Almost nobody likes snakes. And we especially dislike rattlesnakes. With good reason. The bastards will hurt you, maybe even kill you.
This topic arose recently between my pal Stew Crane and me. We got to talking about this and he suggested I scribble a little something. So here goes.
Where we live, this is the season when rattlers become active. Worse, the babies are hatching and they are mean little sonsabitches, freshly hatched and looking for trouble. They are much worse than the adults because when they bite, they always deliver the full jolt of venom. Adults do not always do that.
But wait, let’s back up.
I got onto this topic in two waves. The first wave was during my time with my kids in a Boy Scout backpacking troop. We were doing lengthy trips in the Sierras. I thought it would be good if I took a few first-aid courses. One of them involved dealing with snakebites, since California has more than its fair share of rattlers.
The second wave came later, when I was working as a reporter for the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, covering, among other beats, health and medicine. We had a couple of bites in our circulation area so I did several stories about the risk and interviewed physicians who specialized in treating snakebites. These folks worked at L.A. County/USC Medical Center, in Los Angeles, which is where snakebite patients usually were taken, so they knew their stuff. Also I talked to herpetologists at the L.A. County Zoo. I got some good information.
But wait, let's back up even further.
I was raised on a ranch in California’s Mojave Desert called Rancho Cascabel. Translation: Rattlesnake Ranch. We saw them frequently. And we killed them whenever we could. We shot them, hammered them with jack handles (stupid and dangerous, this), assaulted them with hoes and shovels, ran them over with tractors, and just generally dispatched them in any way we could with whatever tools were handy.
Scared of them? You bet your ass. A more reasoned assessment tells us that if we don’t bother them, they probably won’t bother us. But you never know.
When I was a kid, the local lore had them as deadly even when they were long past their sell-by date. One story claimed that a man died of snakebite after getting a flat tire. Supposedly he’d run over a rattler, a fang had pierced a tire, and he ran his fingers around the inside of the dismounted tire while trying to find the leak. He pricked a finger on that fang and he was history.
Nonsense, obviously. But that was the deal. You didn’t mess with them or take any chances with them.
They are complex and interesting creatures. According to what I remember about all this, rattlesnakes can have at least two kinds of venom. Most of them have venom that dissolves muscle tissue. This is because they have poor digestive systems. The venom starts breaking down the prey’s tissue even before the prey is swallowed.
It will break down the tissue in your hand or foot, if you are bitten there – sometimes, depending on the bite and how soon you get aid, nearly destroying the hand or foot. If you’re unlucky enough to get bitten in a vein, you’re in even worse trouble.
The second kind of venom is even worse. It doesn’t just break down muscle tissue. It also contains a neurotoxin, like that of a cobra, which attacks the central nervous system and is capable of paralyzing the victim.
There are a couple of kinds of pit vipers, rattlesnakes, that have this. The one that’s most common where I’m from is the Mojave green. One of these things bites you, you’re in real trouble.
What to do? The first thing is, don’t get bit. Be wary out on the trail, avoid brush where snakes might be hiding, and most importantly, do not, ever, put a foot or a hand someplace where you can’t see, someplace you're not sure is safe. Never ever reach up to a rock ledge that’s above eye level. You never know who might be hiding there. And yes, people have been bit on the face and head doing exactly this.
Oh, you’ve found one coiled up on a trail? Or you can't see the snake but you can hear the telltale buzz of its rattle? Give it a wide berth. Whatever you do, do not tease it. When coiled, they can strike out to about a third of their total length. Some of them get to lengths of five feet and more so their potential reach is prodigious.
What to do if you do get bit? Over the years we’ve been advised to cut an “X” over each bite mark and then try to suck the venom out of the wound. We used to carry little kits that did just that. That no longer is advised, as far as I know.
Then we were told to tie a light restriction around the affected limb above the bite – not to stop blood circulation, but to slow it. I think that now also is not recommended.
These days, what you’re supposed to do is get the hell away from the snake, remember its marking and coloration, then get to a hospital, fast! But first, remove shoes, jewelry, etc. That’s because the affected area is going to swell something awful. Also, and this is important, keep the bite location at or below the level of your heart. And no caffeine or alcohol – they will just make things worse.
But don’t take my word for any of this, please! This piece is intended to be informational, not authoritative. I am not giving medical advice here. For good information about snakebite, please do go here:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/first-aid/first-aid-snake-bites/basics/art-20056681
Bottom line? Mostly, rattlers – snattlerakes, buzz worms, and all they other names they’ve accumulated, aren’t interested in humans. They are mostly interested in small rodents. Leave them alone, chances are they’ll leave you alone. Annoy them or threaten them, however, and you risk putting yourself in a world of hurt.
Now I’m going to go open a beer to try to shake off the willies writing this has given me, and hope that I don’t have nightmares about this tonight. Yep, I’m still that scared of the damned things.
-JFT