Animal Health Resources

With warmer temperatures occurring, you need to be careful about encountering snakes outside in different areas of your yard, in parks, or in the woods and fields. Remember to be observant and to teach your children about snake bite prevention. Use common sense and never reach under rocks, bushes, or other areas where you cannot see and where a snake may be living. Most people get bitten on the hands or feet when they inadvertently step on a snake or reach where they cannot see.

Most of the 27 species and subspecies of snakes found in Maryland are not venomous like the Northern brown snakes, rat snakes and garter snakes. However, there are two types of venomous snakes found in Maryland. They are the eastern copperhead and the timber rattlesnake (not found in Charles County).  The eastern copperhead snake is venomous and found in Charles County.  Do not attempt to capture or handle it.  They will bite if provoked, and the bites are extremely painful.  Seek medical attention immediately if bitten.  A pictorial guide to Maryland snakes can be found at the below Department of Natural Resources link:

http://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Pages/plants_wildlife/herps/Fieldguide_OrderSquamata.aspx

 The following additional tips to avoid being bitten by a snake are provided by the Maryland Poison Center.

• Leave snakes alone. Do not try to get a closer look or try to pick up a snake.
• Wear gloves when gardening. Move plants and weeds with a gardening tool before reaching your hand into a place that you cannot see.
• Stay out of tall grass and remain on hiking paths. Use a walking stick to move grass and brush that you cannot see through if not hiking on a path.
• Always hike with a friend.

If you are bitten, the Maryland Poison Center recommends the following:

Do not panic; keep still and calm. Fewer than 10 people die of snakebites each year in the United States.

Call the Maryland Poison Center immediately at 1-800-222-1222. If the person who was bitten is having trouble breathing or losing consciousness, call 911 immediately. 

For additional information on prevention and first aid for snakebites, visit https://mdpoison.com/.

Animals in Public Places Click the link below to learn more about animals in public places.

https://nasphv.org/documentsCompendiumAnimals.html