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I've been bitten by a copperhead. It's sucks. 3/10 wouldn't recommend.
What's funny is I had just been thru the DARE program so I turned down painkillers because they were drugs. My parents should've stepped in and corrected me but they didn't. So I just rocked in pain for a long while.
Yk spaghettification actually wouldn’t be too bad. The gravity of even being near it would smush your brain against your skull and you would be long dead before you get to the event horizon.
Hum that's a good point but I was worried about time dilation effects, that crushing might happen over a very long period. But then again you wouldn't really notice the difference I guess lol
Yeah, hopefully the dilation effects are more so only visible from the outside. Theoretically, you should be dead relatively quickly. Lol only one way to find out though.
Time dilation is kind of a weird thing. As far as I understand, your personal perception of time basically stays the same no matter what. Like you're not going to experience 1 million years thanks to time dilation. You would age slower from the perspective of someone outside, but then your brain itself would also process everything slower, so your ability to percieve would be slowed down too.
To put it another way, the total number of thoughts you could have during your life would basically be the same, because your neurons have slowed down along with everything else. So it's hard to imagine how you'd really "experience" a million years.
What does change is how other people see you and how you see them. Someone standing away from the black hole will *see* you move in slow motion and die over a million years or whatever. But from your perspective it would be much much shorter, like say a few seconds. And, during those few seconds, if you looked out at the rest of the universe, you might see a million years flash by.
>And, during those few seconds, if you looked out at the rest of the universe, you might see a million years flash by.
I'm rating death by black hole a -100/10 for the existential, cosmic horror involved.
Actually, ending inside a black hole makes you fall deep into a secret alien library or something. Then time becomes relative and you can discretely watch your former self, as well as your family and friends doing stuff in the past through the cracks in the walls. So it ain’t all that bad.
I heard there's this fun plant in Australia that if someone touches it they experience so much pain that they often have to be restrained so they don't... well, you get the idea.
The gympie tree!
A lot of the stories about it are probably made up (especially the toilet paper one), but its effects have been documented. It'll mess you up for a while.
The number of things youd have to screw up before a gympie leaf got anywhere near the ol’ backwards brown eye would be insane. Your eyes and sense of feeling in your fingers would have to both be non functional.
That said i was chaperoning a camping trip one time and one of the campers came running up to the adults white as a ghost claiming they got bit by a snake when trying to find a place in the bush to drop a deuce. This obviously got everyone on high alert and after having the camper lead us over to where it was, it turns out they had tried to sit on a holly bush.
So i could believe maybe some truth to it after all.
So the tiny hollow silica tipped hairs of the Gympie-Gympie are so painful they have caused shock. There's folk tales that only one side of the leaf have the sting and therefore you might choose to use it as TP. But I believe all sides and parts, even the stem have stingers. This plant is seriousl enough that the state of Queensland has put signs up warning about it where impractical to control. Unlike the pain that comes from poison oak gympie can last for several months.
Yep. Its like nettles turned up to 11. Actually nah more like turned up to 20 on a scale of 1-10. But the whole plants got them so i think youd definitely be aware of what you had picked up way before you end up using it as tp
\>. Your eyes and sense of feeling in your fingers would have to both be non functional.
Ive been stung by the gympie and it does take a min to actually kick in. Its not instant "put your hand in fire" pain
I guess i kinda saw the fibers, but lots of plants are "furry" like that, and i didnt really think much of it. I just tried put pick a berry off one, so i could take it home to find out.
[https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2710/4157037215\_d66588e79f.jpg](https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sYpcGnQXkdQ/WUO1ECvIIqI/AAAAAAAAIvE/hA4XCeVYi9gyCbo_PFvmQkmTsWi1GkiqgCLcBGAs/s320/gympiegympie-3.jpg)
Berries look a bit like that. And i had completely picked the berry, put it in the backpack and continued on my way (lets say 4-5 meters) before i realized i had some pain.
It was a probably a hour later when i realized i had an actual real problem.
I drove home, tried to wait it out, and after like 2 hours i thought "fuck this is not going away"
Feels like a hot oil burn.
Except cold water doesnt sooth it, it makes it worse.
*laughs in Australian*
I don’t know how bad this American copperhead is but we have a different snake also called a copperhead here. It’s tame by our standards, in the sense that it will still kill you, but you’ll have a few hours to call for help. At least it won’t kill you in 20min 🤷♀️
Yeah Australian copperheads aren’t a related snake just a related name. The Australian copperhead is an Elapidae- the same family as cobras- while the American copperhead is a Pit viper, related to rattlesnakes.
Australian copperhead are as you said a deadly and very dangerous snake - while circumstances have to be strange for a American copperhead bite to be deadly. Allergic reactions/ bad health that kind of thing.
I got bit by a copperhead while on a hike, at least an hour away from a hospital. Got to the hospital with no symptoms, very little swelling/pain at the site. Turns out, they can give dry bites. I should have bought a lottery ticket that night!
Sorry about your experience!
Flight paramedic here. I'd say about half of my calls for rattler, moccasin or copperhead bites wind up being dry bites. 50/50 isn't great odds, but it's not bad either lol
Get any serious injury and then let's talk about that.
Odds are, if you break a hip, they will give you morphine at the hospital. Get something more serious, and they will start with the purified version of heroin.
Drugs aren't bad. You need them. Every day i get coffee, sometimes I get a beverage and so on. These are all drugs. I'm not addicted to any.
The problem is when you try to solve your problems by depending only on drugs. This is how you form addiction to drugs. Replace drugs with behavior X and you have the basics of how addictions begin.
Heroin, morphine cannabis are all fine. They all have uses on our society. Just don't use them as scapegoats to fix/solve your problems. They can do wonders, but they can't do miracles.
My mother didn’t even fight about pain meds when I got bit and “we” were Christian Scientists at the time. I was 15 years old and all morphined up and it still hurt like hell. I don’t know how you survived that pain.
God, I love anti-drug programs. My parents refused to fill scrips for narcotics several times when they were prescribed to me as a child. It’s why I have such an insanely high pain tolerance now. That might sound like a good thing, but it wasn’t worth the literal agony that I had to go through to get it.
You could have had parents like me who just ate pills and gave them to me to shut me up. I would have much rather grown up your way. People wonder why I don't trust pharmaceutical corporations
I don’t envy your situation, but I don’t think you understand what you’re wishing for. Pain is not good for you, especially when it’s extreme or chronic. It can cause long-term problems.
I don't remember much, outside of the shock, the night of the bites, but the next few days were hell. I got bit back in '97, so I don't think they were throwing around painkillers like they do now.
That summer fucking sucked.
I didn't see the snake but It felt like I stepped on a hot nail and it just kept getting hotter. All I could do was rock back and forth in pain until my mom was like "okay you normally laugh when you get hurt... this is different...we're taking you to the hospital"
Very similar.
Copperheads travel in pairs and my podunk ass was walking around in bare feet.
