12 Things I Learned After Being Bitten By A Rattlesnake

Baby Northern Pacific Rattlesnake

While in the hospital recovering from my bite, I did a lot of snake thinking and learning. 

I became freakishly drawn to snakes. I read about them. I watched TV shows about them. I spent hours lying in bed with my laptop perusing the Internet for snake facts. I spoke to other snakebite victims. I spoke to snake experts. I spoke to snake bite experts. It was almost as if I was becoming a snake.

When I thought of swallowing mice whole, my mouth would start to water. 

And although my life hasn’t changed much, I still hike the same trails and do all the same things—maybe with a little more caution.

What has changed is that I know a heck of a lot more about snakes, what happens when you’re bit by one, and what to do when you’re bit by one, than I did a year ago.

One of the first things I learned was that rattlesnakes don’t necessarily rattle before they bite you. Their first line of defense is to blend in with their surroundings. Many people who are bitten either step on a snake, like I did, or the accidentally put their hand on a snake. 

It usually takes a serious threat to cause them to rattle—like a giant size 9½ running shoe crushing down on them. 

Here are some things I learned that you should know:

Baby rattlesnake heading home. 

1. Rattlesnakes rattle when they are scared: It is a warning, not an act of aggression. The snake that bit me did not rattle first—I stepped on it first. It bit me, then it rattled.

2. Rattlesnakes will not attack you. They are very shy and reclusive. They will only strike as a last resort. Given the chance, they move away from you every time.

3. Rattlesnakes are found only in North America, Central America, and South America. They’re found in 46 states, but not in Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii or Maine. 

In our area, the rattlesnake is the only type of venomous snake that can actually harm you. And we have only one type of rattlesnake here: the Northern Pacific Rattlesnake. 

So, if you are bitten in the Bay Area, there is no need to kill, handle, or identify the snake. Our snake, the Northern Pacific, is sort of  middle-of-the-road as far as venom toxicity goes. However, they are known for releasing a lot of venom when they do bite.

I know this first hand. Actually, first leg.

4. The snake with the most toxic venom in the US is the Mojave green rattlesnake. This one is found in Southern California, not around here—thank goodness. 

5. Some rattlesnakes give “dry bites,” which means that sometimes they don’t inject any venom. Approximately one third of all rattlesnake bites are dry bites. They may just give you a warning bite.

If that happens, you are considerably luckier than me.

6. Never pick up a rattlesnake. Some people think that if they grab a rattlesnake just behind it’s head and it can’t bite. These people are oh so wrong.

I watched a film of a rattlesnake being held just behind its head. This snake stretched out its neck, turned its head 180 degrees, and bit the person holding it. This happened so fast it had to be viewed in slow motion.

No touchy the snakey.

7. Rattlesnakes are a very important part of our ecosystem. They help keep down the rodent population, and in turn, they’re a food source for raptors such as hawks. 

8. Never, ever mess with a rattlesnake. If you find one on your property, call Animal Control. There are also people called snake wranglers. They will drive out to your property and pick up a pesky snake. Snake wranglers will actually look for snakes and remove them for you, as a preemptive step to clearing your property. 

9. Rattlesnakes are most active April through October. They are, of course, cold blood so they can move around better when it’s warm.

They don’t like really hot weather. They can easily die if they overheat. During heat waves, they seek shelter from the heat. During these times, they’ve been known to slip inside people’s houses. I know two people who were bitten this way. 

10. Rattlesnakes are pit vipers. They hunt by sensing heat and using their tongues to smell. They hunt mostly in the evening and at night. Adult rattlesnakes eat mostly rodents, which are, of course, warm-blooded. Snakes can sense the heat of prey better when the air around them is cool. 

11. Rattlesnakes shed their skins 2-4 times a year. Every time they shed they gain a new segment on their rattle. When the rattle gets old and brittle it can break off—just like a fingernail.

So you cannot always tell how old a rattlesnake is by how many segments it has on its tail. 

12. During the winter, rattlesnakes hibernate, usually in groups. Sometimes these groups have been found to number in the hundreds. Around here the winters are cold enough so rattlesnakes do hibernate, but in areas like San Diego, you can find them moving about all year ‘round.

Next up, the answer to the controversial question: Which is more dangerous a baby rattlesnake or an adult rattlesnake?

 

Comments

[Jacqueline]

Especially interesting that rattlesnakes will seek out cool places in the heat, and that they hunt at night. Crap, I thought I was safe walking the dog at night. :(

[chigiy]

Hey J,
Well, on the bright side—they're slower when it's cooler. Watch your step.

[Ren]

The snake Pictured on the top of this page, I saw the exact same one in the front of my house coiled up today underneath our sitting bench.........It was also a baby, but with a VERY similar pattern (no two snakes have the exact same pattern). But it was definitely the snake pictured here.

[Jen]

How long did your pain last after the bite? My husband was bit by a mojave green on Thursday .. He is lucky to be alive but is in excruciating pain still, I can not seem to find any info on how long the pain lasts ... His pain medication is not even helping

[chigiy]

Oh dear Jen, Mojave greens are the worst. Is he still in ICU? They gave me dilaudid in ICU and it did the trick. I was bit by a Northern Pacific. It's venom doesn't have as much neurotoxicity. Unfortunately the pain lasts a long time but it varies from bite to bite and person to person. Rattlesnake's venom is very complex. I'm sorry I can't give you a better answer. Good luck to your husband.

[Erika]

Jen to answer your question I was bit by a mojave green when I was 3 then again at 11 I'm now 20 and every once in a ill get shooting pains starting from where my bites where they can be random or whenever I see one may it be on tv or real life . But like chigiy said it varies for everyone hope he's better

[wendy]

Hi! I'm so glad you decided to blog about your experience. I'm doing a paper on rattlesnake bites, and would like to ask you a question: What does your leg look like now? Do you have a scar? If so, what does the scar look like?? Thanks.

[chigiy Binell]

Hi Wendy,
My leg thankfully looks completely normal. I was lucky. The only difference is if you feel around the back of my ankle where the bite was, you can feel that there is some missing muscle, but you can't see it and it doesn't affect me at all. I ran five miles this morning and I feel no difference. I had a scar for a while where the fangs entered my skin but they went away. I was actually bummed out that they went away, they were like old war wounds:)
Feel free to ask me any other questions.

[s.]

Your blog is so helpful thank you!

[chigiy Binell]

Dear Sarah,
Thank you. That is nice to hear.

[Rock]

Hi Chigiy,
Here's a picture of a juvinile Northern Pacific Rattlesnake found in the Santa Cruz mountains yesterday, similar to the one that bit you:

http://www3.picturepush.com/photo/a/13227651/img/13227651.jpg

Sorry about your pain; but thanks for the wonderful details!