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By Alice Gibbs
Senior Reporter
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A snake owner has shared how her pet snake accidentally mistook her hand for a rat, leading to an unfortunate bite.
Mia lives in Western Washington and has had her ball python Aphrodite for five years.
During feeding time, Aphrodite accidentally latched onto her owner's hand, apparently thinking that it was a rat ready for dinner.
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"This is the first time Aphrodite has bitten me—and it probably won't be the last—so I decided to share it to see what others thought about the bite and if I needed to see a doctor or not," Mia told Newsweek.
"She wouldn't let go for a good five minutes until I finally figured out to run some cold water over her," Mia wrote on Reddit where she shared a picture of her hand after the bite. "Little demon. Still love her though," she added.
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Native to western and central Africa, ball pythons are popular reptile pets in the U.S. Known for their docile nature and manageable size, they typically reach around 3-5 feet in length.
With a striking pattern of dark and light scales—resembling a ball when coiled—they are primarily carnivorous, feeding on small rodents.
Owning a ball python is a long-term commitment as they can live to between 20 and 30 years old.
"I got her when she was 4 months old," Mia told Newsweek. "She is now nearly 6 years old."
Despite living with Aphrodite for a few years, this was the first time Mia has been bitten.
"When she first latched on, it didn't hurt much—it felt similar to a cat bite," she said. "But when she refused to let go it hurt like hell and it bled like crazy. I actually had to lay down on the floor with her still latched on because the amount of blood that came out made me lightheaded."
Thankfully, she managed to get her hand free from Aphrodite and despite a pretty nasty bite on her finger, Mia wasn't too worried.
On Reddit's dedicated r/ballpython subreddit, people shared their thoughts, reactions and own experiences with the snake.
"Happened to me once," said Seamoth4546B. "She let go pretty quick though, I guess it's good my human fingers taste nothing like the mouse she was smelling."
Space_otter06 wrote: "Ouch! That happened to me once, I found that the skin being broken wasn't really that bad, but the force of it was the painful bit. Those babies are strong lol."
The medical advice for snake bites of any kind is to call a doctor and get it checked, even if it appears small. While ball python bites are rare and usually don't result in serious medical issues, it is always a good idea to get it thoroughly checked.
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