My wifes friend was bit by a pygmy rattler

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sams

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I thought this was intresting and I would like to share with friends on this forum.The lady works as a school teacher with my wife. Evidently she went out to get the mail and stepped on a pygmy rattlesnake. Her husband killed the snake, and took them both to the hospital. She received the anti venom fortunately for her, pretty coomon here in Florida. She was in ICU for a day, hospital for a few more. Her leg and foot swolen to double the their natural size. No necrosis, thank God. She is limping very bad and will for a few weeks. Wow! who would have thought this would happen. Good thing for anti-venom. They said she will be immune to snake bite for 3-4 years now.
Be careful in any area that snakes live. Kinda thinking going back up north where there is snow and a hard freeze. :D
 
That is lucky that she was able to get fast and proper treatment. I have had a close call or two by almost stepping on a rattler, but luckily no bites.
 
I have no idea about the hospital bill. I know the school provides good health coverage but I will ask and report in a few days.
 
Interesting story. do the pygmies not rattle?

I've read so much about how much the anti-venom costs if I'm ever bit while I'm out I'll be debating with myself whether to call for Life Force or just go on to the next plain of existence....the ride in Life Force alone is a few thousand bucks...
 
sams said:
I thought this was intresting and I would like to share with friends on this forum.The lady works as a school teacher with my wife. Evidently she went out to get the mail and stepped on a pygmy rattlesnake. Her husband killed the snake, and took them both to the hospital. She received the anti venom fortunately for her, pretty coomon here in Florida. She was in ICU for a day, hospital for a few more. Her leg and foot swolen to double the their natural size. No necrosis, thank God. She is limping very bad and will for a few weeks. Wow! who would have thought this would happen. Good thing for anti-venom. They said she will be immune to snake bite for 3-4 years now.
Be careful in any area that snakes live. Kinda thinking going back up north where there is snow and a hard freeze. :D
Click to expand...

So that's why everyone in the emergency room was running around with a wild look on their faces when I took my neighbor to the hospital after he had been bitten by a rattlesnake. I didn't kill the snake!!!!:eek: I took him in alive along with the neighbor in case the doctor wanted to see what bit the neighbor.:)

Glad to hear your wife's friend is going to be ok.
 
I almost stepped on a baby rattler in Utah a while ago. I was in flip flops, and shorts. In a family members front yard. Grass and all. The rattle snake was about 6 feet away from a group of toddlers crawling around the front yard at a BBQ. The snake was too small to even have a rattle.

Some of the other guys were telling me to just pick it up. Needless to say, I am smarter than that.

The very next day, the neighbor kid caught a "garden" snake and showed his mom two houses down. She had to go to the hospital for the anti venom. Darned if that little garden snake was not a tiny rattler without even a single rattle bud on the tail yet. She was sick for a little while. Got her on the hand, which is very painful.

I try to be careful with snakes. I have had a few closer calls than that even. I was in river sandals once, walked out on a peninsula on the Snake River. Made it to the point with my older brother, and we started seeing snakes ever where around us. Then the snakes started rattling, every direction. they were coming in and out of holes, all over the place. We picked the lesser of two evils. Instead of trying to walk the gauntlet back, in our sandals, we took a running jump into the river and swam around. We went back, and there was a big warning sign, that we had just walked past. The sign said it was a heavy rattle snake area, and that they mate there. oops!
 
Pygmy rattlesnake rattle sounds like an insect buzzing, cause the rattles are so small.

Movin north might not help much, they can live where there's a hard freeze.
 
Bigfattyt said:
I almost stepped on a baby rattler in Utah a while ago. I was in flip flops, and shorts. In a family members front yard. Grass and all. The rattle snake was about 6 feet away from a group of toddlers crawling around the front yard at a BBQ. The snake was too small to even have a rattle.

Some of the other guys were telling me to just pick it up. Needless to say, I am smarter than that.

The very next day, the neighbor kid caught a "garden" snake and showed his mom two houses down. She had to go to the hospital for the anti venom. Darned if that little garden snake was not a tiny rattler without even a single rattle bud on the tail yet. She was sick for a little while. Got her on the hand, which is very painful.
Click to expand...

