are garters poisonous ??

[gazzamann]

hello i was just woundering if anyone could let me no if garters are mildly poisinous just out of curosity. i have read a part on wikipedia which says they are mildly venomous but no harm to human. can anyone confirm this ?? cheers gaz

[guidofatherof5]

http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/gene...noy-gland.html

[gregmonsta]

hello i was just woundering if anyone could let me no if garters are mildly poisinous just out of curosity.

I haven't eaten one ... but they are said to accumulate toxins in their liver from toxic newts and other amphibians.

i have read a part on wikipedia which says they are mildly venomous but no harm to human. can anyone confirm this ?? cheers gaz

They are and reactions vary. For the majority it isn't an issue but some have worse effects than others. As a general rule though - there's nothing to worry about.

[gazzamann]

cheers gregmonsta and steve i found tht article very intresting cheers

[gregmonsta]

Some more 'light' reading -

http://www.llu.edu/pages/faculty/wha...rter_snake.pdf

http://www.unco.edu/nhs/biology/facu...20Mackessy.pdf

http://www.wms.org/magazine/264.pdf

[kibakiba]

I'm pretty sensitive to their venom, but it seems most people get by with just a little bit of itchiness and redness. My hand swells up and feels numb with little needle like feelings. I haven't heard of anyone else getting that reaction, though. My body is pretty stupid

[wolfpacksved]

Never had any issues w/ garter or Nerodia bites. The saliva is supposed to contain toxic properties. Venom research has a long way to go. Only recently did they figure out that Komodo dragon and other monitors have a toxic saliva and not simply a bacteria infested mouth as the belief was for eons. An interesting topic for sure.

[Didymus20X6]

As one person alluded, there is a distinction between "poisonous" and "venomous". Something that is poisonous is something that can affect you through consumption (you eat it) or through handling (you touch it and the poison seeps into your skin - certain amphibians are dangerous this way). But something venomous is dangerous if it bites you. Poison is primarily a defensive toxin, whereas venom is mostly modified digestive juice.

[guidofatherof5]

I've been bitten a couple hundred times by garters.
Twice I've had a mild reaction. Both times I was bitten in thin skin areas(between fingers).
Itching, redness and minor swelling for about 15 minutes.

[Didymus20X6]

But if you're worried about bites, you can always get yourself a nice thick set of PVC gloves. They're about $8 at the hardware store, and have quite a variety of uses. Mine, I can stick my hand in boiling water and barely feel anything.

I was glad I had them once. I was feeding Little Dude some fish - back before I got my forceps - and she mistook one of my fingers for a piece of fish. And she didn't let go! But I was wearing some PVC gloves at the time, and didn't feel a thing.