# Miscellaneous Herp Interests > Venomous Animals >  Friend got bitten by Albino WD Rattler *graphic picture warning*

## satomi325

My friend owns a Reptile store and got bitten by the resident Albino Western Diamondback Rattlesnake over a week ago.
My friend is highly experienced, but even accidents can happen to the most experienced.

He went through around 18 units of antivenin before the hospital released him. He's expected to make a full recovery without any loss of limb.

1:00pm - 2 Hours after the bite:


9:50pm:



11:00pm:


It popped after 14 units of Crofab Antivenin:


12 days after the bite, today: 



And the little happy ray of sunshine:

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MSG-KB (07-23-2012),TheWoot (07-26-2012)

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## Andrew21

Gross. Lol

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## Mike41793

I always find it fascinating how the wound gets alot worse for awhile before it even looks like its starting to heal. Like 12 days after you cut yourself the wound will look much better. 12 days after the snake bite it looks 10x worse than it first did lol. 
Thanks for sharing, glad to see he'll be ok. Yet another reason why i plan on never owning a deadly hot...

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## satomi325

> Gross. Lol


Yup. I knew it was gonna be nasty, but it still didn't prepare me for what the finger actually looked like... lol




> I always find it fascinating how the wound gets alot worse for awhile before it even looks like its starting to heal. Like 12 days after you cut yourself the wound will look much better. 12 days after the snake bite it looks 10x worse than it first did lol. 
> Thanks for sharing, glad to see he'll be ok. Yet another reason why i plan on never owning a deadly hot...


I agree. 
And I can't trust myself with a hot. I feel like if I owned one, I would be in the hospital constantly.... >_<

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## wolfy-hound

Thanks for posting the pictures.  They are pretty nasty... but it's important to remind folks about what a rattler bite can do.

And the rattler looks like he's all "Yeah? And I'd bite him again!" all pretty... lol.

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_satomi325_ (04-29-2012)

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## angllady2

Thanks for posting this.  I am glad your friend will get better, but people need graphic proof that hot's are not status animals, and even someone with years of experience can reap the repercussions of owning one.

It only takes a second for disaster to happen.

Gale

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_satomi325_ (04-29-2012)

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## JaGv

nice looking snake. hope you friend heals up

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## Otolith

Gnarls, 2nd and 3rd pic look like a bad prosthetic its so blue. 

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## satomi325

Yes. These beautiful snakes are not to be underestimated. It only takes one wrong move to land you in the hospital.

I only hope that people wanting a hot look at these pictures before they make their final descision. It's a huge responsibility.

Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk 2

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## Jazi

Aaaand that's why I don't want a hot. Thank you for reaffirming that in my brain.  :Razz: 

In all seriousness, glad your friend's alright and I hope he recovers well. That rattler looks like it wants to take another swing at him already!

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## 4Ballz

damn, straight up.

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## Soterios

> Aaaand that's why I don't want a hot. Thank you for reaffirming that in my brain. 
> 
> In all seriousness, glad your friend's alright and I hope he recovers well. That rattler looks like it wants to take another swing at him already!


This. 

Scary stuff.

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## Foschi Exotic Serpents

Wow. That is intense. The only "hot" I actually want and plan to get if the law is amended in my state (it's looking good so far) to make it legal with a permit is a Gila. No venomous snakes for me though. I think they are beautiful but I wouldn't risk it. 


<---Signature--->
Snakes, Jeeps, Dragons, Nature, & Knives.. Makes my world go-round!

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_Mike41793_ (04-29-2012)

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## reptileexperts

It's always good for people to see the reality of owning hots, but people also need to see the beauty and not just the disasters. Remember, experienced or not, EVERY bite is preventable with proper tools and care. It takes one slip up to end in the hospital, yes, but even so it was a slip up. 

Having said that, I'd still own hots again if my collection swung back in that direction. It's a thrill to see their beauty up close, and owning them is far more surpassing than owning any colubrid in my mind. Rattlesnakes can be tempermental, and are not a good choice for anyone just starting out and considering a hot, but I highly reccommend a good captive born Copperhead. These guys are attractive, even tempered, and a lot more forgiving when you do make a mistake (most keepers would simply seek out benadryl for a bite rather than face the hopsital bill, unless the reaction becomes life threatening). 

Again, I am not advocating the keeping of hots by ANYONE looking to own a "cool" snake (these are the people who usually end up bit) but I am advocating the beauty in owning them is still there, even with these risk present. Especially when you know the outcome of the faults!

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_Denial_ (05-08-2012),_shelliebear_ (05-04-2012)

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## shelliebear

I would own a hot, many, many years down the road. Their beauty is unrivaled and I think it's a fantastic chance to see how venomous snakes function and hunt versus my constrictors. They have very different ways of surviving. 
But, I would never just go and buy one. I'll not only do the research before ever considering one, but I'll get some hands on experience as well from experienced keepers.
Any snake bite is preventable. You have to learn to read the snakes. A ball python bite is, in reality, as big a deal as a venomous bite--because something was done wrong. But people forget and even celebrate BP bites because they have no serious effects. 
It's still an indication that something was done wrong and we should learn from it.
I think yes, there's a lot of important things to consider while keeping a hot, including the risk of a bite. But there's much to gain as well.

