VenomousReptiles.org Survey

Survey Question	Current Survey Question Should hobbyists ever free handle venomous reptiles with their hands? Recent Surveys Most venomous/toxic Naja species in the world? I have read that the Philippine cobra is the most venomous (mice, 0.2 mg/kg SC with the lowest reported value being 0.14 mg/kg SC) (Brown, 1973). I have recently, come across something in the Indian Journal of Experimental Biology (Vol. 30, (issue 12), pages: 1158-1162, 1992) which stated that the LD50 for Naja oxiana was the most toxic/venomous (mice, 0.18 mg/kg SC and lowest reported value was 0.10 mg/kg). Along with that, the mortality rate for untreated Naja oxiana bites are the highest among all Naja species (70-80%). N.oxiana also produced the lowest known lethal dose (LCLo) of 0.005 mg/kg, the lowest among all cobra species ever recorded, derived from an individual case of poisoning by intracerebroventricular injection. Following N. oxiana and N. philippinensis are N. melanoleuca at 0.225 mg/kg SC and then N. samarensis at 0.23 mg/kg. The water cobras (N. annulata and N. christyi also have very toxic venoms, but no SC values are listed. Only intraperitoneal (IP) values of 0.143 mg/kg for N. annulata and 0.12 mg/kg for N. christyi. IP values tend to be generally lower (more toxic than subcutaneous values, so it would be unfair to compare their IP results to the subcutaneous (SC) results of other Naja species. Then I have heard that (without solid evidence) that Naja nivea is the most venomous, although their murine SC LD50 range anywhere from 0.4 mg/kg (Toxicon, Vol. 5, issue 1, page 47, 1967) to 0.72 mg/kg (Australian venoms and toxins Databse). So which is the most venomous? To me it seems obvious that it is the Caspian or Oxus cobra (Naja oxiana), followed by the Philippine cobra (Naja philippinensis). What do you think or know? I've noticed that the Australian venom and toxin Database seems to have higher LD50 values for all snakes across the board. For example, for the black mamba IP value of 0.01 mg/kg is listed (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/004101018890219X) and Ernst and Zug et al 1996, list a SC value of 0.05 mg/kg for the black mamba. While the Australian venom and toxin Database listed much less toxic LD50's. So there seems to be a lot of variation. 2014-01-23 What's Your Favorite Venomous Snake? 2013-11-13 Deadliest Bite? 2013-09-16 IF the science of self-immunization for a snake envenomation was proven/perfected what is the least benefit(percentage) you would accept before practicing it on yourself? 2013-06-06 how did you learn to keep venomous reptiles? 2013-03-02 View All Survey Questions Have a good idea for a VenomousReptiles.org Survey question? Enter your idea!
Have you ever been bitten by a venomous reptile?   Posted: Aug 26, 2005   (288 votes, 39 comments) by Nightflight99   No, never.   Yes, but it was a dry bite.   Yes, once.   Yes, twice or three times.   Yes, four to six times.   Yes, more than six times.   I do not keep or work with venomous reptiles.     (288 votes, 39 comments)
Survey Results
No, never. 61% (177) Yes, but it was a dry bite. 5% (14) Yes, once. 15% (44) Yes, twice or three times. 7% (20) Yes, four to six times. 3% (9) Yes, more than six times. 3% (9) I do not keep or work with venomous reptiles. 5% (15)
Survey Comments
bitten hello you can call me longtooth tho my name is coy iam from n.c. and have kept hots about20 years off and on i have only been bitten once by crotalus h antricudatus it was a small cane 18 to 24 inches was checking what looked to be swelling from her mouth at the time so i was holding her in my right hand and was reachiing for my tongs she pulled back and tagged me on the third knuckle of my right hand pain didn't come until about 15 minutes but it damn sure came i could feel the venom moving it was a strange position to be in i always had prided myself on being extremly careful but even the best of us sometimes can slip into the lax zone 19 vials on the cro and two days in icu has a way of making you alot more careful. That was 2003 i still have my hots i still love em but i now have even more respect so yeah it can happen just remember they don't share the love so we must really never forget the word respect tahx for the time coy Posted by longtooth on November 9, 2005 snake i was milking a pacific rattlesnake when some of the venom got into a cut on my hand. no swelling, blackness or whatever, just a strange burning sensation, the next day it felt like a bruse, but thats it. Posted by shmee on October 24, 2005 Dry Bites... A good friend of mine got a dry bite from a 6.5 ft long female Bothrops asper AKA Terciopelo. He did not get so lucky with a 5 ft long male Crotalus d. durissus Those Neo-Topicals are really nasty!!! I remember he got bitten once by a 8" inch long Atropoides nummifer That little Jumping Viper packs a dirty pounch too. Hey Manuel, just thinking of everything you tought