oidara Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Some of you may know from one of my other threads that I am freaking out about snakes having arrived here in Oz. Well, last night we found a redback hiding in my 2-year-old's tricycle, which has done nothing to allay my fears of the native wildlife! We've both been to Oz many times before and never worried about any of this, but I guess it's because we have kids now. I'm just so petrified of something happening to them. I know there have been no deaths caused by redbacks since the anti-venom but it still freaks you out holding one in your hand and knowing it could kill you (in a tupperware tub, by the way, not just crawling about in the palm of my hand!). How do you cope in this country where a simple trike ride with your little one could result in sudden death!?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 As I said before just make sure things are kept indoors and you use a barrier spray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oidara Posted August 28, 2012 Author Share Posted August 28, 2012 But you can't keep everything indoors, can you? Not all bikes, etc. Or garden furniture. Or a whopping great trampoline!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lebourvellec Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Scary... I once seen 2 redbacks when I was cleaning windows at my old job. Luckily I spotted them, freaked out sprayed them with Windolen and that was the end of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 But you can't keep everything indoors, can you? Not all bikes, etc. Or garden furniture. Or a whopping great trampoline!! No but keep a spray handy so you can spray anything you see. Seriously the chances of being bitten are slim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stovies Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 When we first came over I worried a lot about my children being suddenly killed by snakes and redbacks (we lived right in the country and saw spiders and snakes regularly).... they're still going strong 14 years later and I haven't heard of any other children being killed this way. Its the females who produce the poison.. most redback bites are ineffective but if the child is bitten, there is time for antivenom to be administered after using a bit of first aid ie ice pack on bite. According to google, no deaths have occurred since the introduction of the antivenom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harpodom Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 chillax! give it (the outside toy) a once over if you need to but apart that, honestly, its not worth worrying about. If you educate your kids to know whats what, they'll be able to spot things more easily than you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AKA63029 Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 If, and a HUGE if anyone of your youngsters gets bitten by a Redback or any spider come to think of it try using Activated Charcoal in powder/liquid form, used to taste like the devils urine :no: but with manufacturing leaps no taste now, it is proven to absorb a huge amount of poison and venom, IT IS NOT A CURE ALL THOUGH. Immediate medical attention should be sought, and never induce anyone to vomit as this can be detrimental. As I said Oidara, it is EXTREMELY unlikely you will get any problems, it is a myth that there is an animal around every corner ready to pounce, but the best defence is EDUCATION, know what you are looking at and be aware. Cheers Tony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleabo Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Who was it playing hide-and-seek with, a funnel-web? :laugh: Remind your kids not to go sticking their fingers where they can't see. :wubclub: Some of you may know from one of my other threads that I am freaking out about snakes having arrived here in Oz. Well, last night we found a redback hiding in my 2-year-old's tricycle, which has done nothing to allay my fears of the native wildlife! We've both been to Oz many times before and never worried about any of this, but I guess it's because we have kids now. I'm just so petrified of something happening to them. I know there have been no deaths caused by redbacks since the anti-venom but it still freaks you out holding one in your hand and knowing it could kill you (in a tupperware tub, by the way, not just crawling about in the palm of my hand!). How do you cope in this country where a simple trike ride with your little one could result in sudden death!?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rikyuu Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 I can see where the OP is coming from. You can't keep every item in the house and these spiders can be anywhere. I found them under stones in the garden and even in the grass. You can't keep kids inside all the time and stop them from picking flowers, walking in grass and moving stones let alone playing with their toys outside, so it is a worry and not enough to say your child is unlikely to die because a bite could be excrutiatingly painful. All you can do is spray everything, inside and outside and tell your kids to touch and lift up nothing when in the garden and wear gloves yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest17301 Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Its not like theyre waiting..ready to pounce...it's just a fact of life...keep it in perspective, how many spider bites result in trips to hospital do you think? Not too many....I stopped checking after the first few months and I garden bare handed, foolish some might say but I've not been bitten, seen a few things scuttle away quickish when Ive shifted things though...they don't want to hurt us, their best defence is retreat so try not to worry too much and spray undersides of furniture toys and perimeter of house, sheds etc three monthly. They'll be fine! Thousands have before them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest littlesarah Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 it is proven to absorb a huge amount of poison and venom I know you mean well, Tony, but I really can't see how ingesting activated charcoal would help with envenomation, given that spider venom is injected via the skin. Charcoal works well if poison is taken orally, because it will absorb the chemical in the gut, but venoms get into the body via the blood stream, thus bypassing the gut. (Which isn't to say that a substance injected won't have an effect on the gut, but not by being in there). It's a question of being educated about which species are potentially harmful, & bearing that in mind when in the garden. Spiders will only attack if they feel threatened - I picked up a plant pot without gloves and a large redback fell out from under the rim, right next to my finger. That was a reminder to make sure I keep my gloves on in the garden! (And look where I'm putting my pinkies!