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Western DB bites another Western DB!!!

G

Gaboon03

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My small female western just bit my big female Western in the face, right below her eye. She is swelling up pretty bad. She has bit her before in the side, with only minor symptoms. But this time her face is swelled pretty bad. Can this kill her??My big female is my favorite snake and don't want anything to happen to her. I have had venomous snakes bite each other from time to time with nothing happening. This is the first time I have ever seen the venom of the same species have an effect like this. Any info would be great, if there is a possible chance that it could really do some damage, is there a way to try to treat or prevent it?? Thanks for your time!!! Bobby
 
FIrst off I'm not going to be any real help with your problem, sorry about that :)
I have had one lepidus bitten by another on several occasions but no symptoms have ever occurred.
I would think in an extreme circumstance, the bite may be lethal, particularly if it results in an interference with respiration.
I have never heard of any treatment for this situation, but I'd be interested in hearing the outcome, because it's something I have worried about in the past.
 
All is well!!!

Well the swelling is completely gone and she is doing fine. I would assume if they took enough hits in the right spots it could potentialy kill them. I have been keeping hots for a long time and have never had one get hit in the face by another. But all is well and I am happy with the out come thus far!!! Thanks, Bobby
 
That's good to hear. I don't keep any of the big guys, but I've seen several (3 or 4) bites between individuals in my lepidus group.
I house them in pairs or trios off and on and one of the bites was a full face hit a male took from a female. Once I was lifting one out on a hook and another struck it's body as it went by. They're mostly calm snakes, but a couple of them get irritated very easily and are quick to defend themselves.

Fortunately none of the bites ever resulted in any problems at all.
 
you said this bite happened on your snakes face. That is where the venom sacks are. If it pierces those, I can image that there is only so much venom even a venomous snake can take.

As for how to help it, couldn't tell you.

As for preventing it, thats easy, seperate them.
 
Self envenomation and cagemate envenomation cases vary a lot by species. Westerns seem to do fairly okay when bitten by cagemates, unless there is a subsequent bacterial infection or serious physical trauma damage (fang through brain or other vital organ). Some other species have more issues than others.

Any wound including a fang puncture can kill a snake if it gets infected and the animal is stressed and immunosupressed. We may treat very severe swelling with steroids and give support antibiotics and pain medication if it seems warranted. If the swelling does not appear to be serious, we do nothing at all and just keep a careful eye on the patient.
 
simple cure for that

Hi all,
First its best to keep venomous snakes separated unless they are being bred.
I opened a crate of snakes one day to find the blacktailed rattlers
had bitten each other one died next day had two bites mid way.
so you can bet blacktails are not immune to their own venom.
some are some are not.
I keep all snakes separated .
have fun

:alien:
 
I've had a couple of juvenile Waglers Temple vipers bite eachother. One of them died a few days later. I've also had a bush viper try to eat another bush viper. My husband caught them in the act and managed to seperate them. The bush viper that was almost eaten died a couple weeks later. And, get this, I had a baby Western Diamondback eat another, smaller baby Western Diamondback, and regurged it the next day.

Bree Crews
 
I just recently had one atrox bite another and the result was death. I believe the reason was not envemonmation, rather puncture. The bite was a nasty one to the throat, about 3 inches from the head. Death occurred approx 4 hours after the bite.

Other than that, never had one bite another. And I have been doing this over 25 years.

Michael Parkinson
 
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