HOLLYWOOD, Fla. -- Doctors at a local hospital are closely monitoring a man bitten by a snake. The problem is, no one knows what kind and that is delaying doctors from giving him a life-saving treatment.

Relatives said 37-year-old Angel Santiago was bitten on the forearm Thursday while tending to the garden outside his home.

Images: Man Bitten By Snake

"He always comes out in the morning and looks at the plants and he puts water on them," Chelmys Irsula said.

According to snake experts, the reptile that bit Santiago is not from South Florida.

"He was having atypical symptoms, meaning it's unlikely it was a snake that is native to Florida," Al Cruz said.

Cruz and his team responded to the scene and searched everywhere for the snake because without identifying it, they can't administer the antivenom.

"We have the largest antivenom bank in the country, possibly even the world. Unfortunately, when it's a snake that is not from here, we need to know specifically what kind it is," Cruz said.

Santiago is in Memorial Regional Hospital in good condition. Doctors said they plan to keep him there until they determine he is OK to leave.