# worst bite



## Doogerie (Jul 6, 2007)

what have you been tagged by what happened


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## PDR (Nov 27, 2008)

Don’t hold your breath
Somehow I don’t think you are going to get many replies to your question.
It is not something we generally talk about. :whistling2:


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## Owzy (Jan 19, 2009)

Two of the South African members were discussing it yesterday, have a look through the past few days topics but as PDR says I doubt anyone will come on & give a detailed account.


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## mad martin (Sep 4, 2008)

I can never understand why keepers are so shy to talk about their bites. Its how new keepers learn from others' mistakes.

All my bites were from complacency
1) Puff Adder
2) Rinkhals
3) Snouted Cobra
4) Copperhead
5) Monocled Cobra
6) Snouted Cobra

The worst was a puff adder bite by some long margin.


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## chondro13 (Aug 18, 2008)

mad martin said:


> I can never understand why keepers are so shy to talk about their bites. Its how new keepers learn from others' mistakes.
> 
> All my bites were from complacency
> 1) Puff Adder
> ...



Because in the UK the fun police are VERY anti-reptiles as it is, when you get into venomous snakes they REALLY are just looking for an excuse to ban the hobby all together. Many keepers wont make venomous bites very public for this reason : victory:

But OUCH bet the puff was an interesting experience! Do you have all of your digits in tact after that little cocktail youve accumulated there? Fair play for telling us hun.


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## mad martin (Sep 4, 2008)

> But OUCH bet the puff was an interesting experience! Do you have all of your digits in tact after that little cocktail youve accumulated there? Fair play for telling us hun.


Ha ha ha ha, yeah I have all my digits in tact. I only have a little scar reminding me that puff adders are in fact dangerous.

I can undersand that the governing bodies will look for an excuse, but putting it out there will save future keepers doing the same thing and getting bit. In the long run its more to the benefit of your hobby than not.

Example: I struggled to get my Cerastes out because of all the cage decorations and got bit. Look at my hand. New keeper: I see why we don't keep too many decorations in a cage now.


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## stuartdouglas (Mar 5, 2008)

mad martin said:


> *I can never understand why keepers are so shy to talk about their bites*. Its how new keepers learn from others' mistakes.
> 
> All my bites were from complacency
> 1) Puff Adder
> ...


Simply because, this section of the forum tends to attract (non-keeping) folks who are paddling in the shallow end of the gene pool who then sound off about keepers irresponsibility, lack of experience and quite often follow up with abusive PM's and threats of violence.........I'm speaking from personal experience here. if it were a closed section of the forum for keepers only, then you might find people being a bit more open


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## Matt Harris (Aug 21, 2007)

Doogerie said:


> what have you been tagged by what happened


Perhaps you should clarify whether you mean by wild snakes or by captive ones.

I've never been bitten by a captive hot but have been bitten by a wild Atractaspis ap. Lost the end of my thumb to gangrene.


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## NinjaTurtle (Sep 26, 2009)

Stung by a wasp :blush: how does it feel getting bitten? is it like a burning sensation? Can you actually feel the venom getting injected?


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## mad martin (Sep 4, 2008)

The fangs don't hurt, but about 5 minutes after the bite you can really feel that stuff go to work.


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## PDR (Nov 27, 2008)

NinjaTurtle said:


> Stung by a wasp :blush: how does it feel getting bitten? is it like a burning sensation? Can you actually feel the venom getting injected?


Ok, if we accept that the longer you work with venomous snakes the higher the chance is that you are going to be bitten at some stage.
As a Professional Herpetologist I am working every day with a large collection of venomous snakes......I work under a code of practise and endeavour to be as safe as possible.... but as you might expect accidents can happen and I have had a bite or two in my time (Crotalus atrox, Crotalus durissus, Naja naja etc.). In comparison to other industrial work place accidents the number of incidents have been very small considering just how many snakes we have here. Accidents are reported through the proper channels and the Health and safety Executive informed. Thankfully no one here has sustained any permanent damage.

My last bite was seven years ago from a young Crotalus atrox – Western Diamondback. 

How did it feel?

