garter bites

[Pinky]

Ever since a very large garter bit me, when i was around 11-12yrs,i have been not really affraid(me big manly man) but very leary of getting bit. Now every time mr. pink goes to lunge at me i pull away!!!i don't want him to realize that's all he has to do.so i guesse what i want to know is...how bad does it really hurt(don't remember)and how long are there teeth on average?he does have a pretty small head!!!:rolleyes:

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t39/buggyboy80/728e0d98.jpg

[Elliot]

It doesn't hurt at all, just a slight pressure, and you don't need to worry about the teeth. They can just barely grab hold of you, they don't come close to getting through your skin unless it's a bigger snake.

[Pinky]

well i'm a little bit settled...gonna wait for a few more posts to help build my courage!LOL thanx Elliot!!!!

[GarterGuy]

Ummm....dont' know if my post will help you out at all or not. If your garter is larger then say 1.5ft. then it'll probably break the skin. My little T.s.concinnus that I have has already broken the skin and she's only a little longer then a foot. Thing you have to remember is that you don't want to jerk away. Snakes have thin, long teeth that are designed to just grap a hold of and grip their prey while the swallow them. If you jerk away, something that might have just been a few pin pricks will turn into small lacerations. Also you may end up pulling teeth out and will have to remove them from the wound and my injure you snake. Over all in the scheme of things...a snake bite from a small snake like a garter is really nothing. I've been bitten over 200 times by various species and sizes of snakes, and while some of the larger pythons and such were rather painful......I've definitely had A LOT worse. You really have nothing to seriously worry about from you garter.:D

Roy

[adamanteus]

I agree with Roy there. It's important not to jerk your hand away if you're bitten....for the snake's sake.

[Sputnik]

When Zulu bit me, it was just like the tiniest little pinpricks. It didn't hurt at all, though she managed to draw a little drop of blood and it was a bit itchy for a few seconds. I wouldn't want to get bitten again, purely because I'd be concerned that I might injure the snake. It's a reflex to pull away if something lunges at you, but I think it's more of a concern the first time as you are totally unprepared for it.

[Pinky]

i know i wouldn't pull away, i'd be good that way...I just have to work on not being so anxious when he does thrash at me!:)he is just over 2ft. long but has a small head so i kinda figured his teeth won't be too long!thanx you guys this really helps me to be prepared if he does bite!!!LOL

[adamanteus]

Marc, you could try wearing rubber gloves, as discussed in this thread.......

http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/general-talk/1364-aggressive-snake-hmm.html

[Pinky]

I'd rather just take one on the hand...I just needed to calm my nervs a bit!lol I used to have a Blue Crowned Conure (Parrot) and she had no problems drawing blood when she was mad and i never worried about it!!snakes and snake bites just have a bad rep. i guesse!!!lol thanx againg for all your help, it has reasured me, i'm sure i'll be fine if he does land a bite;)

[Josh]

For me it never hurt rather ten surprise ya idk thats how i can descibe it.

[garterking]

I have never been really hurt by a garter snake bite. Two small pin pricks with very little blood is the worst I have ever gotten. Mosquito bites are worse in my opinion. Becouse of the garters speed, if they lunge they will hit their target. It's the suprise or shock that is the worst part. Be brave

[drache]

critters I've gotten bitten by, that were worse than garters:
mosquito
dog
dog fleas
hamster
gerbil
horse
bearded dragon
cat
king snake
I think that covers it
the one that hurt the most was where the cat sunk his teeth through my thumbnail in two places and I turned beet red all over and needed an
epinephrine shot

[Pinky]

aww, that sounds like a nasty bite!!!lol

[Stefan-A]

When Zulu bit me, it was just like the tiniest little pinpricks. It didn't hurt at all, though she managed to draw a little drop of blood and it was a bit itchy for a few seconds.

Reading this, I'm starting to think my snake might actually have bit me once without me noticing it. :D I mentioned once before that it did strike with its mouth closed, but I felt itching afterwards. Thought it was just my imagination. Didn't see any blood, didn't feel more than a slight bump, wasn't really paying attention. :D

[Elliot]

The only time I ever get bit is when Stanely gets a little over-enthusiatic when I hand feed him some fish. He doesn't ever clamp down though.

