Bothriechis schlegelii - Bite.

I hoped the day would never come... but as they say - you are either in 1 of 2 groups..... so now... I have been bitten.

Although I have had almost 20 years experience keeping snakes (of which 10 of these are keeping venomous) I had never been tagged by a hot, yet I knew in the back of my mind it will happen one day.
I am not gonna say don't keep hots, and only do this or that, but rather know what affect your hobby/passion/profession has on those you care about.

Owning any hot is a huge risk not only to your own health but a risk to the people you love. The people you care about (some of you will agree) they do not really want you to be so intimate with something potentially deadly. In one split second you are happy and loving life then they are in a mad panic, worried that their life may be turned upside down as a result of an incident with your slithery friends.

Complacency is a b1tch, and it hurts!

So here is my VERY LUCKY story!!!!

Sunday 24 October late at night, doing chores for my scaly friends when it came time to examine my Eyelash Viper (who has been very unhappy and not eating for a while).
After pining and examining the mouth for signs of mucus and infection (which was clear) I decide to quickly check his lung if that was clear too.
STUPID me I thought I could just quickly check while I had him firmly gripped (instead of tubing him), this combo he really did not like and as quick as a flash he twisted in my grip with such force I thought I was going to break some bones and promptly jabbed one fang neatly under the nail of my middle finger - boiling water injected directly into your flesh! that's what it felt like! Instant pain!

I made sure the snake was back in a safe holding tank and informed my other half which did not go down well (note - when you do work with your hots make sure you are not alone!)
I packed a few things. Pressure bandaged my finger hand and arm and went to Milpark hospital.

30-45 mins after bite - The pain was now moving up my arm and there was massive intervals of throbbing every 5-8 mins in my finger and hand.

Here are some pics...

The bite site


Swelling in the finger tip


My whole hand - note the lack of swelling ontop of my hand
At this point my armpits were also tender


The next Day -Red Swollen and sore!


I could not not make a fist and the throbbing was intense with the occasional burning sensation at the bite area


Thought this may be of interest to someone - my blood test results




Well 5 days later the swelling has gone down completely, I still can not use my middle finger for anything - its also has very little touch sensation, almost dead feeling on the tip but if I bump it OMG it hurts.
Total fluids count on first 2 days - 10 litres of water and 6 energades
Countless tips to the bathroom!

That's my lesson learnt, and unfortunately a horrible event for my other half to which I will be reminded of in the future when I want to add anything to my collection.
All in all I had a very minor bite and I was very lucky!

Here is the little gem - beautiful but a world of pain if you mess with the pointy end!

Gosh.
That can not have been very plesant, neither for you or your other half.
Lucky you made it anyhow. It could have gone worse too I guess.
//Max

Brad,

Glad you are ok (well mostly).

Can you give us a little more info on the treatments given and perhaps the age and size of the offending snake, which is a beauty.

We all need to keep safe and thanks for posting your story.

Graeme

Hello Brad,

I`m happy for you becose was`t more BAD! As Graeme say will be helpfull if you can give info about treatments from hospital and after .

All the best,
Alexander

Thanks from sharing this info.
There isn't much hobbyist reports of schlegelii bites, or at least I haven't run in to many, and these sure are good for the people who are interested to start working with venomous snakes..
Some books also recommend to start with schlegelii because it's small, usually calm and not perhaps have potential venom to kill you (which isn't true imo).

EDIT:
BTW really nice looking snake you have there. Don't let it use the teeths to your finger again

Cheers
Sami

Hi Brad,
Glad everything turned out O.K., and you are on the road to recovery. I don`t think it is a good idea to put a pressure bandage on a snakebite that could potentially cause severe local swelling, I don`t know what others think?
All the best,
Brian.

Hello Brad,

you are right, our friends can teach us lessons - the hard way. Thank you for sharing this with us, giving us the opportunity to learn this lesson too - not the hard way but showing us that we always have to be aware of things like this.

Like Graeme I would be interested in some details of the treatment you got.

I´m glad you made it without major problems.

Good luck and I wish you fast and total recovery,
Rainer

Thanks everyone for the well wishes!

Brian - A pressure bandage is the only real thing you can use help help slow the venom spread, It is normal practice as far as I know - a tourniquet is a no no.

As far as the treatment is concerned I had a tetanus shot and a ringer lactate drip, to help my kidneys and plenty of fluids to help flush out the venom. You also have to make yourself pee as often as possible.

I Had quite a few pain killers (non aspirin type!)

There is antivenin but it will only be used in the most serious of cases. Non available here is RSA though!

The snake is a mature adult male and about 60cm long.

BradMiller wrote:

Thanks everyone for the well wishes!

Brian - A pressure bandage is the only real thing you can use help help slow the venom spread, It is normal practice as far as I know - a tourniquet is a no no.

As far as the treatment is concerned I had a tetanus shot and a ringer lactate drip, to help my kidneys and plenty of fluids to help flush out the venom. You also have to make yourself pee as often as possible.

I Had quite a few pain killers (non aspirin type!)

There is antivenin but it will only be used in the most serious of cases. Non available here is RSA though!

The snake is a mature adult male and about 60cm long.

Brad,

Thanks for the update. Keep us informed of any post bite changes and improvements in the finger

graeme

Hi Brad,
Thanks for an interesting thread. I think it is generally accepted that the pressure/immobilisation technique is only used on bites that cause mainly neurotoxic symptoms, bites causing severe local swelling should only be immobilised in a splint to restrict movement of the bitten limb. Anyhow, the main thing is, it turned out all right. Thanks for the update.
All the best,
Brian.

Thanks for sharing, you was very lucky

Glad the damage was minor and hope everything turns out ok.

Also I am glad that it turned out pretty ok for you. Could have been a lot worse! Good luck with the recovery!

How are you doing? Any long term damage?

hi brad,
i feel with you. after 15 years of experiences with venomous snakes, i almost lost my left middle finger because of a bite of trimeresurus stejnegri.
like you, it was my mistake as well. (F****** hurry. sorry)
At last, they cut out my first finger joint and put a part of my stomach-skin on the wound. i lost my upper fibre as well.
mysteriously, the snake died some day later, and the guys in the hospital had a lot of fun.
best for you,
thorsten

Hello everyone

My finger is allot better - no long term damage, however the bite site is still a bit tender and numb. I am sure it will come right. All the skin is now peeling off as a result of the swelling (like the effects a really bad sunburn) the new skin is very sensitive as many layers have come off. My finger is now almost back to normal size.

@ Thorsten my god that sounds hectic - was this a feeding bite?
Not to be sick or anything but do you have pics?
What treatment did you have?
How is your finger now?

Great to hear. Best of luck in the future!

Hi Brad,
a couple years ago i got a bite from a female schlegelii (aduld) too. One tooth in the ringfinger right hand,
with a nice dose of venom, in the early afternoon. The haemoglobin was about double one hour after bite. But i used VenomEx right after the handshake and the pain was almost immediately gone. (I know the discusion going on about this instrument since Mr. Birchmeier invented it back in the 70ies. But it helped me!)
I even drove with my bike to the hospital. The swelling was very little and i was ok, but sort of lazy and tired.
This time i worked as executive chef in a gourmet restaurant and could not take a day "off". So, in the
evening at about six i was back on duty, only 4 hours after bite. I felt like sh.. but was there.
Today (25 years later) i dont remember the pain, but i still do remember the feeling on the job.
The finger is 100% ok, and even the snake got no poisoning from this bite, she gave me a couple
of babys the year after;-) See the bite as a warning. It could have been another snake, with a worse venom.
I learned a lesson: Accidents do not happen, they are provoked.
Greetings
Rene