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landv Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 A while back there was a redback in our Xmas tree :laugh::wacko: but that was a one-off, I've never seen another one inside the house ever since. I've seen quite few outside in the garden, but it has never got that bad that I had to spray them. I normally give my daughters' outside toys a quick check over before I let her play with them because she's only two, but with older kids you can teach them about the spiders and just make them aware. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AKA63029 Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 I see your point Sarah, and to a degree I agree. But a large amount of activated charcoal has been known to (once digested) to slow the toxin flow to other organs, once the activated charcoal is in the blood stream. A long tome ago peeps were looking for all manner of 'cures' for box jellyfish stings, and something as mundane as white vinegar proved to be a relief from the pain, but NOT managing to stop the pain wholly and certainly not a cure. But many things peeps need to know about, way too many people don't know enough about the possible affect's of stings and bites and anything that may help in that dreadful situation could be a positive. Cheers Tony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Activated Charcoal is Used as a paste put over the bite, it's well know up here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TONY2000 Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 We quite often see them under the lid of our Jacuzzi, there not a problem generaly just be a little more careful when moving things in the garden & Shed etc you soon adapt ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest veeps Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 I mortien bomb the garage and shed every 3-4 months. it really works and for $12 for 3 bombs its peace of mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleabo Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 If you find a funnel web, catch it, and take it alive to your local public hospital. :yes: One day you might be one of the 60 folk that need the antidote. But if you are going to catch it, make sure you are a middle-aged female as you are statistically less like to get bitten. http://www.smh.com.au/environment/animals/wanted-deadly-creatures-that-must-be-taken-alive-20120720-22fcc.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newjez Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 If you find a funnel web, catch it, and take it alive to your local public hospital. :yes: One day you might be one of the 60 folk that need the antidote. But if you are going to catch it, make sure you are a middle-aged female as you are statistically less like to get bitten. http://www.smh.com.au/environment/animals/wanted-deadly-creatures-that-must-be-taken-alive-20120720-22fcc.html Is that because middle aged females aren't stupid enough to try and catch a funnel web? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest littlesarah Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Activated Charcoal is Used as a paste put over the bite, it's well know up here. In terms of evidence, a quick database search hasn't yielded any significant published evidence to demonstrate that it's effective. Tony, the mechanism of action of activated charcoal in poisoning is that it adsorbs the toxic substance, and is not digested, thereby allowing the toxic substance to leave the body via defaecation. So the charcoal doesn't make it to the blood stream. I'd be interested to know about the cases you cite - do you have any references or sources? I'm curious to know about any first aid measures that could be employed when miles from help! I'm not trying to be argumentative, but I do think we should all try to make sure that we know what is likely to be helpful in a given situation. I'm sure I read that if there's any doubt about the type of spider or snake that caused the bite, to make sure not to clean the area or apply anything so that the venom can be tested to identify what antivenin is needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennlx Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 In Australia, never kept outdoor toys inside. Never gardened with gloves. Never used a barrier spray. ALWAYS outside, mucking about happily. Saw plenty spiders and snakes, as educated to be able to identify them from a young age (along with blue-ring octopus, box jellyfish etc.) and AVOID. Number of bites? Zero. I have never known ANYONE who was bitten by a (deadly) spider or snake. Try not to worry - if the very worst happens, take them to hospital. But chances are, it will never happen, if educated and reinforced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Trueblue22 Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 In the 11 yrs I lived there as a child, with my brothers and sister, none of us were bitten by anything.....apart from the odd mozzie lol!! I'm going back with my 4 yr old and it does worry me, but I think it's just a case of educate, educate, educate. :biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleabo Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Apparently spiders are transfixed by the sight of lycra...:biglaugh: Is that because middle aged females aren't stupid enough to try and catch a funnel web? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cki2011 Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Apparently spiders are transfixed by the sight of lycra...:biglaugh: Me too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosshf Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 I see your point Sarah, and to a degree I agree. But a large amount of activated charcoal has been known to (once digested) to slow the toxin flow to other organs, once the activated charcoal is in the blood stream. Cheers Tony. Activated charcoal isn't absorbed into the bloodstream, so not sure where you're getting your info. Cheers Ross Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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