GAZETTE-ENTERPRISE (Seguin, Texas) 03 August 07 Rains bring out snakes, risk of bites (Jessica Sanders)
Guadalupe County: Kyle Reed’s helicopter ride is becoming a distant memory.
A week after the 3-year-old was airlifted to University Hospital for a snakebite, he is back to playing in the yard with his brother and sister. Now; however, the Reed children wear rubber boots as a precaution.
“The bite was almost gone by Saturday,” said Kyle’s mother, Tammy Reed. “He’s back to being his tornado-self.”
She said Kyle and his brother were helping their father find the families cattle on July 24, when the 3-year-old was bit a gray and black snake about 150 yards from the house.
The description of the snake, given by Kyle’s 8-year-old brother Bradley, was similar to a water moccasin.
“We don’t know exactly what kind it was, but they found out it was a dry bite with no venom,” Tammy said. “We have seen water snakes near the troughs because of all the rain.”
David Veale, a biologist for Texas Parks and Wildlife, said recent rains and summer heat can lead snakes to move from their regular habitats. Generally, however, snakes prefer to avoid interaction with humans.
“When the weather is too wet or too dry, it tends to effect them,” he said. “They can get driven from their dens by water or move to different areas to find food. They also like to go under houses and other buildings where it’s cool so they can regulate their body temperature.”
According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, there are 68 varieties of snakes in Texas, but only 15 percent of these are venomous. By comparison, 80 percent of snakes found in Australia are venomous.
In Texas, venomous snakes include coral snakes and pit vipers — rattle snakes, copperheads and water moccasins.
Veale said all four kinds of venomous snakes have been spotted in Guadalupe County.
“Copperheads live mostly in wooded areas, while you find more rattlesnakes north of Interstate 10 and down toward Wilson and Atascosa Counties,” he said. “Water moccasins are usually in creek bottoms and rivers and coral snakes tend to be in more populated areas.”
Veale said the pit vipers are easily recognized by their large, triangular heads. Coral snakes have a red-on-yellow and black coloration and are considered less aggressive than pit vipers.
“Coral snakes have fixed fangs, not like the two prominent fangs you see in pit vipers,” he said. “This keeps them from delivering venom as easily, so you really have to be messing with one to get bit by a coral snake.”
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Web site estimates that two or three people are killed by snakebites each year, while as many as seven people die from insect bites and eight people are fatally struck by lightning.
In most cases, victims of venomous snakebites can be treated if they receive professional medical care within a few hours. The closer a bite to the heart, the more dangerous.
Veale said that dry bites from venomous snakes are also not unusual.
“Sometimes there will be a dry bite depending on factors like how recently the snake last ate,” he said.
However, Veale said all bites from wild animals should be treated seriously and he said receiving immediate medical attention is the best way to avoid complications in the event of any snakebite.
Jeff Hanselka, Guadalupe County extension agent in charge of natural resources and agriculture, said people call more frequently to complain about bee hives than snakes. However, it is not uncommon for area residents to bring dead snakes into the extension agency for identification.
“If you see a snake in or around a house or barn, you probably want to kill it or get someone else to kill it,” he said. “But if you can determine that it’s harmless and it’s not near people, try to leave it alone so it can control the rodent population.”
Hanselka said snakes usually prefer to be left alone and only come near people when there is food nearby.
“Keep the grass low and get rid of their food source: rats and mice usually live in brush piles, so move those away from the house,” he said. “Even if you don’t, they don’t usually strike unless they are cornered or threatened.”
Tammy said she knows that most snakes are not poisonous, but added that she wants to know how to identify different types so she can help educate her children and keep them safe.
“We were really lucky,” she said, watching Kyle play outside their home near New Berlin. “He’s my youngest and there’s no replacing him.”
Rains bring out snakes, risk of bites