Would you ever keep venomous snakes?

lefty_mussolini said:

It seems that truly poisonous snakes wouldn't be much of a risk at all, as long as you didn't eat them.
But what about truly venomous snakes? :grin01:

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Point, taken, point taken


And I truly agree about the car thing- this morning I saw someone turn left out of a gas station.... but instead of waiting for there to be no cars coming,

he decided to wait until there were cars coming at him from BOTH directions. Then, he quickly pulled out, as if to say
".....think fast or we all die! hah!"
It was pretty darn close to being a three car smash up.

some people.

:-offtopic
I have actually eaten snake before, in soup- my mom's side of the family is chinese, and i've eaten some odd things.

I try not to ask anymore, because usually I don't want to know. And usually it ends up being actually really good.......

I have and will again...

Like others here I had a g/f who had kids (young) and decided to cease. Having trouble getting a license now. Since it has been more than five years I need another 1000 hrs of experience or proof of.

I kept a baby cottonmouth for a few days, and have caught a several others. I found myself making stupid mistakes with the snakes, but managed never to get bitten.

I'd get the snake out of its pen with my stick. It would start to crawl off and I'd start to put a hand down in its path to keep it where it was and suddenly realize you can't do that with this snake. I'd start to reach into its cage and remember you can't do that with this snake. I'd start to do other things that I did with non-venomous snakes and realize that's not the rules with this snake. Before long, I realized sooner or later I was going to get bitten doing something careless that wouldn't have matter with a non-venomous snake. So I let it go where I caught it. Now I just flip them and enjoy them from a safe distance.

I won't keep a hot snake, especially now that I have kids.

I will definitely be getting into hots eventually, but I need a seperate snake room for that, and we've decided that it should be away from the house. Most likely we will start with copperheads or perhaps some of the crotalus species which we've handled before. I'd also like to eventually get an eyelash viper, but I would probably like to try to get the anti-venin from Fla. It will be expensive, but responsible ownership is a must!

I used to keep a few venomous snakes, but then it dawned on me one day of just how stupid that was LOL.

I'm as curious about the venom itself as I am the snake that injects it. Hemotoxic venom is nasty stuff. If I knew I had to die by snake bite, I'd pick a cobra over a rattlesnake any day. I would die, but at least I wouldn't melt doing it. Snake bite photos (graphic):

http://www.venomousreptiles.org/libraries/Snakebite Photos

Well you could always get a Mojave Green. Neuro and hemo toxic. You won't live long enough to melt!

I'm just beginning keeping reptiles, and right now I'm starting off with beginner species. Down the road it's inevitable that I'll get some larger species with more difficult care needs, but I will never ever own anything capable of killing me, including large constrictors. I'm too small to be handling a snake bigger than me by myself and I can't always guarantee that there'd be someone there to assist me.

To me, keeping venomous reptiles is just too risky if it is just another hobby. I can see very educated and knowlegable individuals keeping them for the betterment of a species and to collect venom. I love to watch them in the wild, where there should be enough room between my snake and myself. I've seen cottonmouths down at my uncle's place in southwest Missouri up close on their dock. I've heard stories of some who won't hesitate to drop down into a boat from some overhanging branch. I love observing them in their habitat, but I'd never willingly disturb them, much less keep one.

There is a nature center about 20 minutes away from my house with all kinds of native wildlife from Missouri. That's been my best opportunity to see these snakes. I've never seen anything other than a cottonmouth in the wild. They have several varieties of rattlers, a cottonmouth, and at one time they had a beautiful copperhead, but I didn't see it last time I went.

Most of the snakes that fall into the boats from above are mistaken for cottonmouths when in reality they are harmless water snakes. Most people can't tell one from the other as the brown watersnake especially, looks almost identical to cottonmouths including the large triangular shaped head. When you have a big dark snake fall into your boat on the water, most people aren't going to try to do an I.D

Ditto to that. Aren't some watersnakes more aggressive than cottonmouths any way? I have heard of people being bitten by cottonmouths by freaking out and trying to get them out of their boats.

I haven't handled watersnakes so I couldn't tell you. People get bitten by all sorts of things when they panic and start grabbing at stuff! Never a good idea!

Plissken said:

Most likely no. I've had the odd fleeting thought along the lines of "that would be cool..." but never anything serious. I'm just not confident enough to take on venomous snakes. Especially since I would like to have a family in the future, and know I am destined to have children - I don't think venomous snakes have any place in a family household.

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What he said!! I am utterly fascinated by venomous snakes and love to entertain the idea that I might someday keep them... but it never goes any further than a dream. I do want children and I keep a variety of other pets, and I am certain my S.O. would NOT appreciate having venomous snakes around. Can't imagine why.... :shrugs:

My favorite, hands down, is the Eyelash Viper, with Crotalus atrox coming a close second, and the plain ol' copperhead a third. I frequent the venom forums at FC just for the pics... awesome animals!

sallydog77 said:

Ditto to that. Aren't some watersnakes more aggressive than cottonmouths any way? I have heard of people being bitten by cottonmouths by freaking out and trying to get them out of their boats.

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The watersnakes I've handled weren't really all that aggressive. But they did writhe, wriggle, musk and crap a lot. But they tend to calm down like other snakes.

