text: Bitten: Austin Hatfield, 18, found the venomous water moccasin, also known as a cottonmouth, near his Wimauma home last week  (pictured is Hatfield with the snake that is believed to have bit him) A Florida teen who kept a deadly wild snake in his bedroom as a pet and bragged about how many times he'd kissed it was bitten on the mouth and rushed to the hospital Saturday. Austin Hatfield, 18, found the venomous water moccasin, also known as a cottonmouth, near his Wimauma home last week. He'd been keeping the serpent in a pillowcase when it escaped over the weekend. 'We was sitting in the kitchen and he ran out of the room saying hospital, hospital. Now, now,' Hatfield's best friend Jason Belcher told Bay News 9. Hatfield was rushed to a Tampa hospital in critical condition. Bites from the cottonmouth are known to cause extreme swelling and can lead to death. But leading up to the incident, Belcher said Hatfield wasn't at all concerned. 'Alright he's kissed it 12 times. The 13 wasn't a lucky one,' Belcher said. 'He kisses it right on the head. Right on the mouth. He's not afraid of death.' The snake on Saturday night had escaped from its pillow case and slithered across Hatfield's stomach and off his bed, reports the Tampa Tribune. The fatal bite came Hatfield tried to recapture the snake. Lucky for Hatfield, antivenom does exist for cottonmouths--known by the name because of the white, gaping mouth they often display when threatened. Gary Morse, spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said the worst has come and gone for Hatfield. 'His condition has improved today and he is expected to recover,' Morse said. Outdoorsy: The 18-year-old Florida man is apparently a fan of snakes, as evidenced by at least one other photo on his Facebook . Morse said Hatfield was possessing the snake illegally. In Florida, a a permit is required in order to lawfully keep a venomous pet. The snake had to be captured and euthanized in order to ensure proper identification. Morse urged other budding herpetologists not to make the same mistake as Hatfield. 'It really doesn't want to eat you, but it will protect itself,' he said. 'Cottonmouths have a reputation of being somewhat skittish when you get near them and they will readily defend themselves. 'Alright he's kissed it 12 times. The 13 wasn't a lucky one,' Hatfield's best friend Jason Belcher said. 'He kisses it right on the head. Right on the mouth. He's not afraid of death.'
target: Austin Hatfield of Wimauma was keeping the potentially deadly snake, AKA a cottonmouth, in a pillow case in his bedroom .
  A friend said Hatfield's 'not afraid of death' and the 18-year-old won himself the chance to face death down on Saturday .
  Hatfield was rushed to a Tampa hospital in critical condition but has since improved and he's expected to recover .