Reptile & Amphibian Forums

First let me say if you do NOT want to be grossed out don't look at the pics below. The story behind them is this and I post this FYI.

Most of the breeders are in brumation, therefore we check them weekly for water etc. Then every couple of weeks we clean the cages. While in the process of swapping the boxes out, we wipe the rack itself down before replacing the new boxes. I reached in and was in the process of of wiping down that portion of one of the racks when I felt something crawl on my hand from the back of the shelf. I looked down and a very small spider was on my hand. I attempted to shake him off and immediately felt a little prick of fire when he bit me. I caught him and realized it was a brown recluse. The result is what you see below, the afternoon of the bite in the first and then 1 week later in the second. It was amazing how quickly the hand swole up to three times normal size and the ooze started.

The message in all of this is that when you have rack systems, it is not unusual to find spiders in the racks. Be careful, this hurts like hell and I am sure I am going to lose a lot of flesh in that area. $1,000.00 worth of doctors and medications(steroids, antibiotics and antihistimines) it looks like the hand will be okay with minor tendon damge/loss of mobility. Thank goodness he bit me and not one of the snakes.

John Cherry
Cherryville Farms

Cherryville Farms - Reptiles

John,
If only we serviced in Santa Fe LOL...I would send my brother-in-laws' pest control company out there to spray (he is based in Pasadena, and the farthest we go south is Dickinson).
We specialized in spider-control (using a micro-encapsulated formula so the spray would "stick" to the spiders), because that is what everyone in the Houston area complains about the most. I say "we" b/c I worked for him as a tech for 2 years and I continue to sell for the company in the summer time.
If you can find a company that uses Demand CS, that works pretty well with brown recluse/black widows.
I used it on the baseboards of my home, even in the snake area, without any problems.
Snakes are succeptible to pyrethrins, so if you are worried about an escapee getting out and slithering along the baseboards...atleast use it on the outside of the snake building and in the weepholes to keep new spiders from coming in unchecked. Even then, I had an occasional snake escape without suffering any probs. Once the chemical is dry, it is relatively safe to the touch (for people and most mammals).
And anoles never seemed to be bothered by the peripheral outside spray, so that should tell us something.
Hope that was useful and SORRY about that bite. Ouch, that looks terrible on day 1!

Dusty Rhoads

Simply Subocs

I was bit by a brown recluse on the side of the hand around noon on a Wed. By Wed night the swelling was pretty bad and I starting getting sick (didn't throw up though). Went to the doctor Thurs morning, and all he did was lance and drain it. My arm already started to swell and my veins had turned red. The fever broke Thurs night. The swelling (like your pics) was now worse than ever and was still growing. My whole arm (up to the shoulder) was now on fire and swelling. Went back to the quack doctor on Friday morning and he said, "Gee, something is wrong". I ended up at St Luke's Hospital (Phoenix) Friday afternoon and they opted to do sugery Friday evening. They decided to cut out/off the damaged area and put a drainage tube in my arm. I was released Sunday afternoon. They kept the wound open and I had to use a wet/dry dressing for about 2 months until the hole grew back on my hand. It took about a year before it wasn't sore. And all this by a little spider. I know we do not have Brown Recluse's here in Arizona, but we do have the Arizona Brown, plus I was working in produce when it happened. And I know for a fact that we found exotic spiders in our department before.

I hope that you have a full recovery. It may take a while. The important thing is to not let germs on it while it is permiable.

Good luck.

Kerby...

Man I HATE spiders! I know that sounds strange coming from a snake guy. I try to remember how I feel around spiders when I'm around folks with snakes. I keep my distance and try real hard to be respectful.

I was out your way about six months ago (New Mxico). So neat and different from here in N.J., I was mesmerized. It looks like a herpers paradise. No mosquitos and gnats and other stuff, Then cruising down a highway at 70 m.p.h. I saw a HUGE tarantula crossing the road(stopped, took pics and tried to help him cross the way he was going like we do herps, bugger just got mad and tried to recross the other way...stupid bug!)
Anyway...Maybe I'll keep the mosquitos here. It's a weird place where the bugs are so big you can see them flying by at 70 m.p.h. let alone I was told while there you also have scorpions and biting giant centipedes.Helps me appreciate some of the less than perfect things about N.J., 3/4 of the state is nice looking. Get well....

John is from Santa Fe, TX...not New Mexico

I know. I just got some nice Bullsnakes from John. It's a BIG country. I meant "out there" as in out west of here.

Gotcha...but growing up near Santa Fe, TX...I had to explain to people ALL the time that I didn't live in New Mexico...or that I wasn't driving to New Mexico to a party that night. LOL
Just habit.

Simply Subocs

george got bite by some type of house sider and almost died....he was saved by a 'cocktail"of antivenin

What? Where was this? The only antivenom I am aware of for spiders in the US is for latrodectus, even then death is unlikely. Same for recluses, death is rare, mostly severe pain and swelling is noted. I think it is strange that they would give antivenom for an unknown spider bite when US spiders deaths are rare as it is.
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It's just like the story of the grasshopper and the octopus. All year long the grasshopper stored up acorns for winter, while the octopus mooched off his girlfriend and watched tv. And then the winter came, and the grasshopper died, and the octopus stole all his acorns, and he got a race car. Is any of this sinking in?

John, hope you get well soon. Two years ago, I was doing some plumbing/tilework for a guy in Decatur, Tx. While I was cutting out the molded part of the wall, had a brown recluse on my shoulder (I was wearing a tanktop) and one on my pants. Got very lucky and didn't get bit. Seen many times what those little quarter sized spiders can do. You will probably very tender there for several months.

Scott Robinson

>>Thank goodness he bit me and not one of the snakes.

Ouch! Well, it looks nasty as all hell, but I gotta admire your priorities.
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0.2 chickens (Condor & Valentine)
0.2 dog mutts (half ownership, only mine when they misbehave, Lucy & Amy)
0.1 Halflinger horse (Crissy)
0.1 Normal phase California Kingsnake (Sophia)
1.1 parents
Still searching for 1.0 WC human

Dang John! That looks painful!
Hope you get better buddy!

Randal Berry

I saw a report where a guy found over 100 recluses in an hour under a dog house, a single dog house. They are very common in the midwest and there may well be more around the snakes. Fortunatly, they keep to themselves and aren't aggressive; unfortuantly, one of the many that are likely to be there nailed you. Sorry about the bite, I hope for a speedy recovery for you. Such a bite can't be a pleasant thing!

I was bit by something unknown in my bed one night over a year ago, still have a small scar. It didn't look as bad as yours, but it looked pretty bad for a long time. May have been an ant, I recall waking up and scratching, almost felt like I scratched the bump right off, and it may have just gotten infected. I never went to a doctor though, could have been the less potent desert recluse (unlikely) or a scorpion (which we had seen around there before) or something like that.
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It's just like the story of the grasshopper and the octopus. All year long the grasshopper stored up acorns for winter, while the octopus mooched off his girlfriend and watched tv. And then the winter came, and the grasshopper died, and the octopus stole all his acorns, and he got a race car. Is any of this sinking in?