That in itself is the entire point. In the end of the day, if you are, the side effects will be much worse. If you aren’t, you still have a significant change of death.
Here are just some of the nasties in venom.
Anticoagulant - A component of snake venom that prevents coagulation (clotting) of the blood leading to prolonged bleeding.
Hemolytic - A component of venom that damages or destroy red blood corpuscles.
Hemorrhagin - A component of snake venom that causes breakdown of blood vessels resulting in leakage of blood into the surrounding tissues.
Necrosis - Tissue death and destruction, possibly caused by cytotoxic venom. May lead to amputation and limb loss.
Procoagulant - A component in snake venom that causes coagulation (clotting) of the blood. Procoagulant venoms eventually cause prolonged bleeding by using up all the clotting factor.
If you don’t know what the venom does to someone, in my opinion, you are taking a greater risk.
Additionally if you do get a species that causes tissue damage. It’s permanent scarring and skin graphing, if you survive the bite.
Seems to me that, with all of the information and teaching that is going on with this person, I am feeling that there is a great amount of resistance to intelligence going on. Whereas he may have been ignorant of the facts previously, he now is an informed consumer. Therefore, if the attempts to further educate fall on deaf ears, then they are fruitless.
This person will get a venomous snake and keep it as a pet. I mean, he has a HOOK, for goodness sakes.
“Survival of the fittest” was actually not Charles Darwin or Darwinism but rather an incorrect application of Darwinism by sociologists during the Gilded Era that was given the coin phrase “Social Darwinism”. They tried to use the idea that intelligence and wealth was an evolutionary trait or path that one inherited. This in fact, let them disbar and neglect the second class and immigrant class.
So, in the purity of science, always continue to educate because the one is the main goal. Not all may listen and learn but all must have the chance to learn and grow in understanding.
I am not saying that you @thegamingbaryonyx don’t want to learn. I can see the desire to own a venomous snake. Personally, I have a very ill mom, she took years of her life to have me and my sister. So, I have decided that venomous is not a true option for me, even though they are awesome. I can’t risk that something could happen to me because I need to care for her, and I also mean so much to her.
Everyone here has valid points. Forgive me for not reading all of this thread, but it seems to me that most of us fail to ask the simplest questions. @thegamingbaryonyx please don’t be offended, but how old are you? I only ask because you seem thirsty for knowledge but also eager to retort. @t_h_wyman
After reading this thread I can’t add much that hasn’t been said but I’ll throw in a couple pennies.
There is no such thing as medically insignificant venom.
Every bite is unique, someone living through a bite doesn’t mean you will. Something those outside of the venomous world don’t often see is what a lot of the career venomous guys hand’s look like. Are you prepared to live without one or more of your fingers? Or with a completely crippled hand? Just because you don’t die from a bite doesn’t mean you won’t have permanent damage.
There is no such thing as a cheap hot. A $50 venomous snake, still needs about $1000 worth of housing and equipment to keep it and you safe and healthy. A good safe enclosure can run that much on it’s own. You can’t imagine what it’s a like to have a venomous snake loose in your house.
As far as hooks go, you should have an arsenal of them. Sometimes the snake takes one away from you or traps it in some way that makes it ineffective. You need another one right under hand to keep things calm and controlled. I’ve got several hundred dollars in just hooks in the room my rattlesnakes are in. Tongs are another thing I wouldn’t consider living without. A good pair of safe tongs will run you over $100 on their own and you may want to have a couple sets of different lengths.
Where things really get expensive though is the hospital. A medivac to the hospital is going to be in the neighborhood of $50,000. That’s before any treatment. There is almost no chance that you won’t get a six figure hospital bill for a single bite.
@knobtail1 good to see someone with your experience on here!
I would strongly suggest you find a safe handling mentor in the mean time. If you’re taught correctly you could go through life and never take a bite. There is no street cred, valor, or anything valuable that comes from being envenomated. IG likes will not heal tissue loss.
No but MToxins is a venom lab in Wisconsin that I suggest you visit. There you can see venomous snakes in habitat at their zoo and watch venom production happen. Check out any podcasts you can find with Nathiel Frank who is the owner. Listen to and read bite reports online, that will give you a much better idea how dangerous this can actually be. Just do a ton of research. Listen to all the old episodes of the Snakes and Stogies podcast on The Herpetoculture Network as a lot of them are regarding venomous snakes.
I only keep a few. I want to preface this by saying that before I ever brought a hot in my house I worked with them doing relocations for many years. I’m comfortable not having trap box setups but I don’t think it’s wise for anyone in their early years of keeping. A trap box allows you to do husbandry without ever having to handle the snake.
I use setups like these. The middle one with lock is the only one that currently has a venomous snake in it (an elderly Western Diamondback).
I don’t suggest anyone build them theirselves although I did build these. I’m a contractor so it’s quite a bit different than someone making a DIY venomous enclosure.
I suggest searching for Venom Proof Cages which are purpose built for the task.
You should take formal HOT education and handling like that offered through the Amphibian Foundation.
Also, be prepared for catastrophic medical bills (accidents happen) and ensure your local Trauma Center has access to the antivenin for your particular HOT of choice (unless there is a zoo in your area that keeps the same species you will need to acquire this and pay them to bank it).
I’ve been keeping snakes for 20+ years and I’m in my mid 30’s. I’m still at the “interested but not yet ready for venomous” phase.
I reccomend you try first with a reactive non venomous or non-hot venomous snake and pretend that it is venomous. See how quickly things can go pear shaped with a defensive, reactive, fast snake.
Acclimating WC Kukri Snakes to captivity has been my most recent reminder that I’m not ready. I’m not willing to get bitten by them, they don’t ride a hook well and they’re not thick snakes.
Everyone here has valid points. The best foundation with keeping Venomous is to learn all that you can and continue to learn more. Experience all that you can and be a knowledge sponge. Don’t learn from one person, learn from 20. And once you’ve learned from 20, learn from 20 more. I know it seems difficult, especially when you’re entering a community of very private people. It just takes time and persistence. There are essentially three parts to Venomous keeping, safety, husbandry, and knowledge of the animals. The first one is always safety. The last one is always safety. The old saying, “it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when” is bull****. I know individuals who have kept venomous over 40 years and never been bit. It all comes down to safety protocols. There truly is no need to touch the snake. We do it because we like to, but on paper and in reality it is not necessary. It takes a long time to break unknown bad habits with keeping harmless reptiles. That is why safety is always the first thing on your mind and the last thing on your mind. It’s great to be passionate and want to learn as much as you can! But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have patience. And always remember, everyone has an opinion and that doesn’t mean you have to take it. But learning from lots of people is better than learning from just a few. @thegamingbaryonyx take a look at these videos, they should give you a good idea of how you’re going to start. I hope this helps. https://youtube.com/channel/UC0KozTrYrzjiFI1CiPfiU6g