me. Thanks!!! Luis Posted by HERPNUT on October 24, 2005 been bitten by non venomous but They can really do some heavy duty lacerations and pulling out a burmese python teeth would not be on my list of great things to do, but as I am sure you are all aware that if a python bites it will rarely end in death BUT a c. atrox or say a Bitis tagged you then its either alot of pain then death or alot of pain for a long time with health repercussions or if you are that 4% that recives a "dry" bite then that is almost a miracle in the making enjoy the risks if you wish just be safe and dont get a venomous reptile for "show" to your friends as invariably you will become a statistic. Leave hots to experienced herpers as there are an amazing amount and array of non-venomous reptiles to aquaint yourself with first my recommendation for a reasonable size/length snake would be a Dumerils boa. Posted by keyz on October 24, 2005 Do rear-fangs count? Granted, some of the more well-known RF's count such as Boiga, Dispholidus, etc., I just had to play devil's advocate and bring up the ones that are typically considered less-innocuous. Sure, I've had my share of Heterodon bites without repercussions, and I certainly would feel silly if I included any of the tiny Tantilla or Diadophis that have attempted to sink their almost microscopic teeth into my skin, but I was curious to hear some accounts from Hydrodynastes, Oxybelis, or Ahaetulla bites, as well as any others from similar species. In closing, I admit that I knock on wood as I state that I have not yet been bitten by any of the vipers or elapids I have worked with, and hope that remains the case. Posted by DocJosh on October 22, 2005 dont want to face another one! I was bit in my front yard one nite by a timber rattler and it was a big one. Spent 6 days in a ccu unit on a ventilator,and 8 more days in imcu.98 viles of anti venom later and the grace of god im here to tell about it. Posted by bearman on October 20, 2005 YOU GUYS ARE NUTS!!! I UNDERSTAND WHY YOU GUYS DO THE THINGS YOU DO BUT, BEING BIT IS JUST PLAIN SCARY TO ME. IM THE TYPE OF GUY THAT GO HUNTING WITH THIGH HIGH SNAKE GAITERS AND ROCKY SNAKE BOOTS. I DONT TAKE CHANCES. ANY SNAKE I RUN ACROSS I TRY TO LEAVE IT AT IT'S BUSINESS BUT THERE HAVE BEEN SOME CLOSE CALLS. Posted by FUTURE_HIT on October 12, 2005 Bite After 20+ years,got a little too complacent and a 4-foot C. atrox let me know about it. Spent 4 weeks in the hosp, and 4 operations including skin grafts. But I knew he was anti-social, so I should have been more alert. As a reward, I released him on the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, close to where he was captured. Posted by retmsgt97 on October 9, 2005 technically 3 times First time was force feeding a baby copperhead, second and third was a big adult who was under his shift box instead of inside it, snake hit me twice in rapid succsession, the pain was comparable to having my hand forced into boiling water. Posted by DougW on October 4, 2005 almost i had the closest call of my life by a beautiful wild sothern paciic at first i tought he taged me but my frined got a pic with it at full extension in the strike and it was about 2 cm away thank god for the digital camera but for a bystander he was scarewd beyond belife i will try and get the pic from my buddy but he lives in another state. Posted by teenherpkeeper on October 3, 2005 Cape Cobra Got too familiar around Cape Cobra’s and paid for it with 7days ICU. To be bitten is an indication of ones stupidity and not something to be bragged about. Posted by Snakes_Inc on October 2, 2005 Snake Bite In 1997, I stepped on an Eastern Diamondback's tail and before I knew it, he reached up and got me in the left shin. I went to the hospital and recieved some anti-venom and was out of the hospital in 4 days. There was no permanent damage. Posted by SnakeMan105 on October 1, 2005 Bites 1966: juv. sidewinder, one fang, left thumb, 3 days in hospital w/ Wyeth polyvalent. Lots of pain, swelling, a tiny bit of tissue loss. 1967: ad. W. cottonmouth, left middle finger (through a bag) 3 days in hospital w/ Wyeth, no permanent damage other than serum sickness and an allergy to horse serum. 1972: big E. cottonmouth, back of left hand, 3 days in hospital, no antivenin. Fairly minor symptoms. 