# snake bite numbers up, and early this year



## RipperIII (May 18, 2012)

according to the AJC, some 120 people have been treated for venomous snake bites since January of 2012 here in Ga.
 apparently the mild winter is to blame.

I know I've been keeping a sharp eye.


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## NCHillbilly (May 18, 2012)

I'd say picking up snakes, and not watching where you put your hands and feet are the main things to blame.


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## Nicodemus (May 18, 2012)

Always be aware, even on cold days. A snake can be out anytime.


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## Keebs (May 18, 2012)

Nicodemus said:


> Always be aware, even on cold days. A snake can be out anytime.


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## GA DAWG (May 18, 2012)

I ain't real worried about getting snake bit. I don't go around looking for em. I mean really 120 people ain't nothing!


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## RipperIII (May 18, 2012)

NCHillbilly said:


> I'd say picking up snakes, and not watching where you put your hands and feet are the main things to blame.



yep, apparently one guy reached down to pick up an attachment for his 4-wheeler and got hit by a juvenile copperhead, fang marks less than a 1/4" wide...hand swelled up the size of a boxing glove and he stayed in intensive care for a day or two...at a cost of $200,00.00


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## bnew17 (May 18, 2012)

Had a guy here in Dublin get bit in the arm by a rattler a month or so ago. He was doing yard work and went to pick up something in the flower bed and one popped him in the hand/arm. He got to the hospital and is doing ok.


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## rexb (May 18, 2012)

GA DAWG said:


> I ain't real worried about getting snake bit. I don't go around looking for em. I mean really 120 people ain't nothing!



 Unless you are 1 of the 120


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## GA DAWG (May 18, 2012)

rexb said:


> Unless you are 1 of the 120


LOL! I wonder how many folks have been in car wrecks since Jan in Ga? A snakes the least of my worries


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## Nicodemus (May 18, 2012)

How many here now exactly what to do when you are bitten by a venomous snake? Do you know what to do if you are alone? What about if a member of your group gets bitten? 

I don`t mean the old methods, old wives tales and such. I mean  the methods that will save yours or your friends life?


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## RipperIII (May 18, 2012)

GA DAWG said:


> LOL! I wonder how many folks have been in car wrecks since Jan in Ga? A snakes the least of my worries




not trying to spread fear...just giving a general "heads up",...or "heads down" in this case


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## BigSwole (May 18, 2012)

Nicodemus said:


> How many here now exactly what to do when you are bitten by a venomous snake? Do you know what to do if you are alone? What about if a member of your group gets bitten?
> 
> I don`t mean the old methods, old wives tales and such. I mean  the methods that will save yours or your friends life?




Ive read, apply a turniket(spellcheck) above the bite. Remain calm.keep the heartrate down. Call for help and let them know exactlt what kind of snake it was. Get to hospital immediately. Calling ahead betters the chance they will have the correct antivenom ready to administer.


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## bnew17 (May 18, 2012)

Nicodemus said:


> How many here now exactly what to do when you are bitten by a venomous snake? Do you know what to do if you are alone? What about if a member of your group gets bitten?
> 
> I don`t mean the old methods, old wives tales and such. I mean  the methods that will save yours or your friends life?



I dont know. But i would like to know, and need to know. The only thing i know is to try and find out what kind of snake bit you and to remain as calm as possible.


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## River Rambler (May 18, 2012)

Killed a mature copperhead yesterday 10' ft from my garage.
They are out for sure.


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## Nicodemus (May 18, 2012)

BigSwole said:


> Ive read, apply a turniket(spellcheck) above the bite. Remain calm.keep the heartrate down. Call for help and let them know exactlt what kind of snake it was. Get to hospital immediately. Calling ahead betters the chance they will have the correct antivenom ready to administer.





Never apply a tourniquet. To do so will likely cause the limb to be amputated. The best snakebite kit made is your truck keys and your cell phone. Call for help. Load you bitten party member up an head for medical help. If you are alone, carefully drive yourself to help. And whatever you do, don`t cut an X on the bite and and attempt to suck the venom out. That will just make matters worse. 

This was told to us on the line crews by the EMS folks.


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## BigSwole (May 18, 2012)

I was almost right!

I thought the tourniquet was to slow the venom from getting to the heart.

Im glad i wont be losing any limbs now! What kinda time frame do you have after being bit by a water moccasin?