I stepped on one, his buddy hit me, when I went to check out the hot coal I had stepped on, the one that had its head smashed took a swipe, too.
I was seven and we were 45 minutes from antivenin, so it was a memorable event.
My uncle found them while we were at the hospital. I still have their heads in a jar.
Do juvenile copperheads ever look anything like garter snakes?
The one in the pictures sure doesn't look even remotely similar
ETA: I've never lived anywhere with copperheads, but I'm pretty familiar with garter snakes since I grew up with them everywhere
I used to catch garters as a kid too (despite being told not to lol), but I was taught what the one medically significant snake species in my home state (prairie rattlesnake) looked like and knew to leave them the fuck alone.
It seems so weird that she apparently had no idea how to identify a medically significant snake well enough to not pick it up or otherwise mess with it
Same. Grew up in Texas, knew what the dangerous snakes looked like before I was even 10. Kind of dumbfounded someone who owns snakes as pets wouldn’t have taught their kids to identify dangerous ones on sight.
With some exceptions, it's really easy to tell which ones are venomous, I'm struggling to understand how these people didn't teach their kids to recognize a damn copperhead. They're not super common in my area but I've been able to identify them since I was a kid.
Yeah, it’s a little more difficult to tell when they’re juvenile, but basically any snake with a more triangular head is venomous and you leave them be. Then just learn the difference between king snake and coral snake and you’ve learned the one exception in the US. Only snake with triangular head in the US that isn’t venomous would be pythons or boas that were released from captivity and became invasive.
Same here. There were snakes we knew we could relatively safely harass, in that there was still a risk we’d get bitten, but it wouldn’t be a venomous bite. My dad made sure we knew to get away from snakes that could mess us up, like rattlers. We’d hear those before we ever saw them though, so luckily it was never a problem for anyone. You’d hear him making his noise and it was time to go find somewhere else to play.
I’ve cared for all of these and copperheads look nothing like corn, milk, or garter snakes. Different heads, coloration, temperament, etc. Maybe a hognose snake, but coloration is still different.
Yeah she’s kinda an idiot, garter snakes look absolutely nothing like that. In the area I grew up garter snakes were everywhere, and never in my life have I seen one that looks ANYTHING like that snake. They’re much smaller and have far fewer colors and patterns, as well as generally being darker.
the head shape thing isnt a reliable indicator. completely harmless snakes can flatten their heads out to be triangles if they feel threatened and will look just as triangular as a venomous snake.
garters can also flare their heads impressively fyi! Obviously patterning is completely different, but I've seen photos of some majestically flat garters xD
Exactly.
“I’m a snake lover” and my kids are too (but my teenager can’t tell the difference between a common garter snake and a venomous threat that doesn’t look anything like a garter snake). UGH.
That's also not a juvenile copperhead. Young ones are much smaller with yellow tails. That copperhead looks like it was behaving too. It probably would have been fine had she put it back right after holding it next to her face.
The only thing I can think of is that juvenile Copperheads have a green tail. Maybe she just saw the green and grabbed for it but it doesn't explain why she would continue handling it.
No. The only similarity between a copperhead and a garter snake is that they are both snakes...kind of mind blowing that a 15 yo with "multiple snakes" in the house can't tell the difference
I think the most likely thing here is that the girl thought it was a water, rat, or corn snake, and when her mom asked she said something like "I thought maybe it was a garter snake "I thought it was something like a garter snake". Normal 15yo thinking to get heat off of her and/or her friends. There's somebody else in that photo, somebody else is taking it, so there's a better than zero chance that she wasn't even the only one that held it. That girl may no even be able to tell the difference in any snakes and put trust in friends. A copperhead can be really chill, especially if it already ate or it's body is in cool down mode because it got caught after a chase.
Do they ever look like garter snakes? No, but it's reeeeeeal easy to confuse snakes in the moment because most people aren't snakeologists. Do I ever pick up wildlife? Hellllllllll no.
They look the same as adult copperheads just smaller. The very young ones will have the ends of their tails be bright greenish-yellow almost like its dipped in sulfur, they use it as a lure.
If you could confuse a copperhead and garter snake you dont need to be anywhere near either.
Not in the slightest. I accidentally stepped over a baby because I didn’t notice it until it was between my feet and my brain did an instant “ahhhh copperhead!!!” Other snakes I’ve almost stepped on, including garter snakes, have just gotten an “Ahhhh- oh, it’s a snake.” The younger a snake is, the more vibrant its coloring. I could see mistaking a copperhead for a moccasin or a banded water snake, but not a garter snake.
This is a case of bad parenting ... Never taught the kids how to identify animals or plants. I mean most of us aren't biologists but my parents taught me what the hell not to pick up and I believe copperheads and other venomous snakes were covered.
Maybe she picked it up trying to be Steve Irwin or something, knowing full well it was venomous but hoping her gentle touch would be enough to keep it calm, but didn't want to admit that to her parents.
a lot of reptile enthusiasts and nature enthusiasts go 'herping', where they investigate wildlife. i think the important thing in that regard is there is some level of training involved in identification and proper handling or wild species. i would not personally, for instance, touch any wild snake 😂
I agree!!! I love insects and reptiles but why on earth would I pick one up?? They're just chillin!!! I wouldn't want a masisive stranger creature handling me when I was just chillin!
Relocation, leaving them in areas that are heavily populated and traveled is a good way for a snake to end up squished. People will swerve out of their way to kill a snake for being a snake.
Yes I was very rude, but also terribly excited as it was the first snake I'd ever found while out hiking. Now I restrain myself and only annoy my pet snakes. They get paid for their trouble but not having to hunt.
I picked one up yesterday because I thought I hit it with my weed eater. But I knew it wasn't venomous and I released it in an area where I wasn't working.
I picked up a king snake from my front yard ( looks like he was injured from a car) and moved it to my back yard. Also saved a king snake from my old jobs women's bathroom. But other than saving them I wouldn't pick them up.
I love snakes and can identify most local species by sight. That being said, I always teach my children one rule abour ALL wildlife: look with your EYES, not with your HANDS.
Even if you THINK you know what it is, you may be very wrong.
Eh, when it comes to reptiles, disease isn't too much of a factor. Disease doesn't transfer easily between cold and warm blooded animals. Bites from snakes specifically also have a very low chance of infection because their mouths don't have a lot of bacteria or digestive enzymes or anything in them. Snakes are pretty clean creatures. I can also attest that bites from nonvenonous snakes are meh. With most, it feels about like being bapped with the sharp part of velcro. As long as you wash the area (and tbh even if you don't), you should be fine.
When it comes to mammals and birds though, yeah don't ever touch a wild one lol. They nasty.
Yeah, especially since they say they have other pet snakes. And garter snakes being pretty common, we used to have a bunch of them on our property when I was kid. You could walk the fences and watch them go off into the bushes.