1972-present: Still left handed, much more cautious. Posted by Pug on September 27, 2005 bitten twice Once when I was 14 by a neonate C.atxox, and once by a 3' florida cottonmouth. I had an old aquarium with metal molding on the corners ,that housed a litter of wdbs and while dropping in food for one, I failed to see the one in the corner,apparently it was hungry.I went to the hospital and received about 5 vials of wyeth antivenin after several hours,it was pointless. The antivenin was worse than the venom,I was sick for a month. The cotton mouth was a total freak occurence.I had a trio of snakes in a vivarium,I was removing the snakes and placing them in a bucket,as I had done several times before. I placed the first snake in the bucket with no problems,when I put the second snake in the bucket, the first snake bit it & it in turn bit me. One fang in my left thumb, lots of venom,my thumb turned almost black and my hand and arm swelled severely, I didn't go to the hospital. I drank a lot of water and took some roxicet and tetracycline to fight any infection and control pain,(there was a lot of pain). I didn't lose any function of my thumb,(there is a funny looking dent in it though) and there was no month of serum sickness, I was fine in about 5 days. the lessons I learned were, housing multiple venomous together is extremely dangerous, getting complaicent around venomous is stupid, and my local hospital staff are incompitent. Posted by xvenomx on September 27, 2005 Never been bitten by a Venomous Snake But I have been tag two times by Beaded Lizards. One time in El Progreso, Guatemala Central America back in 1996 The fist bite was nothing just some scaring from a 36" Beaded. ...and the other time in Chiapas, Mexico back in 1997. The second bite was quite painfull from a pissed off 20" female Beaded. Vomit after maybe 8-10 minutes. Increased heart rate, difficulty breathing, pain and some swelling was evident on my right hand and wrist. I got a tetanus shot for that bite, and I took some ibuprofen. There is no antivenom so no point of making it to the ER. Besides try explaining in a Mexican Hospital that venomous lizards exist... It would be pointless and a waste of time. We just kept on driving... I am not proud of these bites. And I do handle Heloderms with much more care now days. Knowing that they are not life threatening gives you a false sence of security! But once they bite they do not easily let go and they pack a painfull bite. Handeling a captive specimen in a cage is quite different than sticking your arm down a hole to get a hold of the tail of a wild Beaded Lizard. LOL I do Rattlesnake Rescues in AZ and I do come in contact with a lot of Rattlesnakes. But, I have not had even a close call. Luis. Posted by HERPNUT on September 26, 2005 nope dont think i ever want to get that close to one :) Posted by anaconda_girl on September 24, 2005 Long term repercussions I was bitten by a Canebrake in '81. Three times in one spot under my left thumb. 24 vials of antivenom and 7 days in the hospital, but thank God no permanent damage at the site. However, 20 years later it was discovered I contracted Hepatitis C from the blood transfusions in '81 (before Hep C was identifed). The 48 weeks of treatment was far worse than the bite albeit I came through the ordeal with a clean bill of health. Canebrake came back to haunt me after 20 years, but I beat him back both times! God is good. Venomous reptiles are beautiful and interesting, but handle with extreme and professional care and respect. Posted by RevKev on September 22, 2005 ScottN I seriously hope you learned that venomous snakes are not meant to be "played" with...what in the world were you guys thinking??!!! Posted by psilocybe on September 21, 2005 Great stuff. I have never been bitten, evenomated, or even recieved a nasty look from a venomous snake however, I must confess I have a morbid fascination with these stories. Keep-m-comin'. Posted by toddg on September 21, 2005 Another indirect envenomation I have never been bit by a venomous snake but I did successfully become envenomated. A friend of mine called me one day and told me that his mother had killed a coral snake with a shovel. Being the snake maniac that I am, I immediately jumped in my car and headed toward his house. I found that she had gone a little overboard with the shovel and cut the snake into about 9 pieces! I wanted to see what the corals fangs looked like because I had never had a chance to look at them before, so I picked up the piece that had the head on it, opened it and checked them out. It wasn't until the ride home that my eye started burning. I realized that I had rubbed my eye after handling the snakes head. I started to feel almost like I had a buzz. My eye burned for several hours and I felt very strange for most of that evening. I didn't know if I should have gone to the emergency room or what. But I woke up the next day feeling fine. Always remember to wash those hands if there could be venom on them! You never know, it gave me a little scare!! Posted by ajpreptiles on September 17, 2005 Hey iamasnakeexpert042993 You definatly need to be careful with those pigmies. They can be really ficesty. Phillip Posted by timberrattlesnake89 on September 16, 2005 Nope Never have and hopefully never will. Posted by timberrattlesnake89 on September 16, 2005 Careful there snake expert. Be careful wrangling them pigs dude. You might get porked and it hurts somethin' fierce. ;0) Chris Harper webmaster Posted by Chris_Harper on September 15, 2005 Snake Expert I am 12 and a snake