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## Nicodemus (May 18, 2012)

BigSwole said:


> I was almost right!
> 
> I thought the tourniquet was to slow the venom from getting to the heart.
> 
> Im glad i wont be losing any limbs now! What kinda time frame do you have after being bit by a water moccasin?





They told us an hour.


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## GAGE (May 18, 2012)

I have had three big rat snakes in my chicken coop the last two days.  Only thing in danger is my eggs,  I hope I have slowed them down if nothing else.


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## joedublin (May 18, 2012)

Had a friend who got snakebit so he picked up the snake to take to the hospital for identification...snake bit him 3 more times in the arm! He said no one ever told hime to kill the snake first....nice guy , but  not the sharpest knife in the backpack!


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## mwells353 (May 18, 2012)

Right now is prime breeding time for most venomous snakes since they have such a long gestation. All but the coral snakes give live birth and it takes the better part of the 3 months. As mentioned above your best bet in all cases if bitten is get to a hospital. No tourniquet, suction, cutting, or consumption of anything is going to help. You would not believe the crazy stuff I heard the parents of kids I taught about native venomous snakes I believe they had an ailment for it all. Another good thing to do after reading this is follow these species links below to get a proper ID on the critters you see:
Coral snake

Pigmy rattler

Copperhead

Eastern Diamondback rattlesnake

Canebrake rattlesnake

Finally the most misidentified of the group here is a brochure: Have PDF for this one.
Water Moccasin


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## Son (May 19, 2012)

Snakebite stings like a bee. I've been called to identify snakes by the local hospital for people bitten in their yards. It's always been small copperheads or cottonmouths. And the people were wearing flip flops walking around the yard late evenings. We've also had some bitten by rattlers while doing flowerbeds. I think it's a good idea to use a walking cane or stick to search around in thick plants before putting hands in there.


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## bjorns4 (May 20, 2012)

In my first aid class we were told to lower the body part stricken below the heart and proceed to the hospital trying to keep the heart rate down as much as possible. On a side note what's is a black snake with yellow rings on its body approximately 20 inches. I am. New to the state so I am not sure thought that it may be a king snake from what I learned on google.


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## mwells353 (May 20, 2012)

If it has yellow rings running all the way down its body then its a eastern kingsnake.


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## bjorns4 (May 20, 2012)

there good to keep around hate snakes but they do serve a purpose


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## jimkirk (May 20, 2012)

here's a western diamondback I came across two summers ago. although he looked ready for action, I bounced several small pebbles off of him and he just stayed in that position. it was a bigun though and I wouldn't try any snakehandling charm on him.


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## copperheadmike (May 20, 2012)

RipperIII said:


> yep, apparently one guy reached down to pick up an attachment for his 4-wheeler and got hit by a juvenile copperhead, fang marks less than a 1/4" wide...hand swelled up the size of a boxing glove and he stayed in intensive care for a day or two...at a cost of $200,00.00



That is pretty wild, Copperhead venom is probably the mildest of all North America pit vipers. While young snakes do typically inject more venom than adults ( due to less control of injection, not because they have more or it is more toxic) the bit does not typically keep people in ICU. If I remember correctly, there has only been one proven death from a Copperhead and that was a 3yr old girl way back when. Of course, anything is possible. All it takes is a severe allergic reaction and you are in big trouble. Just remember that they do not want to bite you and that they only do in hopes of ensuring their survival. Snakes, even venomous species, are an important part of our environment. While I have no problem with someone killing them in their yard, to protect themselves or their children, I prefer relocation ( if at all possible). In the woods, let them be. It is not hard to walk around a snake and, the chances are, you will never see it again.

PS. After a quick google, it appears that they have been a few more fatalities from Copperheads than my memory was aware of. Nonetheless, their venom is relatively weak and nothing compared to our native Eastern Diamondback and Canebrakes.


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## southernboy2147 (May 22, 2012)

ive never seen a pigmy around my neck of the woods


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## Nicodemus (May 22, 2012)

southernboy2147 said:


> ive never seen a pigmy around my neck of the woods





Pygmy rattlers are tiny. To give you an idea, compare this string of rattles off a 14 inch long pygmy rattler to the rattles that came off a 5 foot diamondback.


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## Nicodemus (May 22, 2012)

Here`s what they bite you with.


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## pstrahin (May 22, 2012)

I appreciate the wisdom Nicodemus.  I have not had to worry as much about hunting and being in the woods with venemous snakes.


