All we have around here are Garter Snakes. One time I was cutting my lawn and needed to dispose of some small pieces of brush, so I went over to the upper terraced road that ran through the mobile home park my parents owned and I ran. Someone had emptied a grass catcher from a lawn mower over the small hill by the road so I went over there to get rid of the branches. As I looked down, I saw a two foot Garter Snake sunning itself in the de-composing grass clippings. I’m not afraid of snakes and catch and observe them whenever I can. So I reached down and captured the snake in my dominant right hand and looked at it. It was about 2 ft. long, and as I looked at it, I noticed another snake almost in the same spot as the first one. Cool! I thought to myself as I bent down and captured it with my left hand. Even cooler now! As I looked at both snakes in my hands I started to play with them before I let them go safely. I started to butt their heads together playfully while I enjoyed the moment for myself. As I butted their heads together one last time, the snake in my right hand bit my left thumb, while my left hand snake bit my right thumb. Suddenly, I had 4 feet of snakes clamped down on my thumbs while I tried to shake them loose. Finally, one released it’s grip, and the other dropped out of my grasp. I truly wish someone would’ve been there to record my snake-man moment.
My dog got bit by a copperhead this summer right on the nose. Of course I panicked and rushed him to the vet. He was definitely a SICK puppy! for most of the day. I found out that the venom from a copperhead doesn’t generally kill a dog but the salmonella from a bite can. That is also true for a dog even if they get bit by a black snake. The vet said a snakes mouth is loaded with salmonella. Best to get them some antibiotics to be on the safe side.
That’s quite a story. Here in west Michigan we have many kinds of snakes. When we had dairy goats and would pile up the wasted straw from their bedding, the vey large garter snakes around here sunned themselves and also dug into the pile. I imagine as it composted it provided extra warmth.
That was a different and far funnier story than I expected. I was thinking the second snake you grabbed was going to be far less pleasant than a garter snake.
ICK! You just described my worst nightmare!
ROFLMAO!!!
Good story..
I was about 12 years old when our Boy Scout troop was out camping for the weekend and our scoutmaster decided to take us to the church that hosted our troop. We went straight from camping to church and sat in the front row, right in front of the choir.
I had a per garter snake in my pocket and when I reached in to find it, it bit my finger. As I pulled out my hand, the snake was dangling from my finger. Boy did that ever cause a ruckus in the church choir!!!
Another time I had a huge water snake in a one gallon glass jar and I took it to school. I reached in to grab the snakes head and it wrapped its body around my arm making it that I could not pull my hand back through the mouth of the gallon jar. Knowing that water snakes are real nasty and bite quick, it was a stand off. I wouldn’t let go of the snakes head and it would not unwrap from my arm.
After about 15 minutes I very slowly relaxed my grip, the snake relaxed its grip on my arm and I was able to gently pull my hand out of the jar without it nailing me.
I’ve been bitten often. You just have to pull their teeth from your skin afterwards, kind of like pulling out big briers. Occasionally a big snake would draw blood, but not much.
The funniest one was when a friend of mine ran into our outhouse to take a dump. He sat down on the crapper and there coiled up beside him was a big black snake. He ran out across the yard with his pants around his ankles!!! Was funny. Too bad I didn’t have a camera.
My wife stepped on a copper head as they often laid on our cement carport floor for the warmth at night. She didn’t see it and when she stepped on it, the snake came up and nailed her in the ankle.... she had flip flops on..
The darn anti-venom shot was $25,000. But it saved her life as the venom had already traveled up her leg by the time she got to the hospital.