Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm sure most of you know of the purple puncture proof gloves used around medical wastes and needles and such. It's pretty obvious where I'm going with this, but what is the likelyhood that said gloves would prevent envenomation from small snakes and small-fanged snakes, such as the Texas Coral Snake, and small Copperheads and Cottonmouths, all of which I frequently encounter in the woods around Houston?

And I know, I know... The safest thing to do is to leave them be, but I prefer to take them out of neighborhoods and sub-divisions and apartment complexes, feed them one or two good meals, and then set them on their way in a less habitated area.
-----
~Venom~

Hybrid Breeders Association

Get TWO 40" snake hooks and a proper container and you should have no excuse to get your hands anywhere near the snake.

IMHO, if you're looking for gloves for this kind of work, you're thinking about it all wrong...

(A good pair of leather boots would be much more important.)
-----
What goes up must come down...unless it exceeds escape velocity.

There is a difference. As others have noted, I would not rely on them to work. Some people wear gloves while working with venomous snakes, many prefer not to. When wearing a glove you lose quite a bit of feel and I find it to be more of a hindrance than a help.

This question gets asked from time to time and the usual problems with dextarity are adressed. I saw a post by Dr. Bryan Fry where he added another twist. He said most of those puncture proof gloves are designed to protect the palm and underside of your fingers. The top of the gloves are not designed to protect as well as the bottom. Most snake bite wounds are inflicted on the top of the hand and fingers. I took his criticsm to mean puncture proof gloves are not reliable for our hobby.

I agree with all of the above replies. Hooks and tongs are readily available, safer, and cheaper than the gloves. I agree gloves work well when dealing with a Coral Snake that is rapidly trying to get away. But reversing a snake bag over your hand offers adequate protection and faster bagging.

Unless a Coral Snake is contained, I do not go on Coral Snake calls since they are very quick to disappear.

Your intentions are good in regards to relocating them but usually detrimental to the snakes if taken out of their home range.

Addressing the attraction to a particular yard or home is much more effective for both the home owner and the snakes.

I.E...Rodent issues, piles of debris or yard waste, unkept yard, etc. If no attraction and they are just passing through, a snake proof fencing will do the trick.

Educating the homeowners (if possible) is the way to go. If this is a continuing problem in a neighborhood, maybe you can present a Snake Safety Class (if you are equipped to do this)to the Homeowners Association.

This is what I do for a living and it's very effective when folks can see these animals in a controlled environment associated with an educational talk.
-----
Tim Cole
www.austinherpsociety.org
www.AustinReptileExpo.com/
www.AustinReptileService.net
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<
Conservation through Education

Thanks everyone for the replies! I wanted to clarify that I do not free-handle any snakes purposely, and that I have a 48" snake tong and a 24" thick snake hook that I use to capture the snakes of interest that I find. The gloves are more of a secondary measure of security in those situations where perhaps a snake is halfway into a blackberry bush or is too small and fast to be quickly bagged, not to mention that on smaller snakes, especially the Texas Coral Snakes as thin as they are, the tongs are not the most gentle means of collection...

And as for the homeowners, I mostly herp in those heavily-wooded areas around the newer developments on the NW side of Houston. The last copperhead I caught was only 20yards from a street where several small children ride their bikes and play. I only explain what I'm doing when someone approaches me because most people here would rather kill a snake than see it moved...
-----
~Venom~

Hybrid Breeders Association