Quote Originally Posted by Sonya610 View Post
Could be e-coli, salmonella, mrsa....a number of things. Ever get bit by a cat? As in a deep puncture wound by a feline? Sheesh those bites are horrid and can even be fatal (as in several days in the ICU). Deep puncture cat bites are not something to take lightly.

I ain't no expert but I doubt if it is venom, I suspect it is bacteria. I also suspect if Garters had venom you would have come across it before. My flame female bites me frequently (and no I do not wait 2 minutes before getting her to stop biting me) and often I have thought "No salmonella poisoning please".

Take a Benadryl or 3 immediately and put your finger in ice water. If the swelling/infection spreads might wanna see a doc.
I've been bitten by a cat a few times, some nice deep punctures. Usually I just slather the bite in antiseptic.

The swelling and stiffness in my finger is definitely not caused by a bacterial infection, bacteria doesn't do that in 10 minutes. Garters do produce venom, it's pretty well researched now, the debate I'm having with myself is how much of what I'm seeing is a direct effect of the venom and how much is an allergic reaction to the venom (or other substances) in the saliva.

I've given the bite a liberal slithering in antibiotic cream, and taken some antihistamines. If it gets worse I'll see about getting it checked - I can't imagine the conversation with my GP trying to explain it's a snake bite.

And if I get bitten by one of my snakes I think it's best to let the snake disengage themselves. Trying to remove them can result in injury, possibly me hurting their jaw and possibly dislodging a tooth which then stays embedded in the wound. If I get b8tten it's my fault, which means I suffer any pain not the biter.