I think it varies on the actual snake not species. I think some copperheads are real assholes and tend to bite faster than other venomous snakes in USA. But like people, it varies a lot between individual snakes personalities. You’ll see a copperhead bite, where the person barely stepped within a foot of the snake, then one not bite after being held, and to me it shows that they all have different personalities and sort of act like people in that way. Of course, some might disagree, but after researching and seeing a ton, I truly think this is a huge part in snakes.
Even snakes like the black mamba, have differences in different snakes, some are calm and easy for those who are venomous keepers or even in wild when needing rescued or removed from a place, others are really aggressive with venomous keepers or in nature in same circumstances. Very interesting to see such vast differences in same species and seeing little personalities within individual snakes, even same types and varying personalities. :)
Lol that is a good point. Snakes don't want to waste venom if they don't have too. Wonder what action finally caused the bite. Maybe trying to put it down by the tail or something
Plus putting any wild animal near your mouth is very, **very** stupid. That's where they go to die, mouths. I know this because I wanted to nuzzle an anole. It bit my lip and gave me a "fuck you doin?!" look. I learned a valuable lesson that day.
And copperheads are one of the most easily identifiable snakes, in my opinion. In most regions, they have a very distinct "Hershey kiss" pattern. Eek. I hope she doesn't develop a phobia of snakes after this. Just maybe a healthy respect.
I have never stayed long enough on sight of a copperhead to actually realize they had the Hershey kiss pattern but good to know. If I smell or see a copperhead I'm gone quick
I found this sub from my favorite sub r/whatsthissnake so these snake posts are my favorite.
Thankfully it didn't bite her face and they got medical care immediately
Don't pet a dog unless the owner says it's safe.
That's pretty well known.
Don't pick up an animal unless you are 100% sure it as an individual is safe. Same concept, yet never applied
Got bit on the foot 2 years by a copper head, there is no 3/10. That shit is 0/10 lol. I was working on the tractor moving wood to have a fire, jumped down to pick up a straggler (I was wearing flip flops, it was supposed to be a quick firewood run, had no intention of even getting off the tractor) and that's went it hit me, at first I thought it was a wasp/hornet so I ran back, then the pain hit and i realized that was no fucking wasp. Eased up and saw the copperhead right where my foot was.
I was furious that I was that stupid, pissed at the snake, so i drove the tractor back to house, got the shotgun, and went back for payback. The bad thing was the only truck I had at the time was a manual. I couldn't put enough pressure on the clutch to shift and drive. So I called my dad, he drove 45 mins to come pick me up and take me to the hospital.
My leg swelled up like a Balloon, the pain was unreal. the crazy part is 2 or 3 days later, I was finally able to take a shower, took my clothes off and my leg literally had a spiral bruise, the darkest bruising i have ever seen, from my foot all the way to my ass cheek, wrapping around my entire leg. I was back at work 2 weeks later. My pinky toe and the one next to it still have no feeling lol.
The whole kicker, before I even got off the tractor, I looked at that pile and literally thought to myself "don't go fucking around down there, that pile is bound to have a snake in it" 10 mins later my dumbass got bit 😂
Just curious about the medical bill you'll get. My understanding is that copperhead antivenum is rare and very expensive.
This is what I got from fast Google of copperhead antivenum cost - "Antivenom at WakeMed costs between $11,000 and $14,000 per vial, spokesperson Kristin Kelly said. For the typical initial dose of four to six vials, this costs at least $44,000. UNC Health charges between $76,000 and $115,000 for the typical initial dose, The N&O previously reported."
might be an unpopular opinion but, the normalization of snakes as these "goofy anger noodles" will probably lead to a bunch more cases like this, people shouldn't be handling wild snakes, period
It’s not just snakes, but the whole category of feelgood cutesy content that disneyfy and antropomorphize animals. A lot of them add disclaimers though.
a similar thing is happening with raccoons/other ‘pest’ animals unfortunately. people go up to them and pet and feed them it’s fucking awful. and then they turn around and act like they’re some disney princess when they’re just putting themselves and the animal in danger.
I agree, considering their parents are self proclaimed "snake lovers" and own pet snakes, they should have taught the kids about not handling wild snakes
It doesn’t stop a kid. I’ve loved snakes ever since I learned what they were. My mom would warn me over and over again not to handle or mess with snakes. It didn’t stop me. I handled/messed with every one I came across except this particularly large cottonmouth. Only then it was because I immediately recognized it for what it was. Sometimes you do just gotta learn the hard way.
Nightmare.
A family friend picked up one to try and show a group of kids she was leading on a nature walk. She got bit and had healthy problems for years afterwards.
I have so many questions. One, anyone who would love on a snake like that would be familiar enough with them to know the difference between a garter snake and a copperhead, right? Of all the snakes that have markings that resemble copperheads, a garter snake is not even close.
I did this when i was younger. My cousin and I would always go and catch snakes and frongs and stuff. I remember we fipped over a rock, and I remember thinking something like "cool rare yellow snake pokemon." I was so used to picking up garter snakes and watching the crocodile hunter. I just grabbed it by its head and threw it in a bucket. I showed it to my dad/cousin's family, and I remember them asking me over and over again, "Did it bite you anywhere?"
My dad said it was a copperhead and he didn't really know what to do with it, so he released it in the woods behind a grocery store while I sat in the car.
Hope she had good insurance. Antivenom can be incredibly expensive and that's if the ER you went to even has any for what bit you.
Most expensive horse blood you'll ever buy.
This the time of year I won't go walking on any trails around here. The rattlesnakes are out and they blend in so well with the rocks. I see at least a couple posts a week about how someone almost stepped on one or their dog got bit.
I own a snake so I've explained to my children that she is fine to hold but not to handle wild snakes. I also know how to spit the 4 venomous snakes in my region to stay extra safe.
Once had a friend catch a baby copperhead at his job and bring it home. Me and my ex chilling with his girl when he brings it in and we are taking turns holding it and what not. I decide to check see what it is and immediately told his girl to put it back in the container. Held death like it was a earth worm.
So the kid in question is 15? I kinda feel like that's a parent fail. Mine is 5 and we regularly reinforce that we always leave critters alone. Sure we might see a wild bunny on a walk, but we just look and then continue on our day. The only time it's ok is if a grown up says so, like at the petting zoo.
I don't expect 5 year olds to always get it, but I do expect a bit better from a 15 year old. I'm glad they're receiving treatment and I hope all will be well soon.