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## castaway (May 23, 2012)

southernboy2147 said:


> ive never seen a pigmy around my neck of the woods



Where I hunt here in North Florida its fairly common to see pigmy's. I worry about them because they are so small and hard to see!


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## oops1 (May 31, 2012)

Is snake identification that important? I understand with a coral snake. ..but with rattlers, copperheads and moccasins. ..isn't  their venom basically the same? If you're bitten. ..does it matter if it's a canebrake or a diamond back?


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## mwells353 (May 31, 2012)

With them adapting to us and the environment we have put onto them the venom of both the canebrake and eastern diamondback have both changed(evolved) in the past years. Not only are you getting hemotoxic venom, but neurotoxin is a new compound being injected. Now depending on which one bites you and what size of animal delivers the bite can really vary your time. Luckily they also have a broad spectrum antivenom used for most rattlesnake and  cottonmouth envenomations called Crofab.


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## zedex (May 31, 2012)

oops1 said:


> Is snake identification that important? I understand with a coral snake. ..but with rattlers, copperheads and moccasins. ..isn't  their venom basically the same? If you're bitten. ..does it matter if it's a canebrake or a diamond back?



 Corals are members of the cobra family. They are neurotoxic and all other venomous snakes of the southeast are hemotoxic. The venoms act differently, thus different antineins are required.

 For all except the coral, they use a polyvalent antivenin. 

 And, yes, snake ID is VITAL. If you do not know the species that bit you, be sure that a very high medical bill could be sent your way. You don't want a $100,000.00 medical bill for a banded water snake bite { non-venomous} and you don't want to ignore a cottonmouth bite.

 If you live in an area where snakes of any species are found, it is imperative to know what you are dealing with. As parents, it is OUR responsibility to teach our kids.


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## oops1 (May 31, 2012)

Gotcha...Thanks for the responses.On the banded water snake/cottonmouth bite, would'nt you be able to tell if it was venomous or not from the pain or would you err on the side of caution and treat it anyway? I've never been bitten so no grounds for comparison.


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## zedex (Jun 1, 2012)

An expirienced person who can keep his/her cool could tell right away. But then, that same person would one from the other despite their very similar appearance.

 This is what you should know and it is too simple:

 There are only six venomous snakes found naturally in the southeast.

 They are dusky pygmy/Carolina pygmy {depending on your location}, timber/canebrake and eastern diamondback rattlesnakes. 

 There are two venomous moccasins, the cotton mouth and the copperhead. Other names for them are the "water moccasin" and the highland moccasin. Be sure to learn the cotton mouth from the banded water snake as both are commonly called "moccasins". Cotton mouths are as the name implies: when threatened, they will coil and display an open mouth which shows white. Their heads are firm and shaped like rattlesnakes. Banded water snakes look more like a frog's face.  

 Then there is the only member of the cobra family, the coral snake. Learn it very well. There is a kingsnake that appears very similar. Get it wrong and you get buried 6ft.

 Some people will give a poem to know which is which, however, to keep it simple, remember that the king has a red nose, corals have a black nose. Corals are also rare to see in the wild as they live most of their lives under dense vegetation and are recluses.

 Speaking of recluses, since you live where venomous spiders live, you should know which are venomous, the black widow, brown recluse and hobo.

 I cannot stress the value of knowing what to avoid. You MUST know how to properly ID each snake and spider. Failure to do so could result in serious medical bills on the light side and the heavy side would be funeral costs.

 Do boggle your mind learning about all spiders and snakes. Concentrate on the venomous only and take comfort in knowing the rest are harmless..


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## oops1 (Jun 1, 2012)

I can differentiate between the venomous /non....with the exception of water snakes. I'm not a fan of any of them but I generally leave them alone. We had a copperhead incident in the backyard not long ago that got me thinking about one of my kids being bitten. Hypothetical question. If a kid takes a bite...would the hospital know if it was a venomous snake or would they treat it as such. What if you can't locate the snake to ID it?


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## oops1 (Jun 1, 2012)

When I came back with a weapon after initially seeing the above snake. ... I couldn't find it. Went back to mowing and it struck at my leg. He was coiled up right next to the running mower. He had to go. This was 5 ft from my kid's trampoline.


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## zedex (Jun 1, 2012)

Without proper ID or even a part of a snake to work off of, it would be treated as a venomous bite, but nothing giving during observation.

