Rattlesnake vs. Pretzel Identification Guide
- Thread starter GT38
- Start date
fjpikul
GT Owner
You guys are too much. In case you're not aware of it, there is a certain amount of medical literature for using direct current (DC) from a battery or a taser at the time of the bite at the wound site. Some tribes in Africa swear by it. Perhaps it might make a nice stocking stuffer for Chip.
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Scorpions.
Gentlemen,
Two of the more aggravating pests that are common in central Arizona are rattlesnakes and scorpions. Rattlesnakes are almost always found outside your home. Scorpions are almost always found inside your house. I can't ever remember seeing one outdoors. Despite over a half-century of close calls with scorpions, I had never been stung by one, until about a month ago.
My son Charley often has early morning football practices so I arise very early and walk down my hallway in darkness to the kitchen where I turn on the lights. Four weeks ago while walking on my carpeting, I stepped on a nail that pierced the big toe of my right foot.......or that's what I thought happened because that's what it felt like. I flipped on the nearest light switch and looked for the nail. What I found was a 2.5 inch long scorpion. I had stepped on the forward part of his body and he had driven his tail stinger right into the end of my big toe and ejected all of his venom in an attempt to get me off of his head. I picked up the nearest book and turned that little monster into a yellow stain on my white carpeting.
By the time I finished murdering that insect, my entire big toe was throbbing with the most wicked and intense pain. I went straight to my computer and with great difficulty I was able to log-on without going straight to the Ford GT Forum. I googled "scorpion stings" to see if there was anything special I should do. The answer was no, there wasn't anything to do other than endure it.
By the time I finished that five-minute research, my entire right foot felt like it was on fire. An hour later, the pain had traveled up my leg and engulfed everything to the bottom of my calf muscle. By noon, the pain had reached my knee. By dinnertime, my entire leg from mid thigh down was screaming in pain. At that time I thought, if this gets to my groin I'm in big trouble!!
Sleep that night was impossible. But at least the pain stopped traveling up my leg about 6 inches shy of reaching my balls. :willy That sting had occurred at 5:30 a.m. At 3 a.m. the next morning, the pain started to subside. By 6 a.m. the next morning, it was gone but my big toe was numb. It took several days for the feeling to return in that toe. There have been no long term effects from that sting. It did however, make for a most unpleasant day and put a major hitch in my "get along" for about 24 hours.
If you get zapped by a scorpion now.......you know what to expect. All the best.
Chip
Gentlemen,
Two of the more aggravating pests that are common in central Arizona are rattlesnakes and scorpions. Rattlesnakes are almost always found outside your home. Scorpions are almost always found inside your house. I can't ever remember seeing one outdoors. Despite over a half-century of close calls with scorpions, I had never been stung by one, until about a month ago.
My son Charley often has early morning football practices so I arise very early and walk down my hallway in darkness to the kitchen where I turn on the lights. Four weeks ago while walking on my carpeting, I stepped on a nail that pierced the big toe of my right foot.......or that's what I thought happened because that's what it felt like. I flipped on the nearest light switch and looked for the nail. What I found was a 2.5 inch long scorpion. I had stepped on the forward part of his body and he had driven his tail stinger right into the end of my big toe and ejected all of his venom in an attempt to get me off of his head. I picked up the nearest book and turned that little monster into a yellow stain on my white carpeting.
By the time I finished murdering that insect, my entire big toe was throbbing with the most wicked and intense pain. I went straight to my computer and with great difficulty I was able to log-on without going straight to the Ford GT Forum. I googled "scorpion stings" to see if there was anything special I should do. The answer was no, there wasn't anything to do other than endure it.
By the time I finished that five-minute research, my entire right foot felt like it was on fire. An hour later, the pain had traveled up my leg and engulfed everything to the bottom of my calf muscle. By noon, the pain had reached my knee. By dinnertime, my entire leg from mid thigh down was screaming in pain. At that time I thought, if this gets to my groin I'm in big trouble!!
Sleep that night was impossible. But at least the pain stopped traveling up my leg about 6 inches shy of reaching my balls. :willy That sting had occurred at 5:30 a.m. At 3 a.m. the next morning, the pain started to subside. By 6 a.m. the next morning, it was gone but my big toe was numb. It took several days for the feeling to return in that toe. There have been no long term effects from that sting. It did however, make for a most unpleasant day and put a major hitch in my "get along" for about 24 hours.
If you get zapped by a scorpion now.......you know what to expect. All the best.
Chip
MAD IN NC
Proud Owner/ BOD blah bla
Growing up in Chicago/ Wisconsin the worst you would hear of is the Brown Recluse and if by water the Water Mocasin... Trade off - Snow, Ice and Winter......
Being now in the South East there are all kinds of venoumous critters. Still have the Brown Recluse and if by water the Water Mocasin but add the Copperhead (Rattlesnake wo tail!), black widow and about 5-6 others....
No scorpions except for one known incident where a co-workers wife was bit by a little fella when she was washing grapes from Mexico.....
Guess the further south you go - more critters are local as trade off for the snow and ice...
Personally I prefer to drive the FGT 11 months a year versus blowing snow off it so the answer for me is clear. Have a good winter Franky :biggrin
Being now in the South East there are all kinds of venoumous critters. Still have the Brown Recluse and if by water the Water Mocasin but add the Copperhead (Rattlesnake wo tail!), black widow and about 5-6 others....
No scorpions except for one known incident where a co-workers wife was bit by a little fella when she was washing grapes from Mexico.....
Guess the further south you go - more critters are local as trade off for the snow and ice...
