downright cruel

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