Your bite stories?

[Jen]

Hi there
I would be interested to know from those of you who keep venomous (I haven't graduated there & still have a long way to go!) - have you been bitten? By what & what were the circumstances? What happened to you & do you have any long term effects? Any lessons learnt?
I'd be interested to hear your stories!

[sildargod]

Perhaps have a look here Jen - viewforum.php?f=45 - there are a number of bite reports and first hand encounters listed.

[Jamster]

Got bitten by a night adder- probably the most painful experienced i have had. I was bitten on the finger, went to hospital just for a drip and was admited to icu without a say in the decision. The swelling moved all the way up my arm to the shoulder, i couldnt move my fingers or pull any of the muscles in my arm. For 3 weeks my fingers, wrist and elbow were incredibly stiff and relatively imobile. No lasting effects except for 2 tiny spots of scaring. Ive learnt that the venemous snakes arent for me, i work at the boma reptile world which means that im working with some hectic deadly snakes quite often. i keep a burm and a retic, so once ive finished matric im going to expand into more of the non-venemous

[Jen]

Interesting - thanks Jamster

@Sildargod - Thanks - I have seen quite a few of those, but I was also interested in some of the less dramatic ones, or particularly those that our very experienced members & mods have experienced

[it_bit_me]

It's happened to me too but ofcoarse it was my own fault so there's not much else to say about it.

[vuduman]

I was still a youngster, catching everything and putting it into a Mayonaise jar to observe.And in the jar,I would put a stick and a leaf to recreate what he is used to .
One day I was taking a baboonspider to give to a friend at church.
I carried it in my hand and it has been quite friendly till that day.I got a lift with a woman that would not have given me a lift if she knew I had a spider on me.So I gently closed it in my hand into a fist.He sat there quite comverteble in the handmade tunnel that I had created for him.I went my ceperate way when I got out the car and thanked the lady for the lift.Thnking to myself how greatfull I am that she did'nt see this impressively big spider in her car!

The moment I set my foot in the church,I opened my hand.My pet spider has had enough of this restrain by now.He took all seven of his hairy legs(lost one),wrapped it around one of my fingers and pushed all of those 1cm-long fangs streight into my fingertip.

Instant pain shot like a lightningbolt through my body.I had to pull him off too.Safely back in my shirtpocket he goes as I walked up the stairs into the main hall of the church.Cursing like a seeman,but quietly.
I went to sit next to my friend and told him what has hapned.Obviousely he did'nt want the spider now seeing how mutch pain I am in.The pain was nonstop,burning and throbbing.Instead of listening to what the priest had to say,I was buzy taking out my shoelace and wrapping it around my finger,chewing on my finger,putting my hand under my armpit to try and get a some sort of relief.Nothing!

It didnt swell atall or change colour or anything.Just two little pinprickholes.But for three days I had the same amount of pain in my whole finger.Constant burning and throbbing.By the forth day,the pain was gone,but it began to itch.But when I scrached and rubbed my finger,it started to burn a bit again,and only then did it start to swell a bit and turn red.

"If your gonna be dumb,you better be tough"

I have definately learned the biggest lesson out of that:NEVER TRUST A SPIDER WITH SEVEN LEGS!
I keep a few tarantulas these days,but with the biggest respect (and a bit of phobia).

[Vinzy]

Hahaha thats quite a funny story their vuduman lol, really unlucky man. And at church lol.

[it_bit_me]

Funny you never went tot the docter.
I went to my local docter at Centurion and he said I have to pay a consiltation fee - to find out wat happened - wat a smuck.

[fredsmith]

I was showing off at school (Almost 15yr's ago) with a pair of large nighties.... getting them to hiss, strike etc for a small gathering of friends.
Whilst stepping over the large female, she got her revenge and nailed a shot onto the inside of my calf...
Without a shadow of doubt, it's one of the most painful experiences I've ever undergone in my life, not something I'd EVER want to go through again.
I ontop of the pain also had an allergic reaction complicating matters.
I've got a two inch scar on my calf that serves to remind me of the respect all animals deserve.

[nvlooi]

Why do everybody get bitten by Night adders(incl. me). It seems like people take their venom lightly!!!
My night adder bite was when my younger brother got bit and he grabbed the snake and threw it, unfortunately I was the recipient of a flying night adder. It bit me on the thigh.
Basically the same experience, but not as worse as some stories I've heard. Probably the worst was the swelling around my groin...

