Snake tried to bite me.

[TRL94]

Hello everyone again lol,
So the snake is inside for good. lol But Heres the story. I was cleaning my garter snakes cage cause hes been shedding for 4 days. I haven't picked him up since he was shedding I wasn't sure if it was ok. So as I was cleaning his cage he was under his hide. I lifted it up he was fine. I went to pet him cause I wanted to put him in my bucket well I finished cleaning. As i was petting him I was a little nervous cause I heard people say that garters bite when shedding. He whipped around and tried to bite me. I jumped lol of course. So im just wandering was it a bad idea to pick them up when shedding or is he just aggresive now cause i haven't picked him up in 4 days?

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

Just remember that snakes don't enjoy being pet. Being suddenly touched from above probably startled him. what is Petting to us is just a really annoying rubbing motion to the snake. It's normal for snakes to react this way, especially around the shedding cycle. It won't hurt him for you to touch or pick him up during the shedding process, it's just that they tend to be more nervous/high strung at that time.

[Quibble]

I agree with Shannon. I think its a natural defense to be on edge during shedding, seeing as it could make them more vulnerable to predators during the process.

[TRL94]

Oh really now that I've thought about petting a snake I can imagine that now it probably feels like prey touching it. Thanks