Well imagine being forcibly stabbed with two sharp needles and that might give you some idea.
Next you feel the venom taking effect and the pain level goes up a notch
You then watch as your hand and arm starts to swell, seems to get hot and the skin becomes taught and the pain goes up another notch.
Your arm continues to swell and you feel like someone has taken a baseball bat and smashed your arm... if you have ever broken a bone you will know what I mean (I broke my collar bone 3 weeks ago crashing a motorbike and yes it hurt just as much).
By this time the doctors have carried out tests and have determined that you need antivenom. You tell them to pre-medicate you before giving you the AV, but they say “lets see how it goes”... then as the cold fluid goes into your vein you feel even worse and before you know it you are vomiting all over the floor trying to avoid splashing the doctors shiny shoes.
I can tolerate pain quite well but by now my friend is telling me not to be silly and asks the nurse to give me some pain killers. 
You don’t get any sleep because you feel so ill. 
Next morning there is another batch of antivenom to be administered as the circulating venom levels are still high.
Later in the day you start to get the shakes.... your lying there and your body is shaking uncontrollably because of the side effects of the antivenom.
Nurses come round every few hours and stab needles into you to take blood etc. your arms start to look like pincushions.
As time goes by you have one badly swollen arm due to the bite and the other bruised and battered from the needles and the cuff while taking your blood pressure.

After 3 or 4 days and having watched countless DVD’s on your laptop you leave hospital battered, bruised and still in pain.
I had to have 20 plus ampoules of AV for that bite, which is a lot
A week or so later, just when you think you are on the mend something happens and you start to feel unwell again.... your head feels hot, your joints start to ache, your face swells up and your lips feel numb, your voice goes and you find these strange large lumps that come up all over your body... what is happening now? Yes, you have a case of serum sickness (a side effect of the AV). One of our clinicians wanted to re-admit me to hospital be I refused to go.... I promised I would let him know if it got any worse. 

For weeks/months later the bite site aches feels strange. 

Eventually you might make a full recovery without losing any digits.

So, is it just like a wasp sting? Err no it is NOT:roll:


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## pythondave82 (Nov 14, 2007)

PDR said:


> Ok, if we accept that the longer you work with venomous snakes the higher the chance is that you are going to be bitten at some stage.
> As a Professional Herpetologist I am working every day with a large collection of venomous snakes......I work under a code of practise and endeavour to be as safe as possible.... but as you might expect accidents can happen and I have had a bite or two in my time (Crotalus atrox, Crotalus durissus, Naja naja etc.). In comparison to other industrial work place accidents the number of incidents have been very small considering just how many snakes we have here. Accidents are reported through the proper channels and the Health and safety Executive informed. Thankfully no one here has sustained any permanent damage.
> 
> 
> ...


Paul told me this story in person, but never made it sound so interesting as on paper - I cant believe you nearly splashed-up that kind doctors shoes Paul......... :lol2:


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## NinjaTurtle (Sep 26, 2009)

Thanks PDR, honestly it felt like I was the one was got bitten reading that detail description :gasp:

You must have a lot of bottle handling snakes, especially after getting bitten.


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## mrcarlxx (May 1, 2009)

wow thats a sory and a half lol.

i was bit by my 9 foot boa while walking down the staires in my house...i bled loads lol


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

PDR said:


> Ok, if we accept that the longer you work with venomous snakes the higher the chance is that you are going to be bitten at some stage.
> As a Professional Herpetologist I am working every day with a large collection of venomous snakes......I work under a code of practise and endeavour to be as safe as possible.... but as you might expect accidents can happen and I have had a bite or two in my time (Crotalus atrox, Crotalus durissus, Naja naja etc.). In comparison to other industrial work place accidents the number of incidents have been very small considering just how many snakes we have here. Accidents are reported through the proper channels and the Health and safety Executive informed. Thankfully no one here has sustained any permanent damage.
> 
> My last bite was seven years ago from a young Crotalus atrox – Western Diamondback.
> ...


stories like this make me even more careful of my fingers when im around my atrox lol, can I ask though what were the circumstances of the bite, was it during venom extraction?


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## snakekeeper (Oct 29, 2008)

While on a herp. hike a friend got tagged by a gravid female vipera ammodytes. We rushed him to hospital where he stayed for 14 days, of those days 7 were critical. He was in intensive care for 10 days. Doctors told us he had suffered an allergic reaction on top of the bite. I have handled these snakes for years and never once did I think that one could do so much damage. I know their venom potential but seeing what I did was quite a shock. I now always hook handle no matter what size the snake is. It sometimes takes bad experiences to learn one's mistakes. Having said all that, I don't think I would want to personally sustain a bite from any of those venomous snakes listed previously. Daily bites from our ETBs, GTPs, boas, burmese and anacondas are more than enough!


