I took one from a dusky....

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Posted by nhherp on December 07, 2002 at 21:55:15:

In Reply to: ARE ENYONE WHO HAVE BITE EXPERIENCE BY SISTRURUS SPECIES? posted by toomas on November 10, 2002 at 14:45:18:

:I keep Western Massasaugas / Sistrurus c. tegerminus and Dusky Pigmy Rattlesnakes / Sistrurus miliarius barbouri.

:I'm interested to know information about bite cases. What happen when theses species / subspecies bite? Are then snake (biter) young or adult? What happen when victim young or adult?

:I found information about Duscy Pigmy Rattlesnake bite case: Suda, N., M. Sekine, C. Tschiya, H. Moriguchi and Y. Sawai. 1991. A case of snakebite by a dusky pigmy rattlesnake (Sistrurus miliarius barbouri) in Japan. The Snake. 23 110-111.

:Publisher:Japan Association of Snake Research
:Japan Snake Institute
:Yabuzuka-honmachi, Nittagun
:Gunma Prefecture 379-23
:Japan
:Email: snake-a@sunfield.ne.jp

:
:I'm interested to order The Snake Magazine if it's not out of print, but I can't get contact with publisher by e-mail. This e-mail not work. I try to send letter by mail.

:Toomas
: I am 6'1' and 190lbs. My friend had some that he had bred and produced but didn't have time to work with, I had never worked with duskys(I have worked with HOts for the last 5 yrs) so I offered to help him out. Anyways I was force feeding one pinky parts and it rolled its head and sunk its left fang into my left index finger on the pad. It felt like liquid fire had been poured into my finger. I pinched my finger between my thumb and middle finger, I had placed the animal back into its container which I was operating over. The pain and fire feeling spread up my left arm to the shoulder. I had another friend who used to breed them and I called him. After talking to him I decided not to seek further medical attention. I spent the evening relaxing and monitoring ,but the symptoms stopped at the shoulder. In the end the finger was sore for some time and itched quite a bit as it healed. I had a spot of necrosis,though very small, and now have a dimple scar at the site. THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT SISTRURUS BITES ARE NOT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY, I WAS LUCKY IN THE FACT THAT IT WAS NOT AN ADULT, AND I RECEIVED A SMALL AMOUNT OF VENOM FROM THIS INDIVIDUAL. BITES ARE NEVER THE SAME. Masassaugas are hotter then pygmies and the young and old are typically more at risk to serious effects. I read a study in FL that placed pymgies as responsible for about 50% of the bites recorded by venomous snakes in the state. One last note you become more sensitized to the venom with each dose/bite, effects becoming more severe each time. Take care, be mindful of the risks and consequences of keeping any Hot Snakes. This was my first and last(hopefully) bite from a hot snake, not something I desire to repeat.

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