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Copperhead Bite
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by gerry on June 23, 2005
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My son was bitten a week ago. He was playing in our field with some other kids and layed down in the grass to hide and felt a sharp pan in his leg. He though he was stung by a yellow jacket and went about normally. The next afternoon, he was limping and complained his leg hurt. When we looked at his calf, there was a very clear 3/8" spacing fang marks, about 6" diameter area of bruising (a multitude of neat colors) and the entire lower leg was a little swollen and hot. We went out to where he was playing the night before, and about 10' away there was a 12" long copperhead curled up on a board. Our guess is he laid down on the snake.
After a little reading and a call to a doc friend it was decided that since it was already 24 hours ago, there were no systemic effects and the area was very localized, the envenomation was probably small and there really wasn't much that could be done to treat it. (other than a tetanus shot which he had recently) There are several studies now (including Journal of Trauma) that there is little difference in outcome with or without antivenin for bites that are localized, but the risks from the antivenin are substantial. The other interesting thing is that there are fewer records of people dying from copperhead bites than from bleeding from cutting the wound open, car accidents on the way to the hospital and reactions to antivenin. (Most were internet posts so some skeptecism is appropriate)
It's a week later and the swelling is gone, the bruising is dissipating and other wise it's pretty well healed.
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RE: Copperhead Bite
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by afraidcantchange on July 24, 2005
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I need to get rid of such snakes because i fear the same and just want to enjoy my property
I know this may sound incesitive but I must get rid of them and I want to do this is a respectfull way
east texas is the property and its in a very heavily area with ponds and creeks
help please
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RE: Copperhead Bite
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by gerry on July 25, 2005
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You can't get rid of them unless you pave your whole property. The moment anything grows on the property, you'll attract insects and mice and that attracts snakes. You can kill every snake and, if there are insects or mice around, snakes will return within weeks.
How about some precautions, a trip to reality and a change of attitude. Non-venomous snakes can't hurt you and rapidly retreat when they sense you. They are totally a non-threat.
Venomous snakes are really only a threat below the knee. They don't jump and nothing in your area can spit venom. So if you buy a set of puncture proof leg protectors (chaps, gaitors, several different names) and high top leather boots, and wear them when you go walking, the snakes are no longer a threat.
Remember, snakes are a significant predator of mice and rats. Would you prefer to take on huntavirus or bubonic plague(much more prevalent in mouse infested areas.)which you can't see and which are VERY frequently fatal or a snake which you can see and which even if it bites you is very rarely fatal. (10 times as many people die from huntavirus than snake bites)
(As a note- I am not a snake owner or afficianato. I do relocate an occasional snake to put it out of harms way. I just respect their role in nature and pity the way they are maligned for no logical reason.)
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Copperhead Bite
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by Scott7590 on August 13, 2005
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Very informative, Phil. I hope you and those who responded to you have helped to dispel the idea that copperheads are nothing to worry about. I think the "It's just a copperhead" attitude has caused as much pain and suffering as potentially more serious encounters with venomous snakes.
The real problem with copperheads is that they are widely regarded as "starter" snakes for those who want to get into hots. So what does someone do after he's gotten used to his "starter" snake? He graduates to something more impressive, often a rattlesnake. Then comes an exotic, for which antivenom may be unavailable or very hard to locate -- in time.
Many years ago a friend who was about 16 years old took me to visit a friend of his, also about 16. The kid had an EDB and a canebrake his parents had bought for him on a trip to Florida (we lived in Connecticut). He had them both in a large cage in his bedroom. The cage appeared to be secure. I had copperheads and timber rattlers, as well as a number of six- to 10-foot boas and pythons, so I wan't concerned. The he said, "I have another snake, but I can't put it in a cage because my parents won't let me keep it."
To make a long story short, he had a shallow wooden box (about 3' by 3') with a heavy, flat top. The top was not secured, but was held down by its weight. I asked him what he had. He said it was a small Russell's viper. I asked to see it, and he handed me a snake stick. I used the stick to push the box's "lid" away and let me see the snake. The small opening I created was barely open when his new addition came pouring out. It was a Russell's viper, all right, but it was not "small" at all. It was over four feet long and and thick as my arm. It hissed loudly and came towards me. My friend and his friend jumped up onto the bed. The house was old, and I had no idea if there were any escape routes the snake might be able to find. So I used the snake stick to push the snake back towards the box. The snake wasn't having any of it. He kept coming. Fortunately, there was a broom by the door. I grabbed the broom and, after what seemed like forever, managed to get the snake back into the box.
The kid had purchased the viper from a dealer located near the Bronx Zoo. I knew the dealer, and was not surprised that he would sell such a snake to a kid. I pegged him as someone who believed that "No records = no liability."
