05/16/2022
I thought I'd share these pictures of reptile skulls so you see why a bite even from a small reptile can be dangerous. The pictures are in order a blue tongue skink, a green iguana, a Nile water monitor, and an Argentine tegu. These are all very popular in the pet trade industry. And we own one of each of these.
Green iguana are 99% vegetarians, so you'd think their teeth wouldn't be that bad. But a green iguana sent me to the hospital once because their teeth are serrated like little tiny shark teeth. The reason lizards have serrated teeth is because they can't chew, they basically rip pieces of vegetation or meat and swallow it whole so they need very sharp teeth. Much like sharks they lose and regrow teeth their whole lives so those teeth are always sharp. Turtles and tortoise have beaks like birds that are constantly sharpened just by closing their mouths. Reptile mouths are strong and almost always full of sharp stabbing things.
What it means for owners? It means when they bite you it easily cuts through your skin and if you pull away or they shake their head, you're gonna get torn up. My advice is NEVER pull away for any animal bite. It's hard because it hurts and that is 100% your first reaction and you have to shut that down.
Most reptiles bite and let go pretty quickly even if you don't pull away. Sometimes they just want to F you up. If you can, restraining the reptile that is latched on so it can't thrash, death roll, or get more of you in it's mouth is important. Then try to get them to let go. Apply pressure on the sides of the mouth, putting something IN their mouth to prevent them from biting down harder if you can. Try and get that mouth open and don't pull away. Clean out the wounds and assess if you need a trip to the ER when you're free. And remember, it's probably not because your animal hates you. It's got limited ways to communicate, and for animals and very small children, biting is a valid form of communication.
This is why working with your reptiles (or any pet!) is important, but you also need to practice being safe. Lizards can accidentally get your hand during feeding (how I got nailed), or get spooked by something, or even be cranky due to health or seasonal issues. Bites are going to happen. Same with snakes. Same with ANY animal. You don't go looking to get bitten, but knowing it can happen reduces the panic if and when it does.