specialist.yesterday i rangled a pigmy for my grandpa.all my friends call me when they have a snake problem. Posted by iamasnakeexpert042993 on September 14, 2005 Mamba I was bit by a black mamba in august of 2000. It belonged to a friend of mine and we got it out to "play" with it, or really just check it out. It climbed off the snake hook and snagged my left leg. It was amputated and my whole life has completely changed. My advice is to never handle a black mamba. Posted by ScottN on September 12, 2005 ouch!!!!!!! 5 years ago I was giving medicine to a Rhino Viper. A co-worker was holding the animals body as I incerted a stomach tube, in a hurry to get the procedure over I got careless and too close. One fang penetrated my right index finger at the knuckle and the second fang went completely through the same finger spraying venom onto the floor. She ( rhino viper ) held on about fifteen seconds pumping venom into my system. I placed the snake back into her cage, and went to clean the wound, called the hospital to let them know I was on my way and what to expect, then called the police department and requested an escort to the hospital. Four minutes after the bite I was in the hospital Emergency Room, in convultions. Nine minutes later my diaphram stoped working, and then went into a coma, I was then life flighted to a major trauma hospital. Their anti-venin was administered, anifalactic shock was immediate. Six viles were given to me, as well as epinephrine. I was in a coma for fourteen days, ICU for three weeks, hospitalized four weeks. The necrosis was so bad that the biten finger was lost. Posted by atherislover on September 10, 2005 Bites -Bitten several times while "playing" with one to five month old northern copperheads,very little symptoms,alas, not until moving a box of eight- 11 or 10 month olds slipping,falling, yes, on top of them did i find the meaning of venom! Swollen and Bruised i went to the er the next day, to work i'm an RN,and was used as a teaching toy for interns and attendings.I never took any chances with any other hotter beasts before or after this in 32yrs of snake collecting and breeding and i've had anything from puffers to cobras. Ask me about the anaconda attached to my knee, and my wife about the retic on staircase SO much fun these snakes! Posted by scrapeup on September 2, 2005 Not yet anyways People say that if you handle venomous reptiles long enough you are bound by the laws of probability to be bitten. I however disagree. If a person treats their snake with respect and does not play show of games or any other such nonsense they should do all right. I also understand that accidents do happen. Do your best is what I always say. Posted by LordChristensen on September 1, 2005 Once...and hopefully the last! I was cleaning a community female Pigmy tank and thought I counted all their heads in the hide box...I forgot that I added a new streckeri a few days before that had just reached maturity. Needless to say, she reminded me when my hand hit the leaf pile in the cage. I got one fang in the left index finger and the other scraped my knuckle. My finger and hand swelled and went numb(except for the burning!) for about two days... slowly over the next few days the swelling went down and the numbness faded until only a small area around the puncture remained tender and swollen. It took about a week for everything to return to normal, and now there is nothing left but a pin-dot pink scar and a lesson well learned. L8R Kris Posted by SoggyBottomSerpents on August 31, 2005 Another bite... I got bit by another baby adder today. of course, nothing happened. A bee sting would have been much worse. A friend of mine got bit by about 10 baby adders in a couple minutes. It was "self inflicted" lets say... Posted by Snake18 on August 31, 2005 have you been bitten No not as of the last 8 years, and i hope it never happens. But for the last year and a half I have taken a hiatus from hots. Once I get my new reptile room finished then I will start up again. And I still hope it never happens. mike Posted by nasicornis1 on August 30, 2005 Yup.... I was bitten once...about 5 years ago.....copperhead(A.c. phaeogaster)in the wild. It was one of the most painful experiences of my life. I was bitten on the first finger of my right hand. I quickly bagged the A.c.p. and put it in the car (I always get my snake!). There was an intense pain like being hit with a hammer. Swelling was evident immediately. I was taken to the local emergency room after vigorous persuasion from family members. I began to feel intoxicated/euphoric after about 40 minutes. The swelling continued up my arm past the elbow. My hand felt tight and painful, but other than that I did not feel any sensation of nausea or overall trauma. By the time I reached the emergency room I was slurring my speach. I was finally admitted after about an hour in the waiting room (maybe less...its a little blurry for me). The