Dirty Damned snakes

---

oh no, ive already had way to muchj but ther were these books poem things by shel siilverstein that was one like a boa construction eating a guy, it was like "where the side walk ends" i think

fwhere the sidewalk ends and where the sidewalk ends, I have both of them in my bookshelf now and have had them for years, since I was about ten I think, I still take them down now and again and read them.
captain hook must never pick his nose...

Boa Constrictor

Oh, I'm being eaten
By a boa constrictor,
A boa constrictor,
A boa constrictor,
I'm being eaten by a boa constrictor,
And I don't like it--one bit.
Well, what do you know?
It's nibblin' my toe.
Oh, gee,
It's up to my knee.
Oh my,
It's up to my thigh.
Oh, fiddle,
It's up to my middle.
Oh, heck,
It's up to my neck.
Oh, dread,
It's upmmmmmmmmmmffffffffff . . .

Shel Silverstein

Yes! thats the one! see im not drazy, just slightly drunk.

Hey all nice thread!I'm an amateur herpetologist (herpetology = study of reptiles + amphibians) and love snakes. Though I must say that having so many wild snakes about would probably make me nervous also!There's a few things that you can do grvtykllr. My tips are:1) Wear layered, loose clothing. Then if a snake does get a hold of you it'll most likely be just a bunch of your clothing. I've been struck 3 times and each time they've just just got a wad of clothing. Heavy boots etc. I won't mention as it goes without saying!In the event that one does get it's fangs in you, if you have layered, thick clothing it'll mean a shallower penetration for the fangs. Also, they'll often pump the venom before their fangs make contact with the object, so some of the venom may be absorbed by the clothing if it's layered and thick.2) Make noise! Don't tiptoe around trying not to wake any! You'll end up surprising them, and a surprised snake is more likely going to bite. Most snakes will run and hide away from the source of noise, given the chance. Stomping your feet means they'll notice you well before you're within striking distance of them.Many, many snake bites often don't result in envenomation. Here in Australia many hospitals will not administer antivenom until the victim displays symptoms of the snake bite. This is because the antivenom can make them somewhat ill, and it's best not to administer it until they're sure the victim has been envenomated. So just because you're bitten doesn't mean you've been envenomated. Just relax. Panicking will only increase heart rate and pump any venom around more quickly!If you are bitten on the torso it will be pumped to the vital organs quicker than if it you were bitten on a limb. It's also more difficult to bandage the torso! The point of bandaging a limb is to stop the flow of venom up the limb and into the rest of the body. Torniques are a bad idea however. The pressure bandage technique is more effective and safer. Keep the bite site lower than your heart and don't move the limb even to take off clothes etc. It'll only assit to pump the venom around the body. Sounds like you know all that part already!I keep two snakes but they're not venomous.I've been struck a few times out bushwalking but each time they only got a mouthful of boot or clothing.Edit: Just a quickie - these techniques are used on Australian snakes. I assume that the first aid etc would be the same. However I've noticed that some US sites recommend washing the bite area. Here we don't advise that as any venom sitting on the skin can be used to identify the snake. Don't bother trying to catch/kill it as someone else might end up being a victim!

I grew up in San Diego back country where there are plenty of rattlers. I've been struck at once and have seen plenty. I always went out with a long walking stick. The movement of the stick in front of you serves as an early warning system and can have the snake strike at the stick instead of you.

The problem with that is that im carring gear and a 70 lbs pack. I dont have hands to carry a stick.I know that trick, I grew up here around all the snakes, but never in these conditions, today was a good day, no rattlesnake sightings at all for me, one other guy saw 3 of them but I was lucky enough to see nothing more then blow snakes, and dont worry about them, nudge them with a foot or your hand and they take off out of your way. Our safety guy checked the hospital today about availability of anti venom for us, they hae it on hand but according to them an extremity bite you got maybe 3 hours and if I had caught that one in teh face yesterday I would be lucky if I got 20 minutes. much much shorter times then I thought you had if ya got bit. we have choppers on standby for us to call if we need them so 30 minutes is possible to get them there and us lifted but 20 is really pushing it, not to mention getting someone to the guy that gets bit and getting them someplace a chopper can land.The whole thing really scares teh shit out of me, i hate to quite though, I never quite anything before just because it scared me, I took the job knowing the dangers so its important to me to finish it.

oh no worries, for legs I got snake gators on and fthere is only one snake in the area, shit most of the state, that is venomous and thats the great basin rattle snake. fits already identified and any other snakes are blow snakes or blue racers, the occasional garter snake that most kids end up having as thier first snake pet, hell I got a few hundred of them living under my patio each winter and then dispersing out for the summer.I wear all the right clothes and even extras that most people dont have access to like the snake gators and kevlar gloves and shit like that. the one that nearly got my face and throat though freally bothered me, looks like we are ahead of schedule and they think we can finish the job in 4 more days...if they dont extend it to a larger grid

haha, no snakes in New ZEaland! yes!( exept 4 zoos and such ofcorse)

they r kinda pretty tho..i want 2 touch them....

