Do not waste time or take any risks trying to kill or bring in the snake. Only trap a poisonous snake if the chances are good that it will bite more people if you let it go. It is important to remember that a snake only injects part of its venom with each bite, so it can still hurt you after the first strike. And a dead snake, even one with a severed head, can bite and release venom by reflex action for up to 90 minutes after it dies.
Medicine antivenom to counteract the effects of the poison can save a limb or your life. Antivenom is given as soon as a doctor determines it is needed, usually within the first 4 hours after the snakebite. Antivenom may be effective up to 2 weeks or more after a snakebite.
If you are certain the snake or lizard was not poisonous, use home treatment measures to reduce symptoms and prevent infection. Call your doctor if any of the following occur during home treatment:.
Snakebites are more likely to occur in warm-weather months when both snakes and people are more active outdoors. Most snakebites occur on the fingers, hands, and arms when someone is working with or trying to catch a snake. The legs and feet are also common bite sites; these bites usually occur when a person especially a child or a hiker accidentally disturbs a snake.
If you are often in an area where there are poisonous snakes, consider carrying a first aid kit. Carry a cellular phone, if you have one, to call for help if you are bitten. To prepare for your appointment, see the topic Making the Most of Your Appointment. You can help your doctor diagnose and treat your condition by being prepared to answer the following questions:. Blahd Jr. Author: Healthwise Staff. Medical Review: William H. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor.
Healthwise, Incorporated, disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. Learn how we develop our content. To learn more about Healthwise, visit Healthwise. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. Updated visitor guidelines. Topic Overview Poisonous snake or lizard bite A bite from a poisonous venomous snake or lizard requires emergency care.
It is important to stay calm. Poisonous snakes or lizards found in North America include: Pit vipers family Viperidae , such as the rattlesnake , copperhead , and water moccasin also called cottonmouth.
Coral snake family Elapidae. Gila monster and Mexican beaded lizard. Poisonous snakebite Symptoms of a pit viper snakebite often appear from minutes to hours after a bite. Things that affect the severity of a poisonous snake or lizard bite include the: Type and size of the snake or lizard.
Amount of venom injected if any. Potency of the venom injected. Location and depth of the bite. Number of bites and where they occurred on the body. Age, size, and health of the person who was bitten. Nonpoisonous snake or lizard bite Most snakes and lizards in North America are not poisonous.
Check Your Symptoms Do you have a snake or lizard bite? How old are you? Less than 12 years. Are you male or female? Why do we ask this question? The medical assessment of symptoms is based on the body parts you have. If you are transgender or nonbinary, choose the sex that matches the body parts such as ovaries, testes, prostate, breasts, penis, or vagina you now have in the area where you are having symptoms.
If you have some organs of both sexes, you may need to go through this triage tool twice once as "male" and once as "female". This will make sure that the tool asks the right questions for you. Could you be having a severe allergic reaction? This is more likely if you have had a bad reaction to something in the past. Do you have symptoms of shock? The symptoms in an adult or older child are different than the symptoms in a young child. Are you having trouble breathing more than a stuffy nose?
Are you having a severe reaction to the bite? In a severe reaction, you may have sudden, severe swelling and sudden numbness and tingling. Has there been a decrease in how alert or aware you are or how well you can think and respond?
Is the bite from a snake or lizard that you know is poisonous or think may be poisonous? Is there any numbness or tingling? Is the numbness or tingling near the bite or in the mouth, tongue, scalp, or feet? Do you have numbness or tingling below the bite? Are there any hives? Hives are raised, red, itchy patches of skin. They usually have red borders and pale centers.
They may seem to move from place to place on the skin. Did the hives appear within the past 3 hours? Is there any swelling? Is there any pain? How bad is the pain on a scale of 0 to 10, if 0 is no pain and 10 is the worst pain you can imagine? Signs of pain in an adult or child are different than signs of pain in a baby or toddler. Has the pain lasted for more than 8 hours?
Is the pain getting worse? For an arm or leg wound, is the skin below the wound farther down the limb blue, pale, or cold to the touch and different from the other arm or leg?
This may mean that a major blood vessel was damaged and that blood is not reaching the rest of the arm or leg. Can you move the area below the injury normally, even though it may hurt? Are you nauseated or vomiting? Nauseated means you feel sick to your stomach, like you are going to vomit.
Are there any symptoms of infection? Are there red streaks leading away from the area or pus draining from it? Do you think you may have a fever? Do you have diabetes, a weakened immune system , peripheral arterial disease, or any surgical hardware in the area? Diabetes, immune problems, peripheral arterial disease, or surgical hardware in affected area.
Do you think that a tooth from the snake or lizard may still be in the wound? Do you think you may need a tetanus shot? Do you still have symptoms more than 24 hours after the bite? These include: Your age. Babies and older adults tend to get sicker quicker. Your overall health. If you have a condition such as diabetes, HIV, cancer, or heart disease, you may need to pay closer attention to certain symptoms and seek care sooner. Medicines you take.
Certain medicines, such as blood thinners anticoagulants , medicines that suppress the immune system like steroids or chemotherapy, herbal remedies, or supplements can cause symptoms or make them worse. Recent health events , such as surgery or injury. These kinds of events can cause symptoms afterwards or make them more serious. Your health habits and lifestyle , such as eating and exercise habits, smoking, alcohol or drug use, sexual history, and travel.
Though most are nonvenomous, there are some species that can cause serious reactions in humans. All reptiles can also transfer Salmonella through contaminated waste, scratches, and bites. Lizards are not typically aggressive, but their presence in homes and around yards can be a nuisance.
The most effective management begins with sanitation and yard maintenance. Lizards prefer hiding around properties that provide plenty of coverage, from lawn equipment and sheds to brush piles and excess debris. Eliminate the possibility of lizard bites by removing these areas of shelter.
When the reptiles persist, trust the professionals at Critter Control to safely handle even the most agile of lizards. If the photos come from urban and suburban areas, then Greg and other scientists can study them to understand why lizard populations are able to survive despite the proliferation of human development.
Once we have them, I think I will be able to write a paper about breeding behavior of these lizards entirely based on citizen science observations. It will be awesome. So if you see lizards entangled in a love bite or doing anything at all, Greg's really not that picky please take a photo and send them to rascals nhm. Your photos will help us better understand lizards in L. Breadcrumb Stories Lizard Love Bites. Lizard Love Bites Have you recently seen lizards in L. Turns out it was something else.
Here are some more pictures of alligator lizards in the mating hold. On March 19, Louise Whitaker saw these Alligator lizards and sent the photo in to our nature nhm.
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