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## PDR (Nov 27, 2008)

SiUK said:


> stories like this make me even more careful of my fingers when im around my atrox lol, can I ask though what were the circumstances of the bite, was it during venom extraction?


I was moving the snake into a clean cage. I had hooked him and put him into the cage and was just putting the lid back on with my left hand. Unfortunately my fingers where wet and I lost my grip on the small tab of the lid as I was lowering it. The lid did not line up properly and the snake stuck past the lid and bit the side of my left hand.
Bearing in mind that this was a 7 week old baby snake I thought the bite would not be a problem.... I secured the snake in the cage and walked towards the door.... it was then the pain hit and I knew I was dealing with a serious bite (just goes to show you should never underestimate the potency of young snakes). Thankfully I did not have any necrosis or serious tissues damage.

Touch wood, I’ve never come close to being bitten extracting venom.


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## Gregg M (Jul 19, 2006)

Wow, 15 plus years of keeping venomous snakes and I have always managed to keep my self out of their mouths... LOL
I will continue to try my best to stay un-tagged...:lol2:


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

a copperhead nailed me years ago... i got lucky... wasn't that bad... bad enough though..


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## herps06 (Jan 5, 2009)

I got bitten by a baby rhombic night adder. I was handling some of our hatchlings and the cocky little devil bit my index finger!!!:gasp: My finger went a bruised colour and I got a headache. Not too bad when compared with the puff adder.:lol2:


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## smart1 (Oct 16, 2007)

HABU said:


> a copperhead nailed me years ago... i got lucky... wasn't that bad... bad enough though..


 
i didnt think the copperhead was that bad ,the cotton mouth is the one to watch...


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## rumplesnakeskin (Aug 22, 2009)

My 3yr old son bit me once on the index finger joint. That was F*****G painfull. Bit him back he has never done it again.


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

smart1 said:


> i didnt think the copperhead was that bad ,the cotton mouth is the one to watch...


if by not "that bad" you mean unlikely to die then yes not many people die from envenomations, its not unheard of though, but then its still going to ruin your week, you could very easily loose a digit and you would be in incredible pain and very ill, so I guess it depends on perception of whats bad, but thats pretty bad to me :lol2:


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## leenjaidec (Jun 15, 2009)

:lol2:


rumplesnakeskin said:


> My 3yr old son bit me once on the index finger joint. That was F*****G painfull. Bit him back he has never done it again.


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## Dracyia (Jul 7, 2008)

When i was 8 years old i was stung by one of my dads scorpions (Leiurus quinquestriatus), It may be because i was young or maybe it was as painful as i remember. All i can say is it was blinding! I collapsed and was taken to hospital. It put me off ever having anything so venomous. This was before DWA's were in place, so getting a scorp with a dangerous neurotoxin was as easy as getting a bearded dragon. Thankfully he gave them up after that. Iv been thinking of white lipped vipers but the memory of that little death stalker slaps me back to scene! Iv got nothing but respect for those who keep/work with venomous snakes. More spine than me guys!!

-Robert (Dracyias' other half)


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## Knarf3 (Aug 25, 2008)

Well i take my hat off to anybody who has any DWA snakes as i dont have the balls to go with in 10 meters of anything that can move so fast and kill so easily.. :no1:

You guys have issues..:lol2:


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## Gregg M (Jul 19, 2006)

Knarf3 said:


> Well i take my hat off to anybody who has any DWA snakes as i dont have the balls to go with in 10 meters of anything that can move so fast and kill so easily.. :no1:
> 
> You guys have issues..:lol2:


It actually has nothing to do with having balls... Keeping venomous snakes is just like keeping any species of snake... Obviously there is more involved when it comes to proper handling and having a protocol in place if something bad did happen... 

My point is, it does not take someone with balls to keep venomous reptiles and those who keep venomous are not elite...

It comes down to mostly respect for what you are keeping, lots of common sense, and learning how to handle and properly maintain them...

I have gone 15+ years without a bite and I attribute that to what I mentioned above...

If a keeper it bitten, it is ALWAYS the keepers fault...

Some people say it isnt if you get bitten, its when you get bitten... I do not believe that for a second... As long as you are careful and do not take silly risks, you are safe from having a part of you in the snakes mouth...


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## mark elliott (Feb 5, 2007)

my worst bite was by my ex wife....when we split it cost me thousands.


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## rob-stl-07 (Jun 3, 2007)

adder - in britain. im too young to own a DWA liscence but i was tagged by an adder in the peaks. cant remember it as it was some 9 years ago, but my mum said i passed out in hospital.


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