11-year-old Putnam County boy bitten by pygmy rattlesnake in good spirits

An 11-year-old, bitten by a snake Friday afternoon is recovering tonight.

He was taken to Orange Park Medical Center after a snake bit him on the ankle in a yard in Florahome.

When Fire Rescue arrived at the home, they found what appeared to be a flesh-colored rattlesnake.

Action News Jax Courtney Cole spoke to the FWC on Friday an official said only six of the 44 snake species in our state are venomous.

Of those six, three are rattlesnakes.

The Putnam County Sheriff's Office said the area has received a lot of rain, which means more snakes are on the move.

Action News Jax's First Alert Chief Meteorologist Mike Buresh confirmed Putnam is one of the wettest areas in our viewing area.

Since May, the county has received about 15-20 inches of rain and up to two feet in some areas.

That's significant because when there's a lot of rain it often drives snakes to find drier ground, which is how they sometimes end up in people's yards and even along the roads or sidewalks.

Deena Brunner, the boys mother, reached out to Action News Jax to update us on her son, Matthews condition. She sent us this statement and photo:

"He is currently stable at Wolfsons after initially being transferred to Orange Park Medical Center. He was bitten by an almost 2 foot pygmy rattlesnake. He has been a champ! Never panicked. Never cried. Just went to his grandmother and said I was bit by a snake. He is receiving antivenom and still cracking jokes."

Cox Media Group