Quote Originally Posted by ConcinnusMan View Post
I was once curious about ringnecks (Diadophis punctatus) toxicity too. During a particularly wet year (spring and early summer) in San Diego, they could be found in great numbers under leaves and other natural debris, on lightly forested hillsides. None of them exceeded 6 inches in length and were slow to bite. However, if severely provoked (asking to get bit) they would grab ahold and chew. I purposely allowed them to break the skin if they could. Twice I achieved that. Broken skin, and saliva on and in the wound. Still, no reaction at all and yet I keep hearing about ringnecks having enlarged rear teeth and mildly toxic saliva. Never had a reaction to anything but a garter, gopher, or king. All were defensive bites, all were wild-caught.

EDIT: with the exception of a few enormous Southern alligator lizards. they can be viscous. bites are always painful due to their vice grip, but sometimes, I'd get a histamine reaction from them too.
I've been wondering about Diadophis venom for a while too. I caught over 50 this spring up to 16 inches or so and one HUGE adult that measured 26 inches (the largest recorded D. p. amibilis I believe is 30 inches) that I tried persistently to get it to bite. It wouldn't and I didn't want to keep that old of a snake in case I stressed it out or anything, but I did let a 12 inch female chew on the spot between my thumb and index finger for a few, but even that snake, in that spot, was too small to get its rear 'fangs' into my hand.