I've always heard that the small ones are the most dangerous. They haven't learned how to regulate the amount of venom that they inject so they often give you all they have. The large rattlers are smart enough not to waste it all on something they can't eat.
 
Good call for the husband to take to snake with him. Dead or alive. Not sure If I would have thought of that, now I sure will. Anyone know how long it takes to whip up anti-venom? Like if the place that did it was close could they have used the snake he brought in?

Either way, glad shes ok!
 
Bigfattyt said:
I almost stepped on a baby rattler in Utah a while ago. I was in flip flops, and shorts. In a family members front yard. Grass and all. The rattle snake was about 6 feet away from a group of toddlers crawling around the front yard at a BBQ. The snake was too small to even have a rattle.

Some of the other guys were telling me to just pick it up. Needless to say, I am smarter than that.

The very next day, the neighbor kid caught a "garden" snake and showed his mom two houses down. She had to go to the hospital for the anti venom. Darned if that little garden snake was not a tiny rattler without even a single rattle bud on the tail yet. She was sick for a little while. Got her on the hand, which is very painful.

I try to be careful with snakes. I have had a few closer calls than that even. I was in river sandals once, walked out on a peninsula on the Snake River. Made it to the point with my older brother, and we started seeing snakes ever where around us. Then the snakes started rattling, every direction. they were coming in and out of holes, all over the place. We picked the lesser of two evils. Instead of trying to walk the gauntlet back, in our sandals, we took a running jump into the river and swam around. We went back, and there was a big warning sign, that we had just walked past. The sign said it was a heavy rattle snake area, and that they mate there. oops!
Click to expand...

I can't blame them for being angry. I get pissed too when people show up in the area that I'm trying to mate in. :D
 
A couple of years ago, our next door neighbor was walking her dog (in flip flops) in the evening. She stepped on a pygmy and thought, at first, it was a big wasp until she saw the 2 holes in her heel... 3 days in the hospital. (would have been much worse for her little dog) They have less venom than their larger cousins but more potent. If you've ever seen one, there's no doubt about their poisonous disposition. Mean little critters. When they are on a paved street, a shovel works best.
 
Modoc ED said:
So that's why everyone in the emergency room was running around with a wild look on their faces when I took my neighbor to the hospital after he had been bitten by a rattlesnake. I didn't kill the snake!!!!:eek: I took him in alive along with the neighbor in case the doctor wanted to see what bit the neighbor.:)

Glad to hear your wife's friend is going to be ok.
Click to expand...

Woops, someone let the snake out of the bag...
 
mistwalker said:
Interesting story. do the pygmies not rattle?

I've read so much about how much the anti-venom costs if I'm ever bit while I'm out I'll be debating with myself whether to call for Life Force or just go on to the next plain of existence....the ride in Life Force alone is a few thousand bucks...
Click to expand...

In some areas researchers are finding that some rattlesnakes are rattling a lot less.
The thought is that in these areas humans have have hunted and/or killed them for generations. This has lead to a situation where the quieter snakes have survived and passed on their quieter genes.
Iirc Arizona was one of the areas in the study.
 
coyotebc said:
In some areas researchers are finding that some rattlesnakes are rattling a lot less.
The thought is that in these areas humans have have hunted and/or killed them for generations. This has lead to a situation where the quieter snakes have survived and passed on their quieter genes.
Iirc Arizona was one of the areas in the study.
Click to expand...

Ever since I was a kid, I read that you cannot depend on a rattlesnake warning before it strikes.
 
BlackHills said:
I've always heard that the small ones are the most dangerous. They haven't learned how to regulate the amount of venom that they inject so they often give you all they have. The large rattlers are smart enough not to waste it all on something they can't eat.
Click to expand...

Ya, I have heard all kinds of things about how the babies are more poisonous. Not really sure if that is true. I know they have less volume of toxin, and some say it is more concentrated....no real idea, and not gonna find out.

Caught this beauty the other day. (not a rattle snake) Found it out on a bike ride with the 5 year old, and the wife was pushing the stroller with the 6 month old.

IMG_3357.jpg
 
Not necessarily more poisonous, but they tend to inject all their venom on the first strike, versus adults who tend to control venom release for followup strikes.
 
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