I was giving the snakes some food today and... well lets just say it feels like my finger will fall off. I really enjoy interacted with them on a more personal level, feeding them by hand and letting them slither on me and wipe their dirty faces on me... But, both Ember and Snap are getting so big (Ember is about 13-14 inches and Snap is about 10-11 inches) that when they miss the food and bite me, they've been piercing the skin. I haven't really had an allergic reaction from them, yet. But after them I was giving Mama and Snakey a little snack to hold them off while they are in shed and decided to feed them by hand, too. I do this every few feedings so they stay used to my hand being in the tank and they appreciate how hard I work for them Snakey got me a few times, but none of them broke the skin, and I was very cautious with Mama because she gets in a frenzy when she's got food near her. I understand the risks of feeding them with my hands and being allergic to their saliva, but honestly, it seems like the pain is worth the relationship I get from it and having them trust me more. It's only after they bite me and my fingers start turning red, swelling up and stinging as if a bunch of hot needles were pressed in my skin, that I almost regret feeding them like that. Mama bit me hard, it made me bleed and there are teeth marks in my fingers. I know she didn't mean to bite, but it sure did startle my boyfriend and my mom because it actually made me scream, I almost never make a peep if I get bit or scared other than saying "ow".

You'd think I would have learned not to feed them like that after the first few bitings... But I'd go an do it again once the swelling and pain dies down.