I've sought out and found, or incidentally seen, quite a few cottonmouths. Only a very few have been aggressive and struck repeatedly at my stick. Most, however, were suprisingly calm. I've even stood next to them and had them lay there as if I wasn't there. When they feel discovered, most tend to crawl away, but some will hold their ground with mouth agape. When captured, a few will still remain calm with mouth agape as it lies on your stick. Most, however, will bite whatever you are catching them with (stick, branch, etc). Not a striking type bite, but rather a slow and purposeful clamp.

In all my days herping for cottonmouths or fishing in cottonmouth country, I've never seen one high enough on a branch that it could fall in a boat. I've seen some basking on logs and branches on or VERY near the ground/water, but never more than a few inches off the ground/water. Cottonmouths are not at all arboreal as far as I know. In fact, I've never seen a watersnake more than a foot or so off the surface of the water. I think these tales of snakes falling into boats is BS. There is a video of professional fisherman Bill Dance on the receiving end of a falling snake, but I think its staged.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3135495409883499090

Female Naja annulifera

This is my newest addition. African Snouted Cobra (Naja annulifera)

There are some Religious Groups that use Bible scripture to show their faith by handling dangerous snakes in their worship services. I live in Tennessee and this is still practiced here, and in Kentucky, West Virginia, and other states as well.

Venomous snakes are certainly dangerous, and every now and then you hear a story in the news or on TV about a "Religious Wacko" that got bit by a Rattlesnake in a church service.......

But for the "One you actually hear about" there are possibly hundreds or thousands of "Snake Handling Sessions" that go on without incident.

These Parishioners don't just go out into the forest and catch a wild rattle snake and then take it to church on Sunday, rather, they obtain these snakes when young and take very good care of them and raise them. Even though venomous (usually Rattlesnakes) they become somewhat tame and are handled frequently just like I do my Corn snake.

Which proves, that even a "Mean Ol' Poisonous Snake" won't always bite. Snakes bite for 2 reasons. 1). to obtain food, and 2). to protect themselves.

A snake knows it can't swallow a human, so it's not going to bite for food. Most snake bites occur because the snake is alarmed, scared, startled or hurt.

If the snake has no reason to fear you then it won't bite.

This is why hundreds or possibly thousands of people are able to "Under the Name of God" handle poisonous snakes successfully and not get bitten. Of course it's not because "God was with them" rather it's because the "Pet Rattlesnake" just didn't want to bite.

Of course anybody who has ever kept a pet snake (of any kind) knows that sometimes even a docile friendly Corn Snake will bite, and so sometimes a Pet Rattlesnake will too.

If the pet corn snake bites it's al alcohol swab and a bandaid but if your Rattlesnake at church bites you, it's a trip to the hospital, and even the possibility of death.

So........ I believe it is probably possible to keep and house a Poisonous snake, and never have any consequences from it, but it only takes that one time and for that reason I will stick to Boas and Corn Snakes.

MalinoisK9 said:

This is my newest addition. African Snouted Cobra (Naja annulifera)

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That's a beautiful animal. Congrats and thanks for sharing your pictures.

Karl_Mcknight said:

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Of course anybody who has ever kept a pet snake (of any kind) knows that sometimes even a docile friendly Corn Snake will bite, and so sometimes a Pet Rattlesnake will too.

If the pet corn snake bites it's al alcohol swab and a bandaid but if your Rattlesnake at church bites you, it's a trip to the hospital, and even the possibility of death.

So........ I believe it is probably possible to keep and house a Poisonous snake, and never have any consequences from it, but it only takes that one time and for that reason I will stick to Boas and Corn Snakes.

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Lol, Karl you need to consult more with Rufus while posting. He'd remind you it's "venomous", not "poisonous". :uhoh:

In my state, it is illegal for an individual to keep venomous snakes, although hoggies and even garters are now technically considered mildly venomous they are evidently not included (which is a good thing).

I live two blocks from the boundary and about 3/4 of a mile from the entrance of a world class zoo, so I let them handle the really large and or venomous snakes. I enjoy observing them in naturalistic enclosures behind thick glass.

They have an awesomely beautiful copperhead, btw, and every time I see it I wonder how anyone can mistake a corn snake for a copperhead. They don't look at all alike though they are both really beautiful.

Also, since I've had an escape (and Lord knows I was careful about closing the enclosure though I didn't realize the design flaw), and the cobra loose in Florida is still pretty recent in my mind, I think it is better for people like me to keep harmless snakes. With so many interesting and beautiful harmless snakes in the world there is no reason for the average herp keeper to keep snakes that have the potential to seriously injure or kill.

yes it's supposed to be illegal "To keep them" where I live too, except the Religious folks get away with it because of "The Free Practice of their Faith without Government Intrusion"

The point I was trying to make is that these Venomous Snakes that the Religious Fanatics handle are not "Wild Snakes" rather they are caught very young and raised to be handled every Sunday by dozens of people.

I'd like to see one of these folks that preach "They Will Take up Serpents without fear......" actually go out into the woods and practice their faith with a fresh caught wild one.

Karl_Mcknight said:

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I'd like to see one of these folks that preach "They Will Take up Serpents without fear......" actually go out into the woods and practice their faith with a fresh caught wild one.

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I'd rather see them leave the poor snakes alone!

I'd love to see them set down those captive Crotalus and pick up some WC Naja melanoleuca or Pseudonaja textilis. Free handle some of those and I will be "impressed" with their stupid stunts.