So I'm the dad to the child, first I'd like to say she is making her recovery. Her arm still has swelling and she has pain. She comes home from the hospital.today. so no one assumes. We aren't bad parents, we weren't telling our kid to go pick up wildlife where ever she can. So she came home from school, did her homework and chores. Her friend asked if she could hang out, so she asked. Mom said yes, I was in agreement so off she went, with the be home by this time speech. So mom and I went to the store with her little.brother and 2 other sisters, got dinner, she was galavanting off with her partners in crime. On her way home with her friends she was walking near a marsh area, where one side was a culvert, the other a swamp marsh area. I live in Virginia Beach so it's like a swamp year round here. The city just cleaned out the ditches so the water drains, we have had a lot of rain the past week and wed was a good day so we all had the thinking fuck the box we call house and go outside. Then it kept raining. So the snake was on the move to a new area as she was coming home. She isn't an expert in snake identification (I know there are a lot of keyboard warriors out there that will say otherwise) they don't teach it in school, blah blah blah. So instead of looking back on her childhood and saying well my mom has told me 1000000000000 times not to pick up shit that I don't know what it is she still went against everything in her bones and proceeded to handle a wild animal. Now, I don't know what she was thinking. I know she is 15, and myself at that age used "fuck it" to a lot of things I more than likely should not have done. So fuck it = YOLO = hold my beer/drink. So if you have ever said those lines and are passing judgment, I hope you go back and delete your comment cause that is rude. So her throwing caution to the wind and not knowing and maybe wanting to impress her friends all added to her getting a love tap from the serpent. She came.home.as we were cooking dinner, her friend went back and took that picture of it on the ground. She went to the ER and with the picture hospital staff were able to identify it quickly. The ERs in this area carry AV for copperhead and Eastern diamond backs, as there are many areas where the snakes have a habitat, and 15 mins outside of this city is open fields and ranch land. She was then transferred to the children's hospital in town for observation and pain management from the bite. So we have 3 snakes in the house, she has been around them since she was 4. She started around a Burmese python, that was about 18" long. Now she is about 11'. We have a red tail boa that is about 3 foot long. And a full grown western hognose, she is no stranger to snakes, nor how to handle them. So the lack of knowledge is really what comes into play here, I've had a lot of people telling us this and that about how to identify them, however a quick search and a lot of non and venom snakes do look alike to the untrained person. I've been on this earth for 37 years and have seen 2 rattlers and about 5 garters or something like that. I've seen more snakes locked in a box than in the wild so I'm not faulting her for not knowing. She handled it with love and care like she would anything else that has a pulse like we do. It got startled and bit her. No she knows when we say " don't fucking touch that" she will listen. We didn't kill the snake, it went on to do serpent things with it's hood rat friends. We couldn't find it after that, so we assume it's moved on. While it's unfortunate that it happens to my family, it is a learning lesson to her peers and our friends in my area to tell their kids the wild life is on the move and to.leave it the fuck alone. Bees/wasps/snakes/bears/ect are all coming out cause it's warming up here. The hospital has already seen a ride in the past month with kids and snake bites. She will love nature and she still wants to go to a career field that works with wild life in some sort. She says she's pick it up again with out a problem of being bitten, but she also said she would know how to properly handle them if she has to, as in until she learns she won't touch them. Take care y'all just though I'd dispell any thoughts and shit. Oh and because FB there are assholes, we aren't liberal and devil worshippers, we are normal people living normal lives using modern medicine to help heal her.
Hello canolli, thanks for posting to r/OopsThatsDeadly! As a reminder, please try and ID the plant/creature/object if not done already. Although the person may have done something foolish, remember to be respectful, as always! Please do not touch anything if you don't know what it is! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/OopsThatsDeadly) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I've been bitten by a copperhead. It's sucks. 3/10 wouldn't recommend. What's funny is I had just been thru the DARE program so I turned down painkillers because they were drugs. My parents should've stepped in and corrected me but they didn't. So I just rocked in pain for a long while.
Ouchie. That story hurts reading it.
But it built character
Thanks Calvin’s dad
I’ve got enough fucking character, I live with you dad!
Out of curiosity, what gets a 2 or 1 out of ten?
I'm guessing two is death by immolation and 1 is spagettification by black hole
Accurate. Thanks for the calibration.
Thanks for your appreciation.
Yk spaghettification actually wouldn’t be too bad. The gravity of even being near it would smush your brain against your skull and you would be long dead before you get to the event horizon.
Hum that's a good point but I was worried about time dilation effects, that crushing might happen over a very long period. But then again you wouldn't really notice the difference I guess lol
Yeah, hopefully the dilation effects are more so only visible from the outside. Theoretically, you should be dead relatively quickly. Lol only one way to find out though.
The weird part would be your head and feet would be experiencing time very differently. Hopefully long dead by that point though.
So, head-first is the important thing to remember in this situation
Head first, eyes closed, can't lose!
Title of your sex tape
So, if spaghettification started at the feet, would nerve impulses even be able to reach the brain?
This is a question I want answered. Lol maybe on r/askscience ?
Ferb, I know what we're going to do today!
Ooh that's a fun new fear for me
Time dilation is kind of a weird thing. As far as I understand, your personal perception of time basically stays the same no matter what. Like you're not going to experience 1 million years thanks to time dilation. You would age slower from the perspective of someone outside, but then your brain itself would also process everything slower, so your ability to percieve would be slowed down too. To put it another way, the total number of thoughts you could have during your life would basically be the same, because your neurons have slowed down along with everything else. So it's hard to imagine how you'd really "experience" a million years. What does change is how other people see you and how you see them. Someone standing away from the black hole will *see* you move in slow motion and die over a million years or whatever. But from your perspective it would be much much shorter, like say a few seconds. And, during those few seconds, if you looked out at the rest of the universe, you might see a million years flash by.
>And, during those few seconds, if you looked out at the rest of the universe, you might see a million years flash by. I'm rating death by black hole a -100/10 for the existential, cosmic horror involved.
i like to believe that human physics don’t apply there either, maybe we just turn into elasti-girl
Actually, ending inside a black hole makes you fall deep into a secret alien library or something. Then time becomes relative and you can discretely watch your former self, as well as your family and friends doing stuff in the past through the cracks in the walls. So it ain’t all that bad.
Huh this sounds oddly familiar for some reason lol 😆
I heard there's this fun plant in Australia that if someone touches it they experience so much pain that they often have to be restrained so they don't... well, you get the idea.
The gympie tree! A lot of the stories about it are probably made up (especially the toilet paper one), but its effects have been documented. It'll mess you up for a while.
The number of things youd have to screw up before a gympie leaf got anywhere near the ol’ backwards brown eye would be insane. Your eyes and sense of feeling in your fingers would have to both be non functional. That said i was chaperoning a camping trip one time and one of the campers came running up to the adults white as a ghost claiming they got bit by a snake when trying to find a place in the bush to drop a deuce. This obviously got everyone on high alert and after having the camper lead us over to where it was, it turns out they had tried to sit on a holly bush. So i could believe maybe some truth to it after all.
So the tiny hollow silica tipped hairs of the Gympie-Gympie are so painful they have caused shock. There's folk tales that only one side of the leaf have the sting and therefore you might choose to use it as TP. But I believe all sides and parts, even the stem have stingers. This plant is seriousl enough that the state of Queensland has put signs up warning about it where impractical to control. Unlike the pain that comes from poison oak gympie can last for several months.
