Video Shows Rattlesnake Bite Reptile Company Employee

A pet store employee was recovering, Thursday morning, from a rattlesnake bite. Store surveillance video showed the man cleaning a western diamondback rattlesnake's cage Wednesday in Hollywood. But, when he tried to move the snake to another cage, it lashed out and bit his hand.

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The Florida snake handler was rushed to a Miami-Dade hospital that specializes in snake antivenin. Experts said the rattlesnake bite probably wasn't a feeding response, otherwise the attack caught on tape could have been much worse.

The Strictly Reptiles Company breeds snakes and other reptiles. Employee Tony Cruz was cleaning the cage of the rattlesnake when the snake struck his hand as he was holding the lid as a shield. Cruz raised his hand a little too high and the snake struck.

Five years ago, at the same company, another worker was bitten by a green mamba and he recovered.

"Most rattlesnake bites cause major tissue destruction, a lot of swelling, it causes a lot of pain. Some people say that it's very similar to slamming your finger in a car door," Cruz said.

He is expected to be okay. Had the bite been a feeding response, experts said, the snake would have injected more venom.