 In other words, they would have everything prepared in the even it became clear. They would not give anything at first, but they would study the bite area to find fang marks. 

 If a person is bitten by a coral snake, the bite pattern is no different than a nonvenomous snake since the fangs are so small. The coral has a very small mouth so a large bite or a bite on a large section of body would rule it out.

 What you have to consider is that sometimes a snake will be double fanged and the mark left behind can look as any other. Double fanged is when two fangs are present on either side of the mouth. It is a normal occurance during fang shedding.

 If the bit does prove to be venomous, the time wasted during observation is time the venom has spread to other areas within the body. This includes the heart, lungs, liver, kidney and possibly brain.

 Wouldn't it be better to be able to know for sure what snake {or even spider} it was? If you know the land snakes, learn all you can about the cotton mouth and banded water snake. Study each in order to spot differences at a glance. Most snakes won't afford you time for proper ID, They bite and split.

 If you cannot find the suspect, look around and pay attention to what is nearby. Be observant.

 Learn what snakes prefer certain areas and ground cover. 

 Learn what the various snake bite patterns are. All SE snakes will leave a somewhat painful bite except the coral-they are pretty painless.

 I cannot find any record of anyone being bitten by a venomous snake while climbing a tree. The SE venomous snakes are terrestrial, not arborial. That is they stay on the ground. They can, and rarely do climb, however.

 It is pretty difficult to point a finger at any unseen snake for a bite, but with some time learning, you can narrow the important stuff out; venomous or not.  

Over 30 plus years, I've studied all kinds of snakes from many different countries. There are over 2700 species worldwide, approx 10% are venomous. That is not many.

In your area, ony 6 species are to concern over. Just learn those six. Learn everything about them from birth to natural death. Migration patterns, feeding habits, breeding habits and bite marks. You can learn it all in a just about 3 hours. You won't be an expert, but you will know the basics enough to be able to take of an emergency and enough to know to help discourage them from your property.


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## oops1 (Jun 1, 2012)

Thanks zedex for all the insight. It is greatly appreciated.


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## irishredneck (Jun 6, 2012)

zedex said:


> Without proper ID or even a part of a snake to work off of, it would be treated as a venomous bite, but nothing giving during observation.
> 
> In other words, they would have everything prepared in the even it became clear. They would not give anything at first, but they would study the bite area to find fang marks.
> 
> ...



I wonder if you could create a 'sticky' thread with pictures and info to help people clearly identify venomous snakes in Ga. I personally have no clue, I wear snake boots even doing yard work and kill any I see in the yard (wifes orders!) but I'd like to know the difference...with the amount of time I spend in the woods it could save a life.


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## kingdawg (Jun 24, 2012)

zedex said:


> Without proper ID or even a part of a snake to work off of, it would be treated as a venomous bite, but nothing giving during observation.
> 
> In other words, they would have everything prepared in the even it became clear. They would not give anything at first, but they would study the bite area to find fang marks.
> 
> ...



Zedex, please explain the last sentence where you wrote "help discourage them from your property". Other than keeping an area mowed clean, and not having junk lying around what else can you do? Does sulphur work? My home place is a couple of acres, but all around me is planted pines. I have killed 3 rattlesnakes already this year, 1 in a foodplot but the other two in my yard where its mowed, the one last night was crawling just outside of my dog kennel. I have a shelter off the backside of the kennel where I park my tractor and I'm thinking he may have been lyin under there during the heat of the day then came out around 7pm when it started cooling off..In 2010 I killed 10 rattlers out here with several of them in my yard, last year dropped down to four. I know I'm living in their area, but any suggestions on getting/keeping these critters out of my yard?


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## mag shooter (Jun 24, 2012)

irishredneck said:


> I wonder if you could create a 'sticky' thread with pictures and info to help people clearly identify venomous snakes in Ga. .



This link might be helpful , I would think that it should cover the Southeast pretty well . If you scroll down there is another page for non-venomous . At any rate if it helps ... good and if not .... disregard .

http://www.phsource.us/PH/ME/Snakes/Venom.html


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## River Rambler (Jun 24, 2012)

Killed my 2nd Copperhead this week within 10' of my garage door. On the other end of the spectrum, I've walked up on 4 black snakes so far...love them black snakes.

This more than 2010 and 2011 combined. I think the warm winter allowed a higher survival rate of eggs/juveniles.


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