Python Bites Boy Sleeping In Bed

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FRESNO, Calif. --A 12-year-old boy awoke to an unpleasant surprise this week when a python bit him in his bed. Michael Rodriguez discovered the 4-foot snake clinging to his right arm early Monday morning. He flailed his arm, flinging the snake to the carpet.

"I didn't cry, and then I walked to my parents' room," Michael said Tuesday, still displaying bite marks on the side of his right hand. He suffered only a minor injury. The snake is not venomous.

"We thought he was dreaming, but he was holding his hand and it was bleeding," said his father, Cedric Esqueda. "It was a pretty good bite, and I think when he threw it from his arm it made the bite worse."

The family just recently moved into the northwest Fresno home and doesn't own a snake.

"We have no idea where it came from," said Michael's mother, Christina Esqueda.

Animal control officials seized the ball python and it could be adopted or euthanized.

http://www.boston.com/news/odd/articles/2005/08/31/python_bites_calif_boy_in_bed?mode=PF

Pythons usually won't bite unless they are being mishandled, or trying to subdue their lunch. They are blind, but can tell how large something is, and would generally have no interest in biting something boy-sized. Unless the boy smelled like hamster and the bite was near his hand. (Sometimes pythons and boas don't realize the hand is connected to the rest of the body.) Or if the boy were really flailing around in bed.

Poor snake. I'm sure it was trying to keep warm. I hope they don't kill it.

I have been bitten when they mistook my hand for the rat. Their bite can be quite nasty because their teeth are razor sharp.

I grew up with boas and pythons.