AMARILLO, TEXAS -- With the weather starting to warm up, many people are starting to see snakes coming out of their hiding, many of them are rattlesnakes.
Earlier this week a 4-year-old boy was bitten by a rattlesnake in Childress.
"Snakes will hibernate in a hibernaculum and that is why you sometimes see them in groups," said Mike Boley with the Amarillo Zoo.
The local poison control center is busy because with calls.
"We have had many calls this year already," said Jeanie Jaramillo, with Amarillo Poison Control. "Rattlesnake bites are fairly common in the panhandle of Texas and with the drought and recent rain they're really coming out."
There are three species of rattlesnakes in the Panhandle.
"Prairie, Western Diamond Back and a small rattlesnake called massasauga," said Boley. "Those are the ones people need to be aware of if they encounter."
Boley says these snakes are not aggressive unless they feel threatened or trapped.
"The majority of snake bites actually occur in young men and its mainly because they're trying to handle the snakes and often it's associated with alcohol," said Dr. Roger Smalligan with Texas Tech.
Smalligan's interest in snake bites began during his time in Ecuador.
"I spent a number of years in South America in a mission hospital," said Smalligan. "We had snake bites coming in on a daily basis."
Rattlesnakes can actually regulate their venom when they inject it, and you can't escape from its effects.
"The venom causes a lot of intense pain and swelling and a lot of tissue damage right at the site of the bite," said Smalligan. "The venom is causing a tissue breakdown."
Some final tips for dealing with a rattlesnake bite...
"Calm them down, clean it, wrap it, elevate it and just take them to the hospital," Smalligan said.
And be extra careful this time of the year.
