A Pike County man known for his snake charming abilities is recovering at the University of Mississippi Medical Center after recently being bitten by a cottonmouth.
David Brewer was bitten at his home on Oct. 7 after a snake got caught up in a net.
Brewer, who keeps cottonmouths and other venomous reptiles at his home, said a visitor tried to dip a cottonmouth snake out of his aquarium and the snake got tangled in one of Brewer’s nets, and that “turned into a situation.”
“I had to get this snake out before this girl gets bit. He was caught in one of my old dip nets,” Brewer said.
He said in order to get the snake out of net, he had to cut the net.
“I tried to shake him loose, but she ripped some of his scales. I, being snake person I am, I tried to help snake out,” Brewer said. “He had torn his scales trying to get loose. I was feeling badly for him because the girl hurt him.”
Brewer said he did something he shouldn’t have — he took his eyes off the snake’s head.
“I went to grab him to jerk him and as soon as I touched them scales, that son of a gun put both those fingers in his mouth. One fang in one finger and one fang in the other finger. He got me good. It’s the eighth time I’ve been bit,” Brewer said.
The snake put his fangs in Brewer’s index and middle fingers and got them stuck.
While this isn’t the first time Brewer has been bitten, t’s the first time he’s had a snake’s fang get stuck in his flesh.
“We stared at each other 4 or 5 seconds, just looking at each other. It was about 4 or 5 people there. I was trying not to jerk away from him. He’ll tear my skin up,” Brewer said.
After the staredown, Brewer said the snake decided to let his fingers go, but had difficulty doing so.
“He finally decided he was going to turn lose and he lifted it up out my flesh. But the left one wouldn’t come out,” he said.
He said the snake tried to shake loose but he couldn’t.
“He moved his head from side to side, about three or four times. His left fang was stuck in my joint. He had to wiggle loose so he can pull it out,” Brewer said, “Never had that situation. When they hit you, they don’t get stuck to you. He got stuck to me.”
Brewer said after wiggling free, the snake was able to lift straight up and release his finger.
He was taken to Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center, where he was immediately transported to the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
Brewer had surgery Tuesday and had to have the two fingers on his right hand cut down to the first joint.
Even though Brewer is facing the possibility of losing his fingers completely, he’s still in good spirits.
“I don’t know why they call it the long finger,” he said jokingly. “It’s the bird finger. I told them if they cut it off shorter than the other one, then it’ll be a bird.”
Brewer, who runs a tree service for a living and has demonstrated his interactions with snakes in numerous videos posted on YouTube, will have to get used to the loss of his digits.
“They cut some of the index finger off and cut some of the middle finger off,” Brewer said. “I have a nub on the index finger and nub on the middle. It’s cut to the first joint.”
Making a saw noise, he said, “They sawed my fingers off.”
He said even though he may lose his fingers, he’s not going to stop doing what he loves — climbing trees and catching snakes.
“It’s not going to stop. It’s the eighth time. It wasn’t the snake’s fault and it wasn’t my fault. It was the girl who was messing with my snakes’ fault,” he said. “She had no business messing with my snakes at all.”
And while Brewer may like handling snakes, he doesn’t recommend it.
“You can look but can’t touch. They’re dangerous as hell and you’re not suppose to be touching them,” he said. “If you want to see one, ask David to show it to you.”