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## babyknees

Oh wow. It's so amazing that something so beautiful can do such damage.

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_shelliebear_ (05-04-2012)

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## Zombie

I watched it unfold on facebook... 

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## DooLittle

Ouch, it's amazing what that venom does.  No thanks.  Glad your friend is going to be ok.  And agreed, that snakes still looks hacked off. :eek:

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## Rob

Amazing looking snake. But HOLY H! That bite looks painful.

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## John1982

> My friend is highly experienced, but even accidents can happen to the most experienced.


Do you think your friends experience caused him to get lax thus resulting in the tag? I think the pictures are a great reminder to people with hots or thinking of getting into them why it is they should take every possible precaution when doing their rounds. If people don't want to take the extra time to ensure safety maybe a hot isn't for them.

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_shelliebear_ (05-04-2012)

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## MidSouthMorphs

> Yes. These beautiful snakes are not to be underestimated. It only takes one wrong move to land you in the hospital.
> 
> I only hope that people wanting a hot look at these pictures before they make their final descision. It's a huge responsibility.
> 
> Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk 2


I 2nd that, took the words right out of my mouth.

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## satomi325

> Do you think your friends experience caused him to get lax thus resulting in the tag? I think the pictures are a great reminder to people with hots or thinking of getting into them why it is they should take every possible precaution when doing their rounds. If people don't want to take the extra time to ensure safety maybe a hot isn't for them.


I don't think so. He takes his animals very seriously. What happened was a miscalculated move on his part. 
And I agree with you wholeheartedly.

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## dart

I would love to own a Monocled Cobra, but I have a baby girl and this is the exact reason why I will probably never own one. No matter how experienced you are, accidents happen. I think it's unfair to own a hot and then tell my daughter that I never want her owning one. I'm not really afraid of being put in the hospital for my screw up, but I don't want her to.

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## Skittles1101

That's crazy! Thanks for sharing, glad to see he's going to make a full recovery.

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## Freakie_frog

Holy crap my finger is sore now....

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## decensored

That's incredible! I've never seen anything like that.  That's pretty gross.  Very interesting to see, but I don't wish that on anyone.  Hope your buddy is feeling better

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## Denial

> I would love to own a Monocled Cobra, but I have a baby girl and this is the exact reason why I will probably never own one. No matter how experienced you are, accidents happen. I think it's unfair to own a hot and then tell my daughter that I never want her owning one. I'm not really afraid of being put in the hospital for my screw up, but I don't want her to.


we own monocles and I just had a daughter shes two weeks old now and if she grew up and knew how to properly handle cobras I would be one of the proudest parents out there. Accidents can happen but they dont always happen. Keeping venomous really is no different then keeping nonvenomous as long as you have common sense and a healthy respect of the animal. When you take shortcuts or push your limits so to speak the animal will then put you back in line.

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## satomi325

I just wanted to update some photos and a few skin graphs later.

Disclaimer: VERY GRAPHIC AND NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART!

*WARNING*.....

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May 1: 




A few weeks ago:




Yesterday (June 10):

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_BallsUnlimited_ (06-12-2012),TheWoot (07-26-2012)

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## tcutting

wow, thats nasty.  whats the top of his hand look like which was shown in the pics from may 1st?

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## Slim

:Surprised:  That has_ got_ to be painful!

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## Robyn@SYR

Holy kerpow, that's crazy. Best of luck for full recovery, you want to be able to point out the risks to others.

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## Cendalla

My whole hand hurts in sympathy. Its a good reminder for us that while beautiful they still demand respect. I'll never own hots but they have always fascinated me. Thanks for sharing his experience with us.

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## loonunit

How painful is it, actually? The tissue necrosis probably took out a lot of the nerve endings. That could hurt, or it could just involve a lot of numbness.

And what is the little snake in the back of the tank? Another albino? It almost looks pink.

I love how surly pit vipers always look. At least you can't claim false advertising.

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## AK907

> Keeping venomous really is no different then keeping nonvenomous as long as you have common sense and a healthy respect of the animal. When you take shortcuts or push your limits so to speak the animal will then put you back in line.


Agreed. I haven't kept any hots in a long time, but anyone looking to get into hots I always tell them to start off with a couple amazon tree boas or similar non venomous aggressive species and keep them for a while. Everytime they get nailed by them write it down, "This could have killed me" or "I could have lost a limb" or "Can I afford this $250,000 medical bill?".

To the OP, any updates? It has been over a month since the last update.

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_jben_ (07-23-2012),Poseidon (07-23-2012)

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## KMG

> Agreed. I haven't kept any hots in a long time, but anyone looking to get into hots I always tell them to start off with a couple amazon tree boas or similar non venomous aggressive species and keep them for a while. Everytime they get nailed by them write it down, "This could have killed me" or "I could have lost a limb" or "Can I afford this $250,000 medical bill?".
> 
> To the OP, any updates? It has been over a month since the last update.


