Nicki Minaj delivered a killer performance Sunday night at the VMAs, but she says it would have been better if she'd had a live snake on stage with her as planned ... ya know, before it bit someone. Nicki Minaj's would be "Anaconda" co-star -- the snake that bit a dancer during Friday's rehearsal -- did not get the chance to strike a second time … and TMZ got the shot of the reptile getting 86'd just hours before the VMAs.