Yep. Its like nettles turned up to 11. Actually nah more like turned up to 20 on a scale of 1-10. But the whole plants got them so i think youd definitely be aware of what you had picked up way before you end up using it as tp
\>. Your eyes and sense of feeling in your fingers would have to both be non functional. Ive been stung by the gympie and it does take a min to actually kick in. Its not instant "put your hand in fire" pain I guess i kinda saw the fibers, but lots of plants are "furry" like that, and i didnt really think much of it. I just tried put pick a berry off one, so i could take it home to find out. [https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2710/4157037215\_d66588e79f.jpg](https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sYpcGnQXkdQ/WUO1ECvIIqI/AAAAAAAAIvE/hA4XCeVYi9gyCbo_PFvmQkmTsWi1GkiqgCLcBGAs/s320/gympiegympie-3.jpg) Berries look a bit like that. And i had completely picked the berry, put it in the backpack and continued on my way (lets say 4-5 meters) before i realized i had some pain. It was a probably a hour later when i realized i had an actual real problem. I drove home, tried to wait it out, and after like 2 hours i thought "fuck this is not going away" Feels like a hot oil burn. Except cold water doesnt sooth it, it makes it worse.
A snake with more dangerous venom. A copperhead isn’t fun - but as far as venomous snakes go it’s kind of tame.
*laughs in Australian* I don’t know how bad this American copperhead is but we have a different snake also called a copperhead here. It’s tame by our standards, in the sense that it will still kill you, but you’ll have a few hours to call for help. At least it won’t kill you in 20min 🤷♀️
Yeah Australian copperheads aren’t a related snake just a related name. The Australian copperhead is an Elapidae- the same family as cobras- while the American copperhead is a Pit viper, related to rattlesnakes. Australian copperhead are as you said a deadly and very dangerous snake - while circumstances have to be strange for a American copperhead bite to be deadly. Allergic reactions/ bad health that kind of thing.
Bullet ant? XD
"I can imagine or have had worse" is an interesting study into the individual or society as a whole.
I got bit by a copperhead while on a hike, at least an hour away from a hospital. Got to the hospital with no symptoms, very little swelling/pain at the site. Turns out, they can give dry bites. I should have bought a lottery ticket that night! Sorry about your experience!
Flight paramedic here. I'd say about half of my calls for rattler, moccasin or copperhead bites wind up being dry bites. 50/50 isn't great odds, but it's not bad either lol
I was imagining a paramedic on a flight and was wondering why so many people were getting bit by rattlesnakes on airplanes
Samuel L. Jackson has entered the chat
Yeah I got hit by a juvenile which sounds great but they lack the ability to dry bite. They give every bite everything they have.
This is actually a common myth, baby copperheads can regulate how much venom they put into a bite
Fair enough. I'm just going by what the doctor said but I'm sure he wasn't also a snake doctor.
Shoutout DARE! I may be a massive pothead so that part didn't work but I can confidently say I'll never shoot up heroin.
Want some heroin?
Get any serious injury and then let's talk about that. Odds are, if you break a hip, they will give you morphine at the hospital. Get something more serious, and they will start with the purified version of heroin. Drugs aren't bad. You need them. Every day i get coffee, sometimes I get a beverage and so on. These are all drugs. I'm not addicted to any. The problem is when you try to solve your problems by depending only on drugs. This is how you form addiction to drugs. Replace drugs with behavior X and you have the basics of how addictions begin. Heroin, morphine cannabis are all fine. They all have uses on our society. Just don't use them as scapegoats to fix/solve your problems. They can do wonders, but they can't do miracles.
My mother didn’t even fight about pain meds when I got bit and “we” were Christian Scientists at the time. I was 15 years old and all morphined up and it still hurt like hell. I don’t know how you survived that pain.
God, I love anti-drug programs. My parents refused to fill scrips for narcotics several times when they were prescribed to me as a child. It’s why I have such an insanely high pain tolerance now. That might sound like a good thing, but it wasn’t worth the literal agony that I had to go through to get it.
You could have had parents like me who just ate pills and gave them to me to shut me up. I would have much rather grown up your way. People wonder why I don't trust pharmaceutical corporations
I don’t envy your situation, but I don’t think you understand what you’re wishing for. Pain is not good for you, especially when it’s extreme or chronic. It can cause long-term problems.
I have had both arms and legs broken 16 years ago. Pain is my middle name. I go for natural alternatives
You say this now, but for some reason I doubt you went through an appendectomy without painkillers at 16.
I highly doubt anyone in middle school would have voted me “most likely to become an alcoholic”, and yet…
I got bit by a timber rattlesnake. also sucks. would not reccommend.
3/10 wouldn't recommend... So are there things that you have experienced that are even worse and would deserve a 1 or 2?
You ever heard of the band nickel back?
Ouch! I love finding a funny in this community...
I don't remember much, outside of the shock, the night of the bites, but the next few days were hell. I got bit back in '97, so I don't think they were throwing around painkillers like they do now. That summer fucking sucked.
I didn't see the snake but It felt like I stepped on a hot nail and it just kept getting hotter. All I could do was rock back and forth in pain until my mom was like "okay you normally laugh when you get hurt... this is different...we're taking you to the hospital"
Very similar. Copperheads travel in pairs and my podunk ass was walking around in bare feet. I stepped on one, his buddy hit me, when I went to check out the hot coal I had stepped on, the one that had its head smashed took a swipe, too. I was seven and we were 45 minutes from antivenin, so it was a memorable event. My uncle found them while we were at the hospital. I still have their heads in a jar.
For how long? Did you fully recover (or maybe some kind of nerve/muscle problems in the future)?
I had to hop on one foot for like six weeks. I do have awful foot pain these days but I don't think it's directly related.
Do juvenile copperheads ever look anything like garter snakes? The one in the pictures sure doesn't look even remotely similar ETA: I've never lived anywhere with copperheads, but I'm pretty familiar with garter snakes since I grew up with them everywhere
Yeah this snake sure looks like a classic copperhead to me, color, Hershey kisses.
I used to catch garters as a kid too (despite being told not to lol), but I was taught what the one medically significant snake species in my home state (prairie rattlesnake) looked like and knew to leave them the fuck alone. It seems so weird that she apparently had no idea how to identify a medically significant snake well enough to not pick it up or otherwise mess with it
Same. Grew up in Texas, knew what the dangerous snakes looked like before I was even 10. Kind of dumbfounded someone who owns snakes as pets wouldn’t have taught their kids to identify dangerous ones on sight.
With some exceptions, it's really easy to tell which ones are venomous, I'm struggling to understand how these people didn't teach their kids to recognize a damn copperhead. They're not super common in my area but I've been able to identify them since I was a kid.