hospital staff gave me anti-inflammatory medicine and began to mark the progression of swelling with a pen. After another hour or so I had the staff convinced that I should be released....I felt that the worst had past. I was told that I would be discharged if the symptoms didn't progress in the next hour. I spent the next hour swapping rattlesnake stories with the elderly security guard in a fairly euphoric state.....thats when it started to really hit me. I became irritated, agitated and just plain uncomfortable. The swelling started to increase to an incredible level....it extended the entire length of my arm....even reaching part of my right chest and shoulder. I experienced the most overwhelming nausea of my life....I spent the next ~30 min (?) on my hands and knees vomiting my guts up in the ER restroom.....It felt like an eternity. Needless to say I was not released from the hospital. They kept me overnight for observation and released me in the morning. My right arm was markedly weaker than my left for almost a year (I'm right handed). No obvious external tissue destruction or any longterm/permanent damage was sustained. It would be nice to hear some detailed stories from some of the experienced members here....it's too bad that many people are afraid of getting criticized for telling their bite stories. Posted by Crotalus75 on August 29, 2005 snake bites NOPE!!!! Never have been bit, and I hope I never do. Bryan Posted by emtnurse on August 29, 2005 Once is more than enough I was bitten by a copperhead because of my own stupidness. Instead of removing all the snakes from cage befor cleaning, I closed them in one side and went to work. One got me on the right hand and it felt like fire. My hand and arm was so swollen they looked like a leg atached to my shoulder. First and last bite. Posted by reticbite on August 28, 2005 Bites 1973 While crossing a beaver dam at night I stepped on a Cottonmouth and drug it through the weak structure untill I bottomed out, one fang got my walet the other got my butt on the right side. You realy know who your friends are as noone offered to suck out the venom. Turned black and blue and hurt for almost two weeks. 1989 Stepped on a copperhead as I was leaving the pool house, it got me on the right ankle, no anti-venom just a bit of swelling and I appologized to the snake. 1998 Milking a Copperhead it jerked back and got me on the thumb, a lot of swelling but after a week or so it became normal, the snake was also ok I just left a bad taste in its mouth. 2005 January 02 9.35 AM I was in my yard and a car pulled up and a young man got out and was holding a large beer box? I recognized him from a class I taught a month earlier he smiled and held out the box and said " wait and see what I got" The bottom of the box fell open and a 10 Lb. Eastern Diamondback landed on my left foot! The snake hit me once on the top of the foot and it took less then three seconds to let me know I had been envenomated. The pain is beyond expressing, I grabed the snake and felt like shoving it down the kids throat but instead I milked it to see how much venom was left. I got almost 3 1/2 Mls. so what was in me was not so much. My foot and leg was black and blue for close to four weeks and of all the snakes I mess with the EDB is now my king of venomous snakes in the USA. As for the kid I put the snake in a plastic snap lid cooler and he went on his way and I have not heard from him since. I thought I had taught him better but now I am drumming snake enclousers into every class, a card board box is NOT the proper carrier for any snake. Posted by Atrox9 on August 27, 2005 Not quite twice... I answered to the poll question that I was bitten twice. Actualy, my first "bite" was not a bite but a very powerfull indirect envenomation. Venom entered my blood streem threw a cut while I was milking the snake; it put me in a hospital bed for 8 days. I was 14, it was my first hot. It was very nasty. I was bitten again by a baby adder(Vipera berus) but the impact of the bite was weeker than a bee sting. Be carefull to wash your hands after working with venom. Take care y`all... Posted by Snake18 on August 27, 2005 snake bite I was bit in the stomach by a Monacle cobra while putting this snake in its cage. It was a bad release on my part. Posted by spongebobnopants on August 27, 2005 I have been bitten once by a young Copperhead while force feeding it. Yrs ago and very unsure of myself, I was nursing a sick copper and made a big boo boo. I was very surprised at how bad the bite felt and learned a valuble lesson at an eary age. Posted by cottonmouth on August 26, 2005 Have you been bitten? I regularly hear people who boast about how many times they have been bitten and it seems to me that the more times you have been bitten, the poorer your snake handling skills are. Posted by Frawgg on August 26, 2005 To post a comment, you must be logged in. If you are not a member, become one now!