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The ASF team works diligently to address the dire need for snakebite support in tropical climates. If you enjoy the articles below, please consider making a tax-deductible donation. Recurring or one-time donations, no matter the amount, equate to life-changing support for snakebite victims and their families. If there are any topics you’d like addressed, please email us. We always love the opportunity to educate.
Are Baby Snakes Really More Dangerous Than Adults?
Contrary to popular belief, the bite of a baby rattlesnake is almost always far less serious than the bite of a larger adult rattlesnake. The notion that baby rattlesnakes cannot control the quantity of venom injected (referred to in the field of Herpetology as “venom metering”) is a myth that has been disproven multiple times through well-designed studies.
Snakebite Kits and Venom Extractors Do Not Work
As snakebite experts, we are frequently asked about first aid for snakebite patients. One of the most common questions is “Do venom extractors and other commercial snakebite kits actually help?” The short answer is no. In fact, most of the advice about snakebite first aid that has circulated over the past 500 years or so (and probably much longer) is bad information. Things like pocket knives, suction devices, tourniquets, gunpowder, vitamin C, freezing, burning, and even electrocution have been advocated for snakebite first aid over the years; the only thing all of these “treatments” have in common is a high likelihood of making the situation worse.
How to Survive a Snakebite in the Wilderness
FIRST AND FOREMOST, DO NOT MAKE IT WORSE!
DO NOT MAKE A TOURNIQUET, DO NOT CUT AND SUCK, DO NOT APPLY THE SAWYER EXTRACTOR OR OTHER COMMERCIAL “SNAKEBITE KITS”, DO NOT ELECTROCUTE YOURSELF WITH A STUN GUN, AND DO NOT FOLLOW ANY STRANGE RECOMMENDATIONS YOU RECEIVE FROM OTHER HIKERS ON THE TRAIL. NO FIRST AID IS OFTEN LESS HARMFUL THAN BAD FIRST AID WHEN IT COMES TO SNAKEBITES!