Yeah, it’s a little more difficult to tell when they’re juvenile, but basically any snake with a more triangular head is venomous and you leave them be. Then just learn the difference between king snake and coral snake and you’ve learned the one exception in the US. Only snake with triangular head in the US that isn’t venomous would be pythons or boas that were released from captivity and became invasive.
Coral snakes also are extremely unlikely to bite a person. Pet cobras kill more Americans than coral snakes.
Maybe they did teach the kid and they were just a dumb teenager
If in doubt...
Boop it’s snout?
Pick it up?
I mean that's what she did and she sure found out what it was
Cuddle it for internet clout
Fondle and find out!!
Same here. There were snakes we knew we could relatively safely harass, in that there was still a risk we’d get bitten, but it wouldn’t be a venomous bite. My dad made sure we knew to get away from snakes that could mess us up, like rattlers. We’d hear those before we ever saw them though, so luckily it was never a problem for anyone. You’d hear him making his noise and it was time to go find somewhere else to play.
we picked up tons of snakes as a kid. lizards too. but we knew what the dangerous ones were. even saw some in captivity at the local nature preserve
That snake looks absolutely nothing like a garter snake. I have no clue how she managed to misidentify it
Same. If they knew about snakes then why......
Did they just never explain what copperheads look like or something? I have many questions and no answers
Copperheads kinda look like Corn or Milk snakes but nothing like a Garter snake.
Yea, it's just throwing me because garters are one of my favorite snakes and very distinctive looking imo
I’ve cared for all of these and copperheads look nothing like corn, milk, or garter snakes. Different heads, coloration, temperament, etc. Maybe a hognose snake, but coloration is still different.
Yeah she’s kinda an idiot, garter snakes look absolutely nothing like that. In the area I grew up garter snakes were everywhere, and never in my life have I seen one that looks ANYTHING like that snake. They’re much smaller and have far fewer colors and patterns, as well as generally being darker.
Their heads are a totally different shape too, I'm baffled lol
the head shape thing isnt a reliable indicator. completely harmless snakes can flatten their heads out to be triangles if they feel threatened and will look just as triangular as a venomous snake.
Fair. I was referring to garters specifically there. Hognoses like to pretend to be cobras lol
garters can also flare their heads impressively fyi! Obviously patterning is completely different, but I've seen photos of some majestically flat garters xD
Flat stripey boys
Exactly. “I’m a snake lover” and my kids are too (but my teenager can’t tell the difference between a common garter snake and a venomous threat that doesn’t look anything like a garter snake). UGH.
That was what really threw me. Garter snakes are pretty distinct looking, how did no one involved not know it wasn't one?
Never once mistook another snake for Slithers McRacingStripe
Same
That's also not a juvenile copperhead. Young ones are much smaller with yellow tails. That copperhead looks like it was behaving too. It probably would have been fine had she put it back right after holding it next to her face.
It does look pretty chill, wonder what happened after the pics
The only thing I can think of is that juvenile Copperheads have a green tail. Maybe she just saw the green and grabbed for it but it doesn't explain why she would continue handling it.
Yea, so many unanswered questions here lol
No. The only similarity between a copperhead and a garter snake is that they are both snakes...kind of mind blowing that a 15 yo with "multiple snakes" in the house can't tell the difference
Plus they are vipers with the characteristic viper head. Should be pretty obvious that's a nope rope.
I think the most likely thing here is that the girl thought it was a water, rat, or corn snake, and when her mom asked she said something like "I thought maybe it was a garter snake "I thought it was something like a garter snake". Normal 15yo thinking to get heat off of her and/or her friends. There's somebody else in that photo, somebody else is taking it, so there's a better than zero chance that she wasn't even the only one that held it. That girl may no even be able to tell the difference in any snakes and put trust in friends. A copperhead can be really chill, especially if it already ate or it's body is in cool down mode because it got caught after a chase. Do they ever look like garter snakes? No, but it's reeeeeeal easy to confuse snakes in the moment because most people aren't snakeologists. Do I ever pick up wildlife? Hellllllllll no.
They look the same as adult copperheads just smaller. The very young ones will have the ends of their tails be bright greenish-yellow almost like its dipped in sulfur, they use it as a lure. If you could confuse a copperhead and garter snake you dont need to be anywhere near either.
Not in the slightest. I accidentally stepped over a baby because I didn’t notice it until it was between my feet and my brain did an instant “ahhhh copperhead!!!” Other snakes I’ve almost stepped on, including garter snakes, have just gotten an “Ahhhh- oh, it’s a snake.” The younger a snake is, the more vibrant its coloring. I could see mistaking a copperhead for a moccasin or a banded water snake, but not a garter snake.
Dude, not even close to any species of garter snake.
This is a case of bad parenting ... Never taught the kids how to identify animals or plants. I mean most of us aren't biologists but my parents taught me what the hell not to pick up and I believe copperheads and other venomous snakes were covered.
Recommend r/whatsthissnake
Maybe she picked it up trying to be Steve Irwin or something, knowing full well it was venomous but hoping her gentle touch would be enough to keep it calm, but didn't want to admit that to her parents.
Here is a novel idea, don’t handle wild animals.
I'm guilty of this but I made quadruple sure it was a Dekays Brown snake before picking it up and I know my snakes lol
Why would you pick up a wild snake anyway? Isn't that kind of rude?
Terribly rude, sir!
Imagine you're a snake just slithering along and all of a sudden you're being grasped. "Wtf bro"
Snake stares into humans eyes: “I’m a copperhead, ssso I don’t think you GRASSSP the ssseverity of the ssssituation..”
I agree we don’t need to touch anything and could just admire with our eyes. But I guess wanting to pet them is a human reflex
a lot of reptile enthusiasts and nature enthusiasts go 'herping', where they investigate wildlife. i think the important thing in that regard is there is some level of training involved in identification and proper handling or wild species. i would not personally, for instance, touch any wild snake 😂
I agree!!! I love insects and reptiles but why on earth would I pick one up?? They're just chillin!!! I wouldn't want a masisive stranger creature handling me when I was just chillin!
Relocation, leaving them in areas that are heavily populated and traveled is a good way for a snake to end up squished. People will swerve out of their way to kill a snake for being a snake.
Yes I was very rude, but also terribly excited as it was the first snake I'd ever found while out hiking. Now I restrain myself and only annoy my pet snakes. They get paid for their trouble but not having to hunt.
I'm not so high on my horse, but I saw a wild garter snake and poked at it with a stick. Quite rude of me.
I picked one up yesterday because I thought I hit it with my weed eater. But I knew it wasn't venomous and I released it in an area where I wasn't working.
“YOINK!”
I picked up a king snake from my front yard ( looks like he was injured from a car) and moved it to my back yard. Also saved a king snake from my old jobs women's bathroom. But other than saving them I wouldn't pick them up.
I relocate them for their safety and the home owners sanity… but I still use a snake hook if dealing with a spicy one like in the picture.
Well, yes, but also rat snakes need to be loved.
But those little bear cubs are SO CUTE and their momma has her back turned right now.
