adder bite

[marvin]

not the most sophisticated treatment of the subject but worth a look

BBC iPlayer - Bizarre ER: Series 2: Episode 2

tim

[Wozza]

What an idiot for picking it up.

[Beekeeper]

I managed to get bitten by one a while ago, it was not my fault, i was helping an elderly friend drag a hosepipe out of the long grass ao she could water some plants, she neglected to tell me that an adder was nesting by the tap in the field, i put my foot in it---literally, strage thing was, there was no pain at all for about one hour or so, in that time as a retained fireman i was on my way to the station for drill night, by the time i arrived at the fire station my leg had started to ache, it got a lot worse over the next hour, so i sat in our rec. room feeling not very well, in fact at one time a bit faint and sick, i did last out the evening and went for a quick drink at the village pub before going home, by the morning i felt fine, no swelling, nothing at all.

BK

[wellies101]

Blimey beekeeper, you were lucky. Sometimes adders will bite, but not inject venom, but this is the exception not the rule.

[Beekeeper]

Originally Posted by wellies101

Blimey beekeeper, you were lucky. Sometimes adders will bite, but not inject venom, but this is the exception not the rule.

That's very interesting, i never knew they could either inject venom or not, as a matter of interest, at the same address where i was bitten, i had some large greenhouses in one of the fields which i rented from the owner, one morning i went to open the back door as it was a hot day, (I used to open it from the outside as it was easier than stretching over the plants) at the foot of the door was a sloping strip of concrete, as i reached round to slide the door open there was a loud clang, it turned out that a very large adder was enjoying the sunshine on the step and when i disturbed him he struck out, his teeth marks on the door were within and inch or so of my hand, i am not sure which of us was most shocked. The adder was really large with a beautiful wedge shaped head, he just stopped for a moment then silently moved offf into the long grass away from me. It was fairly early morning and he was just warming up prior to going on a hunt so i guess had he bitten me it could have been rather nasty.

The old lady who owned the property was wildlife mad and her pastime was encouraging adders and believe it or not feeding them by hand, she said she had been bitten numerous times which i did believe as she was not one to make things up, i suppose she became immune to their bite as she said that she no longer felt any effects from being bitten.

Its not something i would care to try.

BK

[wellies101]

The energy costs to create venom are quite large to the snake so they can be selective with regards to what to bite, how much venom to inject and whether to inject or not (but the latter is normally inject to some extent).

Juvenile Adders can be more of a problem as they have less experience when it comes to injecting venom. So while learning how much venom to inject depending on size of prey, they start by biting and pumping in as much as they can (better to ensure the prey dies and you get a meal while you're that small).

There is an interesting story on Adder Bite: Mollie Hawker Bitten By Snake At Bournemouth Nature Reserve | UK News | Sky News (sorry WAB if I shouldn't have done this, please don't shout), but the effects tend to be massive amount of swelling to the limb bitten, black/red/purple colouration and pain/discomfort. Children seem to cope with it better than adults, and dogs appear to shrug it of too. Adults react badly, but death is very, very rare. More often from a reaction to the venom rather than the effects of the venom itself.

Regardless, try to avoid getting bitten.

[arvensis]

On the subject of Adder bites, I think it will be a struggle to top this act of stupidity.... Man bitten by snake picked up adder for holiday snap - The Scotsman

Old story I know but I don't recall it being linked on WAB.

Mark