Cage aggression

[Beardo]

If you have kept those animals, you know that you can get bit during feeding time pretty easily if the right circumstances are there. The Savannah Monitor was a rescue which I was medicating for a mouth wound.....I never used gloves because they took away from my ability to "feel" and manipulate the animal properly.

The Tegu was not mine, it was a friends who we were trying to restrain to help get some stuck shed off one of their toes......again, no gloves.

The Green Tree and Reticulated Bites were during feeding time where they bypassed the 14" hemostats I was using to hold the rodent and got my hand instead. Accidents happen to even the most cautious keepers. My point being that if you are worried or scared of your frogs, then maybe you should find a more placid species to work with. At no point was I ever afraid of the animals I kept, but I respected their ability to ruin my day.

[Mikey]

You realize every detailed story you just gave me could have been avoided by having the intellect to where gloves? Accept maybe the treatment of the monitor. Believe it or not you can use gloves in combination with a hemastat I have seen it done once or twice.

I guess I'm the type of person that would rather throw on gloves, than pick teeth out of my hand. Call it what you may.

"you should find a more placid species to work with"

Did I offend you? I didn't mean to call you out on your seemingly endless experience with every type of poisonous snake, spider, monitor ect that exists. Forgive my skepticism, as you must know everything.

[Beardo]

You realize every detailed story you just gave me could have been avoided by having the intellect to where gloves?

Again, not wearing gloves was a personal preference because wearing them takes away your ability to properly feel and control the animal properly. Also, I was never the type of person to be "squeamish" about the loss of blood. Getting bit, when you have kept the amount and types of animals that I have, comes with the territory.

The only time I had to pick teeth out of my hand was when a 7' Taiwain Beauty Snake bit me as I opened its tub in a rack system.....

Did I offend you? I didn't mean to call you out on your seemingly endless experience with every type of poisonous snake, spider, monitor ect that exists. Forgive my skepticism, as you must know everything.

Rest assured my friend, that I have a much thicker skin than that, and it takes a lot to offend me, lol.

But in all honesty, I am not exaggerating when I say I have kept literally thousands of species of reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates over the last 20 years. I have extensive experience with a wide variety of animals, but by no means do I know everything nor was I implying that.....it just cracks me up when I see people so worried over a rather harmless animal. I would rather take a bite from a full grown Pixie than from a juvenile Tegu any day of the week.

[Motob3000]

Beardo I think your missing the point. The OP had a question about his frog. Not about your experience with every animal on the planet. I have an aggressive pixie and was also curious if there might be a way to make them a little more friendly. He just doesn't want to get bitten by his frog. We dont care if an alligator has bitten you twice in the face while you were holding a cobra.

[GrifTheGreat]

I think everyone needs to cool off and get back to the reason this thread was made. No more stories and no more bragging rights. I've been bitten by wiid snakes/spiders/lizards/mice/Raccoon/Dogs/Cats etc and I am not a vet and don't work or one. My life is full of wounds and battle scars and yet non of what I just said helps prevent the aggression of Mikey's frog. A very aggressive species. One that should not be triffled with when it comes to a bite. They have the abillity to cause seriouse damage to arteries, veins, plus risk of infection. Gloves would be a good choice in this matter as well as letting your frog get to know you better and get used to you and your activities within it home. This way it no longer will feel threatened to the point of attacking you.

[Mikey]

Beardo I think your missing the point. The OP had a question about his frog. Not about your experience with every animal on the planet. I have an aggressive pixie and was also curious if there might be a way to make them a little more friendly. He just doesn't want to get bitten by his frog. We dont care if an alligator has bitten you twice in the face while you were holding a cobra.

haha

My male African Bullfrog is passing 5 in. and since little, either wants to bite me or likes the game of scaring my hand away with his lounges. He target's my hand versus the 12 in. tweezer end holding it's food. Twice his mouth glanced my fingers but was not able to clamp on... lucky me. At his present growth rate will reach 7 or more inches this year and I do consider that as a good reason to wear gloves. I like Stilgar but don't trust him one bit.