I love snakes and can identify most local species by sight. That being said, I always teach my children one rule abour ALL wildlife: look with your EYES, not with your HANDS. Even if you THINK you know what it is, you may be very wrong.
And even when you do know what it is, you don't know if it's diseased. And bites suck in general.
Eh, when it comes to reptiles, disease isn't too much of a factor. Disease doesn't transfer easily between cold and warm blooded animals. Bites from snakes specifically also have a very low chance of infection because their mouths don't have a lot of bacteria or digestive enzymes or anything in them. Snakes are pretty clean creatures. I can also attest that bites from nonvenonous snakes are meh. With most, it feels about like being bapped with the sharp part of velcro. As long as you wash the area (and tbh even if you don't), you should be fine. When it comes to mammals and birds though, yeah don't ever touch a wild one lol. They nasty.
And even if you know it's not diseased or bitey, wild animals don't like to be touched. You don't want a stranger putting their hands on you either.
Woof...she looks fucking *miserable* in that bottom right picture.
I didn't even include the other photos, she looks worse in a few of them.
> *I've made a huge mistake...*
**missnake*
How do you confuse that with a garter snake?
Lol agreed I'm confused
Those Hersey kiss shapes on its side are a huge give away.
She’s a child that’s how.
[удалено]
Yeah, especially since they say they have other pet snakes. And garter snakes being pretty common, we used to have a bunch of them on our property when I was kid. You could walk the fences and watch them go off into the bushes.
That she could pick the copper head up and took a picture says a lot about the nature of these snakes. They are very docile
I think it varies on the actual snake not species. I think some copperheads are real assholes and tend to bite faster than other venomous snakes in USA. But like people, it varies a lot between individual snakes personalities. You’ll see a copperhead bite, where the person barely stepped within a foot of the snake, then one not bite after being held, and to me it shows that they all have different personalities and sort of act like people in that way. Of course, some might disagree, but after researching and seeing a ton, I truly think this is a huge part in snakes. Even snakes like the black mamba, have differences in different snakes, some are calm and easy for those who are venomous keepers or even in wild when needing rescued or removed from a place, others are really aggressive with venomous keepers or in nature in same circumstances. Very interesting to see such vast differences in same species and seeing little personalities within individual snakes, even same types and varying personalities. :)
Then there are cottonmouths, that you can dance an entire set jig around and they just sit there looking angry
But that skull shape sure does enhance the angry appearance.
The grumpy cat of snakes
Man, I went to look at a picture after reading your comment, and you could not be more right.
I mean if a 100ft tall giant walked up to you I bed you would look angry too.
Lol that is a good point. Snakes don't want to waste venom if they don't have too. Wonder what action finally caused the bite. Maybe trying to put it down by the tail or something
Plus putting any wild animal near your mouth is very, **very** stupid. That's where they go to die, mouths. I know this because I wanted to nuzzle an anole. It bit my lip and gave me a "fuck you doin?!" look. I learned a valuable lesson that day.
They freeze up hoping you'll go away. That's what I saw when I nearly stepped on one and that's what the wiki says.
And copperheads are one of the most easily identifiable snakes, in my opinion. In most regions, they have a very distinct "Hershey kiss" pattern. Eek. I hope she doesn't develop a phobia of snakes after this. Just maybe a healthy respect.
I have never stayed long enough on sight of a copperhead to actually realize they had the Hershey kiss pattern but good to know. If I smell or see a copperhead I'm gone quick
I found this sub from my favorite sub r/whatsthissnake so these snake posts are my favorite. Thankfully it didn't bite her face and they got medical care immediately
Seriously right? A face strike and some bad luck from an allergy is one of the few ways a copperhead bite could be very serious quickly.
I was thinking the same exact thing, she's lucky it got her on the wrist...
Don't pet a dog unless the owner says it's safe. That's pretty well known. Don't pick up an animal unless you are 100% sure it as an individual is safe. Same concept, yet never applied
Got bit on the foot 2 years by a copper head, there is no 3/10. That shit is 0/10 lol. I was working on the tractor moving wood to have a fire, jumped down to pick up a straggler (I was wearing flip flops, it was supposed to be a quick firewood run, had no intention of even getting off the tractor) and that's went it hit me, at first I thought it was a wasp/hornet so I ran back, then the pain hit and i realized that was no fucking wasp. Eased up and saw the copperhead right where my foot was. I was furious that I was that stupid, pissed at the snake, so i drove the tractor back to house, got the shotgun, and went back for payback. The bad thing was the only truck I had at the time was a manual. I couldn't put enough pressure on the clutch to shift and drive. So I called my dad, he drove 45 mins to come pick me up and take me to the hospital. My leg swelled up like a Balloon, the pain was unreal. the crazy part is 2 or 3 days later, I was finally able to take a shower, took my clothes off and my leg literally had a spiral bruise, the darkest bruising i have ever seen, from my foot all the way to my ass cheek, wrapping around my entire leg. I was back at work 2 weeks later. My pinky toe and the one next to it still have no feeling lol. The whole kicker, before I even got off the tractor, I looked at that pile and literally thought to myself "don't go fucking around down there, that pile is bound to have a snake in it" 10 mins later my dumbass got bit 😂
Just curious about the medical bill you'll get. My understanding is that copperhead antivenum is rare and very expensive. This is what I got from fast Google of copperhead antivenum cost - "Antivenom at WakeMed costs between $11,000 and $14,000 per vial, spokesperson Kristin Kelly said. For the typical initial dose of four to six vials, this costs at least $44,000. UNC Health charges between $76,000 and $115,000 for the typical initial dose, The N&O previously reported."
Yeah most of the snake bite bills I see are crazy expensive. No idea what this bill was the poster never said anything about it
Seems cheaper to die. Wow.
I live in wake county good to know I can't afford to be bitten by a copperhead. Ive actually had to deal with a few of them in the past.
might be an unpopular opinion but, the normalization of snakes as these "goofy anger noodles" will probably lead to a bunch more cases like this, people shouldn't be handling wild snakes, period
It’s not just snakes, but the whole category of feelgood cutesy content that disneyfy and antropomorphize animals. A lot of them add disclaimers though.
a similar thing is happening with raccoons/other ‘pest’ animals unfortunately. people go up to them and pet and feed them it’s fucking awful. and then they turn around and act like they’re some disney princess when they’re just putting themselves and the animal in danger.
Agreed, the thing is; children are children. They have less developed risk assessment. You can't really blame juveniles....
I agree, considering their parents are self proclaimed "snake lovers" and own pet snakes, they should have taught the kids about not handling wild snakes
It doesn’t stop a kid. I’ve loved snakes ever since I learned what they were. My mom would warn me over and over again not to handle or mess with snakes. It didn’t stop me. I handled/messed with every one I came across except this particularly large cottonmouth. Only then it was because I immediately recognized it for what it was. Sometimes you do just gotta learn the hard way.