Personally I prefer to drive the FGT 11 months a year versus blowing snow off it so the answer for me is clear. Have a good winter Franky :biggrin
Empty Pockets
ex-GT Owner
'Daughter has lived in ARIDzona since '97 and has run across only ONE rattler (in the pking lot of her work in N. Scottsdale a couple yrs back). She's sent a couple recluse spiders to the promised land though.
I've been down there MUCHO times and have only seen quail, lizzurdz...and a TON of "illegals".:bored
I've been down there MUCHO times and have only seen quail, lizzurdz...and a TON of "illegals".:bored
Some great stories Chip!
You should've seen the Boulais taking the photo of the rattler with the lid off the pretzel jar after you left. I was seriously waiting for that little sucker to lunge forward and out of the jar. Then we would've had an even bigger story on our hands!
You should've seen the Boulais taking the photo of the rattler with the lid off the pretzel jar after you left. I was seriously waiting for that little sucker to lunge forward and out of the jar. Then we would've had an even bigger story on our hands!
Fast Freddy
GPS'D 225 MPH
i kill a rattler in my hangar every year. usually in the summer time. but one time a couple winters ago a rattler was hibernating in my lil coleman 1800 watt generator and i did not know it. while this generator is small it is very heavy. anyway, i had not used the generator in 2 years and so i went to take it out of the hangar to dump the gas out of it. when i was carrying the generator out of the hangar it was rubbing all over my leg as i limped along to carry it some 25 feet. when i set it down i turned it upside down to pour the gas out of it. this went on for a minute or so when i then turned it back rightside up. i then put the new gas in it and proceeded to wipe the entire generator down with a damp cloth as it was rather dusty when low and behold as i was rubbing between the vents in the grill i saw a snake sitting on top of the motor inside there :eek
i poked him with a stick and he did not move and i thought at first maybe he was dead. then i poked him again and he moved just a lil bit. so i went and got my .22 caliber ruger bearcat revolver that i keep in my gun room. i keep it loaded with snake shot. i started the motor to the generator and about 1 minute later the vibration and heat were more than that snake could handle and he came out of that generator real quick like > and that is when i shot him in the face with my pistola. he was about 3 feet long.
the biggest rattler i ever shot was back in '86 when i killed a 6 foot western diamondback here in Arizona. i skinned him myself and tanned his hide. i got him nailed to a pine board in my hangar on the wall. it is to this day still the BIGGEST rattler i have ever killed and i have killed dozens of them......
i poked him with a stick and he did not move and i thought at first maybe he was dead. then i poked him again and he moved just a lil bit. so i went and got my .22 caliber ruger bearcat revolver that i keep in my gun room. i keep it loaded with snake shot. i started the motor to the generator and about 1 minute later the vibration and heat were more than that snake could handle and he came out of that generator real quick like > and that is when i shot him in the face with my pistola. he was about 3 feet long.
the biggest rattler i ever shot was back in '86 when i killed a 6 foot western diamondback here in Arizona. i skinned him myself and tanned his hide. i got him nailed to a pine board in my hangar on the wall. it is to this day still the BIGGEST rattler i have ever killed and i have killed dozens of them......
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BlackICE
GT Owner
The most dangerous animals in California only have 2 legs, they don't have any venom, they don't even bite, but instead do the bulk of their destruction every two years in November. :ack
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Fast Freddy
GPS'D 225 MPH
back in 89' i woke up 10 feet from the railroad tracks laying in an ant bed after a bad night of drinking and fighting at a bar downtown :frown
another time when drinking while camping in the desert i woke up in the morning next to a cattle pond in my sleeping bag on the ground with no tent and a herd of cattle walking around me :lol
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AZGT
GT Owner
We are a little more into the foothills. Only the illegals doing constuction here. But tons of other stuff. The rattle snakes and scorpions need to be disposed of (I have kids and can't allow dangerous vermin here). Have been here all my life and only seen one gila monster, and they are protected (and no, you really don't want one to bite you). The snakes home so you can't move them. The scorpion jar is actually those that have been in the house (or immediately outside - we don't go looking - they find us). Believe me, you learn to look where you walk. The other stuff - well, it just goes on its way. The bobcats, tarantulas, coyotes, javelina, deer, other snakes, etc - don't care. They are fine.
That is Arizona. We don't have snow (well, actually were I am in North Scottsdale we do on occassion), but when you go into the desert everything either bites you or sticks you. Very simple.
Reminds me of the time Camillo was looking as saguaros here. But that is another story.
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Fast Freddy
GPS'D 225 MPH
one time i was driving my viper down my favorite road and i saw a desert tortoise in the middle of the road. so i stopped 2 lanes of traffic with my viper and got out of my car and picked him up and put him in the desert. when i got back in my car the people were cheering at me and then i proceeded to do a BIG smoky burnout and left the scene in a cloud of smoke......
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timcantwell
Le Mans 2010 Sponsor * Moderator
That would have been an interesting emergency room conversation if he had, "Uh..., Doc, I got bit by a PRETZEL."
(maybe Larry ought to keep some pretzel antivenin in his fridge :lol)
one time i was driving my viper down my favorite road and i saw a desert tortoise in the middle of the road. so i stopped 2 lanes of traffic with my viper and got out of my car and picked him up and put him in the desert. when i got back in my car the people were cheering at me and then i proceeded to do a BIG smoky burnout and left the scene in a cloud of smoke......
a hero and a show off. sweet!
way to go. opportunity time.
take advantage of a captive audience.
Piccola
GT aficionado
Chip, that's unbelievable! :eek Glad you didn't get bit, though the scorpion sting doesn't sound too pleasant... I've lived in AZ over a year and never saw a scorpion or rattlesnake. They must like living in the nice houses in Scottsdale over the little ones in Tempe. :lol