I would be dead and broke if my GTP was hot. 

Californiakingsnake needs to see this thread.

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## cdavidson9

> Agreed. I haven't kept any hots in a long time, but anyone looking to get into hots I always tell them to start off with a couple amazon tree boas or similar non venomous aggressive species and keep them for a while. Everytime they get nailed by them write it down, "This could have killed me" or "I could have lost a limb" or "Can I afford this $250,000 medical bill?".
> 
> To the OP, any updates? It has been over a month since the last update.


I am a friend of the OPs, and was actually at the wounded soldier's reptile store a couple days ago. Looks like he had a choice to either do some ligament replacement surgery which would be very very expensive, or amputate.

Sam, the guy who was bitten drives truck for a living (18 wheeler) and was concerned that if he did the replacement surgery he wouldn't have total use and flexibility of the finger and might conflict with keeping his lisence in the future. So according to his partner who I talked to at the store it looks like they are going to probably amputate it. It will be cheaper and will he able to get back to work a bit sooner. Rehabilitation with the other option may take up to a year or more so this was their best option apparently.

Other then that she said hes doing much better and is looking forward to a, well some what now "modified" full recovery. Btw, I saw the culprit Western under his hide while there. This dude was one healthy animal. I couldn't imagine the outcome if both fangs got him. Whew.

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## AK907

> I am a friend of the OPs, and was actually at the wounded soldier's reptile store a couple days ago. Looks like he had a choice to either do some ligament replacement surgery which would be very very expensive, or amputate.
> 
> Sam, the guy who was bitten drives truck for a living (18 wheeler) and was concerned that if he did the replacement surgery he wouldn't have total use and flexibility of the finger and might conflict with keeping his lisence in the future. So according to his partner who I talked to at the store it looks like they are going to probably amputate it. It will be cheaper and will he able to get back to work a bit sooner. Rehabilitation with the other option may take up to a year or more so this was their best option apparently.
> 
> Other then that she said hes doing much better and is looking forward to a, well some what now "modified" full recovery. Btw, I saw the culprit Western under his hide while there. This dude was one healthy animal. I couldn't imagine the outcome if both fangs got him. Whew.


Dang, that really sucks. At least it was just the one finger and not his whole hand.  :Good Job:

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## Bill T

To be honest even after seeing these pictures i still would love to add a pair or venomous snakes to my collection. Only thing is i would have to have my own place and not this apt. My landlord is cool with me having ball pythons and even a burmese if i wanted but not something venomous. I dont know why but i have always loved pigme rattlers and i cant find much on any known morphs of them. i would love to get a pair of albino pigmes or something similar. i think we should have the right to own hots if we want without the government telling us what we can and cant have in our own homes. thanks for reading my spcheel.

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Johnmb (09-06-2013)

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## heathers*bps

I know this is an older thread, but has there been any update on this bite?

- - - Updated - - -

Sorry, I just saw the updates now. Nevermind  :Embarassed:

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## Skiploder

> I know this is an older thread, but has there been any update on this bite?
> 
> - - - Updated - - -
> 
> Sorry, I just saw the updates now. Nevermind


Checkout the Facebook page for GBU Enterprises.  The whole thing is pretty well outlined on their wall.

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## Jason Bowden

And that's why I'm not interested in keeping venomous snakes!!!

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_jben_ (07-23-2012)

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## satomi325

An update,



> How painful is it, actually? The tissue necrosis probably took out a lot of the nerve endings. That could hurt, or it could just involve a lot of numbness.
> 
> And what is the little snake in the back of the tank? Another albino? It almost looks pink.
> 
> I love how surly pit vipers always look. At least you can't claim false advertising.


According to my friend, it is very painful. He was on some of the strongest pain killers for weeks. The feeling is a melting feeling? But like Cdavidson said, Sam had a few options with his finger. And he just had amputation the other day and seems to be ok now. Its been a long and painful recovery. But at least its a recovery and not something worse.
And to think that all this was just a scratch and not a full on bite. Its very humbling to me and reminds me to never forget to respect such an amazing, beautiful, but dangerous animal.

Yes. The snake in the back is another albino rattler.

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## jewelz

I'm just curious here...

My grandfather has been using Westerns for hunting dog training for over 30 years, and he has been bitten about 6 times, I believe. At least those were the bites that he received venom from. And it NEVER looked like that. I have personally seen him bitten twice, and seen four of the six bites at all stages of recovery. I was just wondering if the fingers are really THAT much more sensitive to the hematoxic venom that these guys put out? This bite looks really sinister. My grandfather once got a hot bite from a 7ft wild caught female who might as well have had Lucifer himself living inside of her, and I don't recall it destroying that much tissue. 

Anyway, I hope he makes a full recovery! Beautiful snake too! =)

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## Flikky

Oh dear. HOTs may be beautiful but that's why I wouldn't get one  :Sad:

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