russles viper (sp)

[marylyn101]

Someone i know (name withdrawed) has gotten a russles viper. what frightens me is that he treats it like a king snake. :(
i want as many people to answer this and put your input on how STUPID HE IS!!!

[ETET]

Marylyn,

Russell's viper (daboia russelli) is a large , beautiful and also a very deadly viper. Does your friend know this is venomous or not? Or the person sell him the snake tell him this is dangerous ? I don't know your friend's experience of keeping venomous. If he treat this viper like a king snake; he should be ready for a trip to hospital!

Russell's viper has a wide geographic distribution from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Taiwan and China. Its venom in most areas contains haemotoxic - pain, swelling, tissue distruction, bleeding, haemorrage, vascular and kidney failure. Specimens from certain area even have neurotoxic - muscular paralysis, respiratory faliure etc.

If you know someone have knowledge of venomous. Ask him to talk to your friend or stop him if he don't know what he is playing with. A bite from a russell may be fatal !!!! Good luck to your friend. I think other members will have more input....


ETET

[marylyn101]

he does know the whole thing he's just a gaint pimple

[Vanan]

He's a hazard to the snake, himself and the rest of the herping community. Please try and help him and see if you can talk some sense into him marylyn. It is a pretty grave situation by the sounds of it.

[BWSmith]

Treating it like a Kingsnake as in free handling? Does he have any handling equipment?

Russell's Viper is no joke. It is a large, powerful and deadly snake. It is also generally held that they are VERY aggressive. It sounds to me that he has the snake for its "macho" factor. And if you tell him how dangerous it is, it will probably just fuel him. "I am not afraid of dying", "I can handle ANY snake", "It won't bite me".

I think your friend is foolish and illinformed. Try your best to disuade him. But I don't think it is going to work. If he is young (say under 21), call his MOTHER!!! It is amazing how much power parents have ;) Bottom line, soemthing has to be done or he WILL DIE! The very best he could hope for is losing a finger or hand. I say this because I doubt very much that your local hospital has experience in Russell envenomations. I am not trying to be an ***, but he could have hardly picked a worse species to pull this with.

[Edwin]

Venomous are no joke. I agree with Brian, trying to dissuade your friend will only encourage him further.

Try to find places nearby that stock antivenin just in case, and you should at least get your friend to purchase a couple of those anti-allergic reaction injection kits (sorry, I can't remember the proper name for it, its on the tip of my tongue). I am not familiar with Russell's viper venom, so I am not sure how helpful this may be. Also, print this out and keep it near where he has the snake, in the event he is bitten, at least his friends and family will know what to do.

http://www-surgery.ucsd.edu/ent/DAVIDSON/Snake/russeli.htm

If you do manage to dissuade your friend to give up the snake, make sure that he returns it to the breeder/store he got it from, and does not just release it anywhere that's convenient.

[Gregg M]

I am gonna put my self out here by saying I highly doubt he is free handling a Russells viper........ He would have been bitten the first time he put a finger on it...... They are just too aggressive...... Trust me I have had them....... They are allways on the defence........ He would not be able to get a bare hand in the cage without getting bit.......... The short experiance I had with them was enough to let me know they are not the snake for me......... I like my snakes big and lazy........ The most aggressive snakes I own are puff adders and they are sweethearts compared to russells vipers....... Atleast the puffs dont strike at my shadow.........

[marylyn101]

thanks all.
we're going to do an inter vention like thing.

[marisa]

Yeah isn't Gregg M right? Wouldn't a snake that is already known to be a aggresive species already have bitten this fool?

Maybe someone sold him a hognose and told him it was a Russells. LOL

I know its not a joking matter and very serious, but I like Gregg Ms point about the biting already.

Marisa

[Mike177]

this thing happend to me. a aquantice asked me what would a good thig be to feed a baby copperhead. and altho copperheads are on the lower side of deadly i had to make shure he go rid of it. he caught it so i made him let it go where he caught it. just remember better safe that sorry

[BWSmith]

You can get away with liberties even with very aggressive species for a while. But eventually, it catches up to you.

[Scotty Allen]

Sounds like "The Darwin Factor" at work here, hope nobody else gets bitten.

[Gregg M]

Hey Brian, maybe with the species you and keep but there is no chance of getting away with it when it comes to russells....... A gaboon will let alot of mistakes slide but a russells will not......

[BWSmith]

There are exceptions to every rule. i have seen a calm Russell's AND a calm Echis! Just one of each, but they are out there. The Echis was the most suprising.

[ETET]

Gregg & BW you both are right. I have a few russells before, one or two seems a tiny bit calmer. IMO the are not forgiving as bitis do and suprise you always.

ETET

[reverendsterlin]

Russells puts lots of folks in the hospital in those countries I seriously doubt your hospital carries the antivenin (maybe a polyvalent would work), and I thought were very aggressive. Your friend may learn a fatal lesson if he doesn't act smart.

[shaggybill]

uhh, is your friend aware of how many people die every year from the Russels bite? Bites from these guys are not fun even if antivenom is administered quickly. Chances are, he wouldnt get antinenom for several hours and in this time the venom could have already begun destroying the artery walls causing heavy internal haemorrhages. Thats how these snakes kill ya. By internal bleeding. There is also extreme pain. Victims complain of a severe burning sensation that cant be described its so painful. Like their entire limb is on fire.

I have read that these snakes will "sometimes" allow themselves to be handled, but just one wrong move and you are in serious trouble. Your friend needs to read up on these snakes. He is putting himself in a very dangerous situation.