After the snake was secured, I told the guy that he was an idiot and that if the snake ever bit him, he would be very dead in short order. I also told him that his parents, or anyone else entering his room, could inadvertently dislodge the cover of the box and allow the snake to escape. That would be the end of them, too.
In conclusion, after I threatened to call his parents that night to tell them what he had, he agreed to let me come back the next day and return the snake to the dealer. The following day I wrote the dealer and used every expletive I could think of to express my opinion of him.
Fortunately, no one died from this lttle "experience," but it taught me a valuable lesson, which is reinforced by so many experiences I have heard and read about, including your. Many doctors and hospitals, even those in areas where venomous snakes live, do not know anything about snakes and the treatment of snake bites. If, as I have seen, a doctor in Connecticut doesn't know how to treat a copperhead bite, what is he going to do if a patient comes in after taking a hit from a Russell's viper or other exotic?
I can imagine it now: "Hi, doc, I was just bitten by a Russell's viper! Help me!" To which the doctor replies, "Why tell me? Call Russell!"
The moral of the story is simple: If you don't know where to obtain an adequate supply of antivenom in a timely manner, don't keep the snake! Even if you get antivenom and don't die from a bite, you may suffer long-term consequences from it. And remember, antivenom is VERY expensive.
Be careful.
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RE: Copperhead Bite
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by jeichs on August 15, 2005
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I, too was bit by my CB 04 Southern Copperhead about a month ago. This wonderful event came as a surprise, as I didn't think he had the range and was using tongs to separate myself from him.
"F me!" was my first thought as I looked down and saw the tell-tale tiny pin prick marks on my right index finger. Then, the lightening bolts of envenomation started to streak up and down my finger. I wasn't sure how bad he got me, so I took a couple ibuprofin and chugged a couple glasses of water and sat down to wait.
After a little bit, two things occurred to me. One, that I was probably going to be ok, and two, I had to say goodbye to my knuckles for a bit. The girl I was with at the time asked me if I wanted to go to the hospital, but of course being the "tough guy" that I was I of course declined.
An hour later there was still quite a bit of pain in my finger and hand, and I started to notice bruising near the bite. Realizing that staying awake during this fiasco would probably not be the most fun ordeal, I decided to call it a night and passed out.
The next morning my right hand was pretty damn swollen. I had bruising all over my finger and hand, and my arm was tender up to the elbow. I couldn't really grip anything with my right hand, and even brushing against anything solid would set it on fire!
Fortunately that was all that really happened. I learned that you can never be too careful with hots, and I will definitely take this lesson to heart!
Jason
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RE: Copperhead Bite
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by SnakeFriend on September 20, 2005
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Live in Cary NC in what some might call a very suburban area. Three days ago, at about dusk we had a good hurricane warning type rain and as I arrived home my 11 year old son noticed a brown baby snake with a green tail sitting on the front steps. Both he and I are snake enthusiast so we immediately recognized it as a baby copperhead and removed it with a shovel to the nearby bushes.
We were very excited by this, but at the sametime concern that this was to close for comfort. What if it had been darker outside and/or we had been barefooted? Later that night, my wife went to work and saw the very same type of snake. The next day, I overheard a construction worker say he'd seen the same thing. Why would a baby copperhead be on our front steps? and so visible in general?
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RE: Copperhead Bite
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by Stupid-Head on October 3, 2005
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Re: Sept 20th 2005
I found this website by chance after being given a young southern copperhead who had bite a teenage boy. I live in east Texas and recently experienced the same likely hurricane you mentioned. Anyway, I have many years experience with a variety of harmless snakes & I’m guessing copperheads probably have young (live birth I think) around the same time that many other snakes hatch from eggs. That is, around the 2nd to 3rd week of September. In regards to your question about why a baby copperhead is hanging out on your porch all of a sudden, and the two other sightings if in proximity of your home (your wife’s and the construction workers sightings) , you may have a new brood of young copperheads around your house. If your porch is made of concrete, snakes tend to crawl out on it in the evening to warm up, since concrete will retain heat from the sun during the day. If your still finding baby copperheads in proximity of your house, you may want to consider dropping them in a deep bucket or other container instead of nearby bushes and transport them to a remote country side instead. Hope this helps.
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Copperhead Bite
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by Rosemilk on October 13, 2005
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In spite of having been written some time ago, the article on the copperhead bite informs the would-be copperhead keeper to respect his/her new ward. That would be me. Recently, I acquired 2 southern copperheads that were born 21 Sept. 2005. Before the acquisition and afterwards, I have been reading many accounts whether they be net postings or sections in herp books. All come to the same conclusion: respect this venomous snake even though fatalies are rare. Many snakes bite. Venomous and non-venomous alike. Not getting bit should always be the goal. It's my goal.
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