Don't worry I'll come over and plant some!

lol, ull come and plant sum? i have a feeling thats kinda illigal...y dont u try it and we'll find out?

I was bitten by a cottonmouth last year on August 1st. And yes it hurts like hell when your hit. Ever been bitten by a wasp? Well multiply that by 10 and you got your snake bite. My toes are still tight and painful at times. The doctors said it would take a year, they were right.

In elementary school they taught us about water moccasins, copperheads, cotton mouths rattlers, and coral snakes (all native to South Florida). What they didn't mention is that all kind of crazy things, like huge pythons and exotic venomous snakes, would hitchhike on cargo or be let go by people who couldn't take care of them any more as pets.I had a grass snake as a pet for a day when I was a kid. I didn't know what to feed it, so I let it go.I was bitten on the nose by a friend's hungry corn snake (the same day her retired thoroughbred horse tried to kill me). The snake was in need of a frozen mouse...I guess my nose was close enough.Snakes are pretty cool.

saw those bastards whe I was swimming in the rivers of missourri a couple years back. nasty bastards !I was lucky enough to never be damned close to them.I can not for the damned life of me remember where I was at. some park with a strange sounding name that almsot sounded like somethign else. it was near branson and closer to some other shit hole that consisted of a walmart a steak and shake and some trailers, oops, I jsut described 90% of the state.I even ike snakes, but the damned venemous ones really scare the shit out of me. Iv been bitten by many many boas, garder,blue racers, blow snakes, ones like that, they hurt like a bastard and have drawn blood, left a nasty bruise with some of the bigger ones too, but I knew i didnt need shots, IV, antivenom treatments, no risk of amputations or death, its good to have that job completed and know that when I do wander up into those parts again, Il be packing my pistol and can walk where I want to instead of a straight line from marker post to marker post laying out cales and picking them up again at the end of the day.I wish I had a email for those canadien boys too, they were one of the best unch of bastards to hang with that i ever met on a job, easy going, liked to fuck around and bullshit, still took owrk seriously and pretty damned good natured. Id of liked to head to a titty bar with all of em and get em wound up and drunk.Enjoy healing up, I know very little about the cotton mouth bastards but they sound worse then the rattle snakes I deal with here in Utah.

Cottonmouths are filthy, that is why they are more serious. Luckily I didn't have to have my leg sliced open. That would have sucked. I was in ICU for 3 days and then a room with a retarded male nurse. Pissed me off, idiot couldn't see I had a 80lb. leg that I couldn't move and he expected me to get up and walk to the bathroom. I was swollen all the way up to my right arm pit. Took a month to be able to walk and then I had to use crutches. I hate snakes. My husband was struck at today by a timber rattler. He killed it and hung it on the fence so it will rain.

We're moving into the snakes habitats. They're not attacking you because you're tasty. They're attacking you because you're in their home.Same goes for the alligators around here.

hung it on th fence to rain?you dont honestly belive taht killing a snake and hanging it on the fence will make it rain do you?Not all snakes are bad either, even the venemous ones serve a purpose, I just prefer to stay the hell clear of the venemous bastards myself. Snakes are not bad evil flithy animals, I just hate the bastards with big pointy fangs at the front of thier mouths full of venom.

Cottonmouths are pretty agressive, latch on, deliver a big dose of venom, and usually have lots of nasty pathogens living in their mouths. You'd have to be another cottonmouth to find one attractive.

with that information in my head Ill be sure to specify cotton mouth the next time I tell someone they would fuck a snake if someone helf it for them.Cotton mouths actualy that much worse then any other venemous bastards? I mean the cobras and black mambas and what not have worse venom, but just the mouth, not the shit in the venom sacks, are they any worse then any other snake?

I don't think their venom is as toxic as that of the other snakes you mentioned, but they usually do inject a pretty good dose. I don't know how their venom compares the venom of ordinary rattlesnakes.All I know is that the school board thought we needed to be familiar with the 4 popular venomous snakes around here.From the BBC: Male snakes con females to keep warm