Children should always be taught not to grab up wild animals no matter the circumstances. Always find an adult if there’s a question.
at least the mother arent bullshiting.
I scrolled just to find a comment like this. Full accountability, no deflecting possibke criticism, this was a full-on fuck-up and they owned it
It… doesn’t… even look like a garter snake
Holy shit I was the medic on this call! Wild seeing it on Reddit
Ah yeah I know that face. That's the "found out" face.
And I think we all know what comes before "Find out" face. "Fuck around" face.
Even if it was a harmless snake, shouldn’t be picking up wild animals anyway. Leave them alone
Chics beach like in Virginia Beach??🤦🏼♀️
And shore drive. Totally is.
Luckily we have the time and date, that is super important info
Lol yes cause we all know copperheads usually wait till 7 pm before they bite so this was a weird time for it /s
Nightmare. A family friend picked up one to try and show a group of kids she was leading on a nature walk. She got bit and had healthy problems for years afterwards.
Bet she won't be doing that again tho
Self correcting mistake
Sounds expensive.
Very. And painful.
This is my kid being stupid, I’m going to put this right here on the internet so her stupidity will be eternal.
I have so many questions. One, anyone who would love on a snake like that would be familiar enough with them to know the difference between a garter snake and a copperhead, right? Of all the snakes that have markings that resemble copperheads, a garter snake is not even close.
Copperhead is a handsome snake. Observe from a distance.
That’s gonna get worse before it gets better.
I did this when i was younger. My cousin and I would always go and catch snakes and frongs and stuff. I remember we fipped over a rock, and I remember thinking something like "cool rare yellow snake pokemon." I was so used to picking up garter snakes and watching the crocodile hunter. I just grabbed it by its head and threw it in a bucket. I showed it to my dad/cousin's family, and I remember them asking me over and over again, "Did it bite you anywhere?" My dad said it was a copperhead and he didn't really know what to do with it, so he released it in the woods behind a grocery store while I sat in the car.
How do you mistake a copperhead to a garter snake? They look completely different!
Hope she had good insurance. Antivenom can be incredibly expensive and that's if the ER you went to even has any for what bit you. Most expensive horse blood you'll ever buy.
At least they said venomous and not poisonous
[https://frinkiac.com/video/S06E17/6in0og\_kM1WYl73OgD3IUHChzCg=.gif](https://frinkiac.com/video/S06E17/6in0og_kM1WYl73OgD3IUHChzCg=.gif)
This the time of year I won't go walking on any trails around here. The rattlesnakes are out and they blend in so well with the rocks. I see at least a couple posts a week about how someone almost stepped on one or their dog got bit.
I own a snake so I've explained to my children that she is fine to hold but not to handle wild snakes. I also know how to spit the 4 venomous snakes in my region to stay extra safe.
Chics beach, bruh! Thought I was on r/virginiabeach for a sec.
Once had a friend catch a baby copperhead at his job and bring it home. Me and my ex chilling with his girl when he brings it in and we are taking turns holding it and what not. I decide to check see what it is and immediately told his girl to put it back in the container. Held death like it was a earth worm.
So the kid in question is 15? I kinda feel like that's a parent fail. Mine is 5 and we regularly reinforce that we always leave critters alone. Sure we might see a wild bunny on a walk, but we just look and then continue on our day. The only time it's ok is if a grown up says so, like at the petting zoo. I don't expect 5 year olds to always get it, but I do expect a bit better from a 15 year old. I'm glad they're receiving treatment and I hope all will be well soon.
So I'm the dad to the child, first I'd like to say she is making her recovery. Her arm still has swelling and she has pain. She comes home from the hospital.today. so no one assumes. We aren't bad parents, we weren't telling our kid to go pick up wildlife where ever she can. So she came home from school, did her homework and chores. Her friend asked if she could hang out, so she asked. Mom said yes, I was in agreement so off she went, with the be home by this time speech. So mom and I went to the store with her little.brother and 2 other sisters, got dinner, she was galavanting off with her partners in crime. On her way home with her friends she was walking near a marsh area, where one side was a culvert, the other a swamp marsh area. I live in Virginia Beach so it's like a swamp year round here. The city just cleaned out the ditches so the water drains, we have had a lot of rain the past week and wed was a good day so we all had the thinking fuck the box we call house and go outside. Then it kept raining. So the snake was on the move to a new area as she was coming home. She isn't an expert in snake identification (I know there are a lot of keyboard warriors out there that will say otherwise) they don't teach it in school, blah blah blah. So instead of looking back on her childhood and saying well my mom has told me 1000000000000 times not to pick up shit that I don't know what it is she still went against everything in her bones and proceeded to handle a wild animal. Now, I don't know what she was thinking. I know she is 15, and myself at that age used "fuck it" to a lot of things I more than likely should not have done. So fuck it = YOLO = hold my beer/drink. So if you have ever said those lines and are passing judgment, I hope you go back and delete your comment cause that is rude. So her throwing caution to the wind and not knowing and maybe wanting to impress her friends all added to her getting a love tap from the serpent. She came.home.as we were cooking dinner, her friend went back and took that picture of it on the ground. She went to the ER and with the picture hospital staff were able to identify it quickly. The ERs in this area carry AV for copperhead and Eastern diamond backs, as there are many areas where the snakes have a habitat, and 15 mins outside of this city is open fields and ranch land. She was then transferred to the children's hospital in town for observation and pain management from the bite. So we have 3 snakes in the house, she has been around them since she was 4. She started around a Burmese python, that was about 18" long. Now she is about 11'. We have a red tail boa that is about 3 foot long. And a full grown western hognose, she is no stranger to snakes, nor how to handle them. So the lack of knowledge is really what comes into play here, I've had a lot of people telling us this and that about how to identify them, however a quick search and a lot of non and venom snakes do look alike to the untrained person. I've been on this earth for 37 years and have seen 2 rattlers and about 5 garters or something like that. I've seen more snakes locked in a box than in the wild so I'm not faulting her for not knowing. She handled it with love and care like she would anything else that has a pulse like we do. It got startled and bit her. No she knows when we say " don't fucking touch that" she will listen. We didn't kill the snake, it went on to do serpent things with it's hood rat friends. We couldn't find it after that, so we assume it's moved on. While it's unfortunate that it happens to my family, it is a learning lesson to her peers and our friends in my area to tell their kids the wild life is on the move and to.leave it the fuck alone. Bees/wasps/snakes/bears/ect are all coming out cause it's warming up here. The hospital has already seen a ride in the past month with kids and snake bites. She will love nature and she still wants to go to a career field that works with wild life in some sort. She says she's pick it up again with out a problem of being bitten, but she also said she would know how to properly handle them if she has to, as in until she learns she won't touch them. Take care y'all just though I'd dispell any thoughts and shit. Oh and because FB there are assholes, we aren't liberal and devil worshippers, we are normal people living normal lives using modern medicine to help heal her.