Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have not taken many PICs recently but here are just a couple.
This first one is a Southern Copperhead I caught in my back yard last week. I saw another one walking the dog in the woods behind the house this morning. I love these snakes but the dog has been bitten three times by them in the yard so I relocate them way back in the woods when I catch them nearby. I also caught an Eastern Gartersnake in the yard yesterday.

These next two PICs are of one of my 2005 Craig McSherry produced Peruvian Rainbows, Epicrates cenchria gaigei. She ate a couple days ago and so looks fat in this PIC. She has the typical gaigei wide and extra dark markings.

This next one is one of my 2004 male Brazilian Rainbows.

peruvian pic Jeff especially those thick markings on the head I love that. That copperhead-did it have a nasty attitude or what and since the venom isn't as bad as some other copperheads the dog made it huh? Just like animals so I was wondering but I bet the dog didn't feel to good after though. Nice brazilian too btw I like that light color cuz it is very different to look at and a great change of pace.
Bob

p.s. Where is the youtube video of that beautiful blue Corvette doing a nasty a$$ burnout? Then you can wash it again to clean the rubber from the fenders and wheelwells lol

Jeff, or anyone else,

How serious is it if a dog gets bitten?
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Mike Lockwood
www.tooscaley.com

Mike,
...The dog is a Scottish Terrier and weighs around 30 pounds. He instinctively attacks snakes and has killed all three Copperheads that bit him and several others also. All three of his bites have been in the face and/or neck and have resulted in rapid swelling. All three bites I gave him a Benadryl 50 tablet to control the swelling right after he was bitten. For the first one of the bites we took him straight to the emergency after hours vet and they kept him overnight but did not give him antivenin. The other two bites I stayed up with him overnight to make sure his airway was okay and took him to his regular vet in the morning. All three bites the vets gave him antibiotics to prevent infection of his wounds from the bites. He had small areas of dead tissue at the bite sites. All three Copperheads that bit him were smaller ones, around 22 to 26 inches.
...I have a friend who got bitten on the hand by a larger Copperhead and had serious swelling and later necrosis at the bite site. He spent three days in the hospital with several ampules of antivenin treatments. He has a scar on his hand and some limitation in flexibility of his thumb. Copperheads are generally not considered very dangerous but bites can and sometimes do cause problems. If I have one bite me I will probably watch the bite site and not seek medical attention for it unless it swells severely or seems to be destroying tissue. At the Daytona Expo I see lots of old time reptile people who like myself hunted snakes seriously in the southeast when snakes were very plentiful here and many many of them have had hot bites. Some of them have been serious and resulted in hospital time with large bills and loss of fingers. I have had two hot bites in my life. One was from a Dusky Pygmy Rattlesnake when I was a teenager. I got bitten on the end of my middle finger and it swelled a little and was painful but not seriously so. I used the old "cut and suck" method on it and would not have sought medical treatment but my parents found out and took me to the emergency room where I was observed for a couple hours and then released. My other hot bite was from a Conophis lineatis in Honduras that bit me on the thumb. Conophis are rear fanged Colubrids. I did not identify the snake, except that it was a Colubrid until several years later. At the time I thought all New World Colubrids were harmless and did not take any evasive action to keep him from biting me as I was busy sacking up two snakes at the same time. I was hunting along roads in the late afternoons and had caught several of them and one bit me and chewed on my thumb. The bite swelled a little and was slightly painful but bled like crazy for several hours. The bite site was discolored and tender for several weeks.
...I consider myself only slightly smarter than the dog with him leading three to two in the dumb snakebite derby.
Jeff

>>Jeff, or anyone else,
>>
>>How serious is it if a dog gets bitten?
>>-----
>>Mike Lockwood
>>www.tooscaley.com

Sounds like you and the dog were meant for each other. I think I'd be terrified if my dog were ever to be bitten by a snake. I've heard to use Benadryl from someone else as well. Glad you're both O.K. Be careful out there!
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Mike Lockwood
www.tooscaley.com

That is a nice looking BRB, love the thick bold crescents.

That Copperhead is gorgeous, love the markings. Thanks for the pics!!
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
20.28 BRB
14.18 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Dave,
..Here in the Savannah area we have some of the prettiest Southern Copperheads I have seen. In some parts of the large range of the Northern Copperhead they are pretty but in many areas they are darker with less distinct markings. The Rio Grande Copperhead is supposed to be the prettiest of the Copperheads but I have never caught one. The ones I have seen in captivity were not so healthy looking and so not very pretty.
Jeff

>>That is a nice looking BRB, love the thick bold crescents.
>>
>>That Copperhead is gorgeous, love the markings. Thanks for the pics!!
>>-----
>>Thanks,
>>
>>Dave Colling
>>
>>www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com
>>
>>0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
>>0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)
>>
>>LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
>>20.28 BRB
>>14.18 BCI
>>And those are only the breeders
>>
>>lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Jeff,
That is a beautiful Copperhead. I've never seen one in the wild. I've often heard that they are hesitant to bite unless really harrassed. If I was to ever keep a hot it would probably be one of those.
Your 2004 BRB is a great specimen.
Paul

Paul,
...I don't really seriously want to mess with or keep any hot snakes but everytime I catch one of the Copperheads I think that they would be the one species I might want to keep and breed.
Jeff

>>Jeff,
>>That is a beautiful Copperhead. I've never seen one in the wild. I've often heard that they are hesitant to bite unless really harrassed. If I was to ever keep a hot it would probably be one of those.
>>Your 2004 BRB is a great specimen.
>>Paul

I am not certain of the ability to return to their "home range" of this species (scarce info). I would imagine you would have to move them a certain distance so they cannot find their way back. I have read a lot of data on turtles and salamanders being purposely displaced and many remarkably return to their home ranges (where they where originally collected), these distances are usually less than 30 meters and up to several kilometers. Most studies of snakes reveal they usually do not return to place of capture, but data is insufficient, plus the areas they where released where abundant with preferred prey types and therefore the snakes had no need to home. Which leads some herpetologists to believe if sufficient food is available homing is not necessary , but yet they (snakes) are believed to have the ability to do so if food is scarce, I do know that crotalids that den obviously have homing abilities and winter and summer home ranges, plus copperheads and black rat snakes tend to den with the timbers in New Jersey. Have you ever thought one of the copperheads you displaced, returned to the area???
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Thanks,

Frank Roberts
Roberts' Realm Of Reptile Research