Adult Western diamond-backed rattler:
1. large pinprick
2. almost instantaneous brick slammed on your finger/car door slammed on finger
3. burning sensation as if hand set on fire
full blown envenomation BTW
4. slow to moderate feeling of warmth/pain creeping up to armpit
5. VERY painful swelling of lymph node in armpit
6. necrosis of bite area
7. removal of digit!
Juvenile Western cottonmouth:
1. small pinprick
2. nausea
3. swelling
4. local pain and tenderness
5. severe swelling of arm and lymph node
6. antivenin administered/ allergic reaction causes more nausea and fainting
7. collapsed veins
8. miserable time of it all


My advice: priceless, don't handle hots, keep calm and seek immediate medical attention if bitten. Just take photos, it's not worth the adrenaline rush and near death experience...from one who survived!!!Just my experiences, and I was allergic to the older antivenin but was good with the newer crote serum. All in all a very expensive and painful lesson(s)! I used to be very defensive of letting people know my experiences but if one person decides not to handle because of this then it is worth looking like a d-@$$! I used to think it will never happen to me, then I thought I am way more careful now, now I think it is not the right way for me, to each their own.
Todd Hughes

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