In the Immortal Words of Paula Abdul...

He's a cold-hearted snake.

Marius (my ball python) bit me again. I forget, after a while, how much it hurts when that happens. But then it happens. And I remember.

It's a quick kind of pain, which is good. It doesn't linger like a burn or a punch to the groin. Just a quick "Yowza!" and it's over. Then there's the blood. His teeth aren't very big around, but they are many and they're long enough to puncture the skin pretty good -- so the bleeding is pretty immediate. Kind of like getting a shot (well, more like many shots at once), but without a nurse's kind finger to press a cotton ball to your skin.

Anyway, I was reaching into his tank and trying to take hold of the rear quarter of his body, to let him out of his tank for a while. I feel bad when he's just sitting in his tank for weeks at a time. So, occasionally I get him out, let him explore other parts of the bedroom. This time, however, he mistook my hand for a tasty rodent and there they are -- a couple of bandaged up fingers.

Many people already don't understand why a person would want to own a snake. Then, when you tell them it has bitten you, well, the mind automatically screams "snake bite!" -- and the question of why becomes that much more urgent and reactive.

Thing is, it's not Marius' fault that he bit me. And contrary to the silly title of this post, it doesn't mean that he's dangerous or mean. He's simply not gotten enough socialization (my fault) and is responding to an innate feeding instinct. That said, I am trying to sell him.

I'm not trying to sell him because he's bitten me a few times, but because I feel I can't properly care for him any longer. He needs a home with a reptile enthusiast who will give him more attention that I can. Right now it just feels like I'm maintaining him, in that I'm feeding him, keeping his water fresh, his tank clean, but beyond these necessities, he's not getting a lot of attention from me lately. And if we decide to have kids one day, well, he won't be getting much attention at all. I'd like to give him up before that happens.

Anyone know of a place to take him? Or of reptile enthusiasts who might be interested in him? That's the idea right now. Give or sell him to someone who knows what they're doing. He's an adult so giving him to a novice who doesn't know much about snakes is out of the question.