A friend was bitten by a juvenile and it clamped on one of his fingers and hung from it. Guy did not panic and lowered frog thinking it would let go but African Bullfrog started a grinding head shaking motion as if to detach finger food. That hurt lot's so he pulled back and tried to control frog and force mouth open with other hand. Frog finally fell off as it's razor sharp "teeth" sliced finger skin down to nail. Can imagine what a big male can do if it clamps down on a human finger.

My recommendation is to stay alert at all times when hands are in cage and do wear gloves. Also, if ever get bitten; don't think that African Bullfrog will let go once it realizes it's you like some other frogs do. I do keep other animals that bite including venomous species and always treat them with great respect when feeding or habitat cleaning/transfers.

Any recommendation on gloves, grif said kevlar, which I will have to pick up at the next show because the only kevlar gloves I have are studded with metal that i purchased for my monitors a few years back. I dont like the idea of the frogs teeth hitting metal and causing damage so I will get new gloves!

thanks for your words of wisdom by the way I greatly appreciate it.

I think everyone needs to cool off and get back to the reason this thread was made. No more stories and no more bragging rights. I've been bitten by wiid snakes/spiders/lizards/mice/Raccoon/Dogs/Cats etc and I am not a vet and don't work or one. My life is full of wounds and battle scars and yet non of what I just said helps prevent the aggression of Mikey's frog. A very aggressive species. One that should not be triffled with when it comes to a bite. They have the abillity to cause seriouse damage to arteries, veins, plus risk of infection. Gloves would be a good choice in this matter as well as letting your frog get to know you better and get used to you and your activities within it home. This way it no longer will feel threatened to the point of attacking you.

I appreciate the advice grif. as you stated above you recommend kevlar, Just trying to make sure thats the safest for both the frog and myself, do you have any experience with how animals react when biting kelvar gloves? I'll have to do a little bit of research but thats definatly an option when removing the water dish. Any handling will be done barehand like i've been doing for a few years

[Mentat]

...Any recommendation on gloves, grif said kevlar, which I will have to pick up at the next show because the only kevlar gloves I have are studded with metal that i purchased for my monitors a few years back. I dont like the idea of the frogs teeth hitting metal and causing damage so I will get new gloves!

thanks for your words of wisdom by the way I greatly appreciate it...

Agree with your thoughts and would not use any metal studded or gloves made of metal fibers for same reasons we do not use metal tweezers. This page although of commercial interest has good info on glove selection and one of it's references takes you to an OSHA page on gloves: Cut Resistant Glove Selection and Use - Document #301 - EZ Facts Safety Info - Lab Safety Supply . Literally, think we would want something offering both cut and puncture resistance.

There are specific gloves made for animal handling and if you Google "bite resistant gloves" will get to places like: Laboratory Safety Gloves - Kent Scientific Corporation with info and offerings.

I have no knowledge of how an African Bullfrog would react to biting a gloved hand. Tend to think the synthetic material would be released within a few seconds. Stilgar once jumped and bite a fake plant in his tank during feeding and released it moments after. Did chomp off half a leaf of it, he, he, he. Good luck and hope this info helps you.

[Mentat]

My male African Bullfrog is passing 5 in. and since little, either wants to bite me or likes the game of scaring my hand away with his lounges. He target's my hand versus the 12 in. tweezer end holding it's food. Twice his mouth glanced my fingers but was not able to clamp on... lucky me. At his present growth rate will reach 7 or more inches this year and I do consider that as a good reason to wear gloves. I like Stilgar but don't trust him one bit.

A friend was bitten by a juvenile and it clamped on one of his fingers and hung from it. Guy did not panic and lowered frog thinking it would let go but African Bullfrog started a grinding head shaking motion as if to detach finger food. That hurt lot's so he pulled back and tried to control frog and force mouth open with other hand. Frog finally fell off as it's razor sharp "teeth" sliced finger skin down to nail. Can imagine what a big male can do if it clamps down on a human finger.

My recommendation is to stay alert at all times when hands are in cage and do wear gloves. Also, if ever get bitten; don't think that African Bullfrog will let go once it realizes it's you like some other frogs do. I do keep other animals that bite including venomous species and always treat them with great respect when feeding or habitat cleaning/transfers.