SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KGTV) — A San Diego man is in ICU after a rattlesnake bit him in his backyard in Allied Gardens.
The man's family tells ABC 10News he's in his 60s, in great health, and is very active. The family doesn't want to identify the man until his immediate family knows about his condition.
A relative says he was in his backyard after 9 p.m. Thursday night when he was bit on the foot. They say by the time he was arriving at the hospital; he was going into anaphylactic shock. He is now intubated, sedated, and getting anti-venom treatment.
Alex Trejo is a snake wrangler and the owner of So-Cal Rattlesnake Removal. The family called him to help find and get the snake out of the backyard. He says while these types of bite reactions can happen, they are uncommon.
"It is not their behavior to bite. That is a last-ditch effort for them; snakes just want to be left alone," says Trejo.
He says the snake that bit the man is a Southern Pacific Rattlesnake, which he says is the most common type in San Diego.
Trejo says during this hot weather, snakes are more active in the early morning hours or late at night, looking for water or trying to cool off away from the sun. He recommends not leaving water out overnight, reducing clutter where snakes can hide, and scanning where you're going while keeping an eye on your surroundings.
If you get bit, Trejo says to try to stay calm and get to the hospital as fast as possible to get anti-venom treatment.
Trejo says he takes calls 24/7 for emergency snake removal all over Southern California. If you need his services, you can click here.
