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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