[Fooble]

My night adder bite was when my younger brother got bit and he grabbed the snake and threw it, unfortunately I was the recipient of a flying night adder. It bit me on the thigh.
Basically the same experience, but not as worse as some stories I've heard. Probably the worst was the swelling around my groin...

Funniest thing ive read on this forum!



nvlooi THANK YOU!

Ha ha ha!

[mbsnakes]

Hi all
I was a game ranger at a lodge and rescued all the reptiles(puff adders ; nice banded snouti ; rinkals ;boomslang ;mfezi's and non venomous) there and started to keep them for education.
At the lodge we had a house in the bush we called it bottom house. There were almost no people there during the day so the baboons started to play a lot there and destroyed the grass roof. We got out some thatcher to fix it that was the friday and than it started.

I was busy getting the lodge ready for the guest gumming in and than I got the call on the 2 way radio, there is a snake at bottom house and the thatcher want to kill it. Now I don't like it if people just kill reptiles, I went down to bottom house.
I know there is a black mamba living there in a old termite hill close to the house, I thought it was him (now that mamba was clever never caught him though) but it was a nice 3m african rock python beauty

Got there and people told me its behind the bar went behind and it wasn't very friendly I was a bit to slow and it got hold of me nothing serious Just little bit of blood, put it in the bag and went back up to the main lodge. Got there and then every body wanted to see her (the other rangers and staff) so I took her out we look at her and than my fault took my eyes of her
and she nailed me good on the hand. Than the guest started to come through the gates as well (lol) so got the afrock back in her bag and cleaned up,just in time for the guest. That was the friday not a good day with reptiles.

The Saturday the guests found out I have reptiles in my room. There was 1 lady that was crazy about snakes I told her I will show them all later but they were there for conference and had a hectic schedule. Never got to the reptile though they were too busy. When all the guest were busy I went and clean and feed reptiles got spat in the face by the mfezi's. Not a good day again.
That was the Saturday and I had 2 bad days with the snakes. The sunday morning the guests were leaving just after breakfast and the lady came back to me wanting to see the snakes, I had 2 days bad luck with them but anyway showed her the snakes. But then she wanted to she the puff adders fangs so I took my pen and showed her and as I (holding the head in my right hand) brought my left hand forward it struck forward and the left fang scraped me on my left hand middle finger.
I calmly put the snake back and checked my finger and this time a thought 3rd time (always bad luck in 3's lol) and this is gonna be the worst one. Luckily I looked at the damage and lol it just scraped me and no serious damage.

So I was very happy (3rd time not so bad) and the lady that wanted to see the snakes was a doc as well.

And that is my story

[Rob]

mbsnakes - I suggest you do the tortoise callouts and leave the snakes to someone else

In my first year of high school I was walking a path and came across a basking Night adder, botched the catch and as he slithered into the bush I dived after him and grabbed his tail, he turned and bit me. Luckily it was a dry bite.
6 weeks later my neighbours called me to catch another Night adder in a tyre in which the kids were playing. I necked the big fella and climbed back over the fence...or rather I tried to. The wire fence was about groin height for me so I used to "step" over it everytime I needed to, only this time my pants got hooked and I fell, upon landing I loosened my grip on the snake and he bit me.
This was a nasty one. Very painful, lots of swelling and discoloration, for weeks thereafter I couldn't lower my arm, the swelling took ages to subside.
Don't underestimate a Night Adder people, I'm the fourth person to document their Night Adder bite here and I'm sure I wont be the last. Its not a fun experience.

Oh yes, upon my second hospital visit the one nurse came to me (a gorgeous red head, for the life of me I cannot understand why I still remember
that ) and says "Its strange, you're the second snake bite we've had in 6 weeks". Needless to say I didn't tell her the last one was also me.

[Westley Price]

Here is a record of my Single Horned Adder bite

The whole story is there.

http://www.sareptiles.co.za/forum/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=14620

[fredsmith]

Why do everybody get bitten by Night adders

I think many people underestimate this snake in particular. They settle down very well in captivity, to me, much the same way a Red Lipped Herald does and they can become very tame, leading to a false sense of security.
As a kid I had no idea of how eina they could be only that the books all said they were "mildly venomous". I remember free handling mine with no fear whatsoever, often having a pair down my shirt or in a trouser pocket... If only I knew then what I know now. Hindsight is 20/20 vision.