An infant was rushed to the hospital by helicopter after he was bitten multiple times by a baby rattlesnake in Jamul, according to Cal Fire.
The incident happened around 4:20 p.m. in the 20000 block of Manzanita Way.
The victim's grandmother Dian Taylor said the 17-month-old boy named A.J. was playing outside her house, which sits on three acres of land.
She was inside when she heard A.J. start to cry and his mother shout, "Oh my god, he got bit by a rattlesnake."
Little A.J. was bitten three times on his stomach.
Taylor said she immediately called 911, and once emergency crews arrived, they airlifted the child to Rady Children's Hospital.
They now know he's going to be fine.
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"He's just a little trooper," said Taylor. "He's a happy, happy baby. He's always smiling. The nurses said he's been great."
According to Dr. Arit Edwin-Enyenihi at Rady Children's Hospital, the boy is lucky to be alive. He did not have as much venom in him as doctors expected.
Hot weather tends to draw more rattlesnakes out into the open. With the area's warm winter, animal control received more than triple the number of rattler calls between January and March.
According to Taylor, conditions are no different in Jamul. She told NBC 7 that her family has already seen many rattlesnakes in their yard and even had a cat bitten by one about 7 months ago.
The grandmother thinks A.J. will be staying inside the house for the rest of the summer.
"So please, keep your kids inside," said Taylor. "Don't let them do what happened to A.J. today."
On Saturday morning, A.J.'s uncle spoke with NBC 7 and said the little boy was still in the hospital but was doing fine. He said the boy may be heading home as early as Saturday evening.
If you do get bitten by a snake, Dr. Edwin-Enyenihi said you should not try to suck the venom out. You're better off using anti-venom, so call 911 as soon as possible.
