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Do you believe we can keep venomous/ all reptiles

  • Should we be able to keep venomous reptiles, with proper licensing and care.

    Votes: 8 47.1%
  • Should not be able to keep venomous reptiles.

    Votes: 4 23.5%
  • Should be allowed to keep all reptiles, given knowledge, and responsibility.

    Votes: 6 35.3%
  • Should not be allowed to keep all/most reptiles in captivity.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    17
  • Poll closed .
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Ethan D

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Nixxy said:
I'd like to know how cool it is when you get bit by that gaboon or mamba. :|

Plus, a taipan..that's the most venomous snake on the planet. Thankfully, they are pretty docile. But they are still able to bite and will if you mess with one. Good luck finding antivenom for it. If you can't properly handle it or have the right knowledge, good luck on extracting for antivenom.

Exactly, most venomous keepers i know have a good supply of antivenom for themselves for the animals they keep until they can get to a hospital which i think is really smart, its almost suicidal not to with some species people keep.
 

Nixxy

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I think everyone should watch Fatal Attractions in addition to everything we've mentioned before getting one.

They also need knowledge of each individual type of snake. For example, whether the snake is rear fanged, front fanged, their type of venom, etc.

Another is that some snakes, such as the short and stubby adders require different handling methods. You also need to know the range they can reach you from when handling, as each is different.

I guess a good way to put it is, don't do stuff like this (Yes I know it's not a snake) if you don't know what you are doing.

301809_3824765331103_434469980_n.jpg
 

Ethan D

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Nixxy said:
I think everyone should watch Fatal Attractions in addition to everything we've mentioned before getting one.

They also need knowledge of each individual type of snake. For example, whether the snake is rear fanged, front fanged, their type of venom, etc.

Another is that some snakes, such as the short and stubby adders require different handling methods. You also need to know the range they can reach you from when handling, as each is different.

I guess a good way to put it is, don't do stuff like this (Yes I know it's not a snake) if you don't know what you are doing.

301809_3824765331103_434469980_n.jpg

Yeah, to me, hemotoxin in my opinion sounds like a harsher way to go then neurotoxin, but thats my opinion, i know ABOUT most of the venomous snake species, but i have only HANDLED ONE, a Red Spitting Cobra, which, was an amazing experience i will never forget, and got me interested in venomous. It's always a risk no matter what animals you keep, be it dogs, cats, snakes, tortoises, etc....., each come with their own care, risks, attitudes, price, and rewards, its just a matter of what the keeper looks for in an animal, if you want something you can hold and interact with on a high daily basis, venomous snakes, and arboreal snakes aren't for you.
 

Madkins007

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Nixxy said:
(snip)
A responsible handler and caretaker would never let there snakes be at any risk of getting out. But, to be entirely fair..most places have quite a few venomous snakes locally as it is.

You live out west, you don't have to look hard to find a rattler. You live down south, you'll find copperheads and moccasins everywhere. Are they as venomous as say, a taipan or boomslang? Of course not. But they are venomous nontheless, and highly dangerous.
(snip)

The problem I have with this comment is that most hospitals in 'hot' locations stock anti-venins for those species, but that is NOT going to help when some kid is tagged by an exotic species that no one around can even reliably IDENTIFY, even assuming they catch the dang thing.

Another point to consider- you may live in a place infested with hot locals, but only a small handful of people get bit- kids, hunters, and people who handle snakes. People are fairly safe from bites from local snakes because you just learn how to avoid conflicts- don't hike THERE, and don't stick your hands in those rocks over there, and of course, most local snakes don't particularly want to live too close to people.

However, toss an escaped cobra in the mix and all bets are off.

Ethan D said:
(snip)
Exactly, most venomous keepers i know have a good supply of antivenom for themselves for the animals they keep until they can get to a hospital which i think is really smart, its almost suicidal not to with some species people keep.

Everyone's experience is different, but...

I used to know a couple people who kept 'hots', and said they had the antivenin for them. I found out that they had cheapo generic stuff that would not even cover their most dangerous specimens, and the stuff was way out of date. One of the 'gentlemen' did not even have any syringes on hand to inject the stuff with! One vial of the stuff can cost $130-$1,000 depending on the species needed, and you often need several vials for effective treatment.

Even hospitals and zoos have trouble keeping their stocks fresh and complete. If I was one of these guys neighbors, I don't think I would sleep any better because they claimed to have some anti-venin on hand.



GeoTerraTestudo said:
(snip)
I don't know what the solution is, though. Education? Regulation? Do we have to set up a government bureau that will deal with handling permits for poisonous pets? And do we punish people who don't comply. Maybe that's necessary, but there are already so many regulations and licenses out there to keep track of. Individuals may pay for the application, but society pays for the agency. Is this really that big of a problem that we need to regulate it?

I don't know. Teach me.

I know- I don't know a great answer either, but I have long thought that one possible route would be to create 'tiers' of animals-

TIER 1- Keep with no permit or special consideration. This would include most pet shop pets.

TIER 2- Keep with simple local registration to ensure a few basic needs and safety regulations are met- such as rabies shots. This would be cats, dogs, and small 'farm animals' in some places. This is also where I would classify most local wild animals- making you get a permit or something from the local game and parks department.

TIER 3- Need to get a slightly more complicated permit or certification that involves making sure you have the right precautions and facility to do this- sort of like getting a desert tortoises in many places. I would put animals in this category that would be an environmental risk if they got loose, or that can pose other local hazards but are not inherently dangerous- big snakes, horses, livestock, things like ostriches or exotic small cats, etc.

TIER 4- Basically making you a 'mini-zoo', you would agree to a fairly strict set of rules for what you have on hand, permits or insurance needed, etc. This would be for animals that pose a risk to others, or that there needs to be better control of for some valid reason. hot snakes, big cats, wolves...

TIER 5- Can't have, can't get, don't ask animals such as very endangered, very dangerous, etc. Here in the US this would be Bald Eagles, grizzlies, etc.

The thing is, in my mind, the basic idea here already exists. It just needs to be improved and tightened, and also made a bit more fair across the US.
 

GeoTerraTestudo

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That actually sounds like a pretty good system. And I suppose it wouldn't be too hard or expensive to incorporate it into existing infrastructure.
 

StudentoftheReptile

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Nixxy said:
A responsible handler and caretaker would never let there snakes be at any risk of getting out. But, to be entirely fair..most places have quite a few venomous snakes locally as it is.

You live out west, you don't have to look hard to find a rattler. You live down south, you'll find copperheads and moccasins everywhere. Are they as venomous as say, a taipan or boomslang? Of course not. But they are venomous nontheless, and highly dangerous.

Yeah, there's a common saying among the hot community:

"What's the most venomous snake in the world?"
"The one that just bit you."
 

Ethan D

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StudentoftheReptile said:
Nixxy said:
A responsible handler and caretaker would never let there snakes be at any risk of getting out. But, to be entirely fair..most places have quite a few venomous snakes locally as it is.

You live out west, you don't have to look hard to find a rattler. You live down south, you'll find copperheads and moccasins everywhere. Are they as venomous as say, a taipan or boomslang? Of course not. But they are venomous nontheless, and highly dangerous.

Yeah, there's a common saying among the hot community:

"What's the most venomous snake in the world?"
"The one that just bit you."

yup, viperkeeper says that a lot XD.
 
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