[Lee]

Never been bitten, they can usually tame down without ever getting bit ;*)

[flakgunner]

hey,
Not much to worry about.I've been bitten so many times,main thing to remember,not to pull back or pull the snake off,just let him hang on ,he'll release,their curved teeth will do more damage ,if you panic.In the wild,I'll grab,period,and if they turn and bite,thats okay,I've gottem,and it ain't going anywhere.Gartersnakes,just a little pinprick,my youngest girl,Autumn(10),caught a Western Plains,lashed out,gave her a kiss on the cheek,1/2 dozen little tooth marks,just made sure that no teeth,where in the skin.Now if we where talking ,something bigger,like a 6' Bullsnake,in Arizona,YEOW!!I grabbed one mid section :eek: latched on to my elbow,and walked it's jaws all the way down to my wrist.Came across a 5' Black Ratsnake in S.Illinois ,sitting in a tree about fifteen feet up,I climbed up,I grabbed him,he grabbed me,and we came down that way.I've been catching snakes since the early 70's , it's been my experience that Watersnakes have been the meanest and inflict the most pain .

Joe

[Pinky]

WOW!!!that's funny you should mention water snakes...I have caught and released a few this year and dispite all the horror stories , they were relativly calm!one did however musk me which i wasn't too pleased about!LOL!I am definatly over the "fear factor" i think...it wasn't a real issue at first because he was calm until he got used to his viv.no bites yet just the odd 2 second hissy fit and then all is well:)i took him outside in the sun/shade (if he wanted it) for a couple hours each day this weekend!!!love the great stories...some one should start a snake bite sories thread
!LOL

[Lee]

I've never been bitten... Although ' pin pricks ' are not my cup of tea, I'm deathly afraid of needles..

[Josh]

i got bit today didnt hurt left a couple teeth mark though

[Dianemike1997]

Snakie bit me a few timess,and it drew small drops of blood. (Snakie is about 8 inches in size.) It itched a little after he bit me. From what I have read online,the itching is cause by a reaction to the Garter's saliva. Not all people have the itchy reaction though.

[Lee]

Actually I've had an interesting read lately... I've been told that hognose/neordia/garters all have some basic venom, however they lack a delivery system, instead it just trickles down into the wound which isn't very effective and it isn't bad for humans... I'm not 100% sure this is true, but there where articles and studies on it aswell I can try and find.

[Stefan-A]

Actually I've had an interesting read lately... I've been told that hognose/neordia/garters all have some basic venom, however they lack a delivery system, instead it just trickles down into the wound which isn't very effective and it isn't bad for humans... I'm not 100% sure this is true, but there where articles and studies on it aswell I can try and find.
Downloaded a number of PDFs on the subject of venom in "non-venomous" colubrids last winter. :)

[Pinky]

Actually I've had an interesting read lately... I've been told that hognose/neordia/garters all have some basic venom, however they lack a delivery system, instead it just trickles down into the wound which isn't very effective and it isn't bad for humans... I'm not 100% sure this is true, but there where articles and studies on it aswell I can try and find.

That's kinda freaky!!!Let's hope they never find their delivery system.LOL

[Pinky]

I did a little research and found this article...

Grenard cites a case from 1985 in which a 13-year-old received a “prolonged” bite from an eastern garter snake. The child had swelling, bruising of the skin, and coolness (temperature, not social status!) and was hospitalized. Lab values were normal and the child recovered without problems. Evidently this same child was subsequently bitten by garter snakes without symptoms, showing that the original symptoms were not the result of an allergic reaction but apparently the result of mild venom. (The fact that this child continued to be bitten by garter snakes also demonstrates that he must have been a dedicated garter-lover!)

[Josh]

wow that is surprising

[drache]

it's the prolonged exposure that causes the reaction
I read a report on a man who let a hognose chew on his ankle for several minutes (he thought it was cute and it didn't hurt) and had a big reaction
he ended up in the hospital for over a week and they were barely able to save his leg
there may not be much of a delivery system . . .

[Pinky]

I wish there was more info on garter snake invenomation...it's very interesting!!!:)

[KITKAT]

I actually hope the subject escapes serious investigation by scientists. All we need is for lawmakers to decide our snakes are rear fanged and therefore dangerous!:(

[Stefan-A]

I actually hope the subject escapes serious investigation by scientists. All we need is for lawmakers to decide our snakes are rear fanged and therefore dangerous!:(
I hope somebody comes up with a new category that includes only dangerously venomous snakes. Because there's no chance in hell that lawmakers would abolish an irrational law.

[KITKAT]

... there's no chance in hell that lawmakers would abolish an irrational law.

I see that you share my appreciation and trust in lawmakers!:eek: :D :rolleyes:

[Thamnophis]

If you take a look at this page you can see how "big" the teeth are... :)

Digimorph - Thamnophis marcianus (checkered garter snake) (http://www.digimorph.org/specimens/Thamnophis_marcianus/)

[Stefan-A]

Not incredibly big, but they are the only teeth that are clearly visible when my snakes feed. :)