Expert offers safety tips after Florida girl is bitten by pygmy rattlesnake

DELAND, Fla. (FOX 35 ORLANDO) - Kelly Bajek, 11, is recovering at home after getting bitten by a pygmy rattlesnake. Snake expert Jack Facente runs Agritoxins, a company that makes antivenoms, like the one doctors gave Bajek.

Facente said pygmy rattlesnakes are small and hard to see, and their rattles don’t sound much louder than the buzzing of a bee.

RELATED: Girl, 11, recovering after pygmy rattlesnake bite

“They're probably one of the most common venomous snakes here and probably cause most of the venomous snake bites in Central Florida,” he said, “they'll flatten-out and coil. If you back-off, they'll calm down and crawl away. If you step on or next to them, you're probably gonna get bitten.”

If you get bitten by what you think may be a venomous snake, experts say the best tool you have is your cell phone. Take a photo of the snake if you can, so experts can identify it. Then call 911.

“The sooner you get the antivenom, the better your local damage will be,” Facente said.