will i die

[Hamalicious]

Some of the best venomous snake handlers on Earth describe their snakes as poisonous
Venom is basically a poison that is injected instead of being ingested or absorbed

I usually say venomous
But what word you use doesnt have that much bearing on your experience and to the general public it doesnt really matter
They are only interested in how potentially dangerous they are

No they dont. If they do call their snakes poisonous, they are wrong. Why would they use the wrong word to describe their animals? I dont call my car a motorbike just because they both have engines, tyres and they move. If a snake was poisonous, you wouldnt be able to eat it, but you can eat snake. So how about we just use the correct terminology. What is the point of have a word which has a defined meaning if we just use whatever word we feel like.

 

[longqi]

Mr herp

I refer you to Hillys post

If you think Joe Bredl isnt a world class venomous snake handler and demonstrator you basically have rocks in your head
Yet he rarely uses the word venomous
Perhaps semantically he is incorrect
But he has done a tremendous amount of great work and it would be a very brave man who told him he was wrong to his face

 

[hilly]

poi·son·ous/ˈpoiz(ə)nəs/
Adjective:
(of an animal or insect) Producing poison to attack enemies or prey.
(of a plant or substance) Causing or capable of causing death or illness if taken into the body.

 

[FusionMorelia]

ok im going to say it,
MR HERP your a tool. hush and let the real raconteurs speak and stop trolling

 

[Hamalicious]

Im not saying he isnt a world class keeper. I just cant understand why people use a word which is simply wrong by the definition. Why does no one seem to care about the English language? Poisonous and venomous are different and anyone who argues is arguing with the english language.

 

[longqi]

mrherp
You are technically correct in what you say
But to believe that everyone has a similarly concise understanding of English, particularly when the op was from South Africa, where English may have been their second language, is pushing the point a bit in my opinion

My girlfriend is one of few people here who call venomous snakes venomous
Everyone else says poisonous and unless its VERY important that they know the difference I dont correct them

I dont correct because it is simply unimportant compared to teaching them other things that may save lives


Back to the OP
I think you made the right decision in this case
White Lips can be very beautiful
But also are not to be taken lightly

 

[silent36]

Yes you are going to die a horrible death better make your will out to me now

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yes you will die so you better make your will out to me now

 

[Hamalicious]

Well i appreciate that the op may not be completely fluent in English and i do apologise for making an unnecessary amount of conflict in this thread. I still believe that Words have meanings for a reason and i don't understand why people would choose to use the wrong terminology.

 

[Mavrick]

Snakes aren't poisonous, they are venomous. If you don't know that, you definitely shouldn't keep them.

This is why licensing systems are a thing to cherish here in Aus... you actually need to have some knowledge before you can get your hands on a dangerous animal.

I hope the OP gets all the learning they can before taking anything like that on.

 

[JackTheHerper]

Welcome to APS, Where you get flamed for saying something that is slightly wrong

 

[Stuart]

Just to clarify, English is a primary language in South Africa. We are not all dark skinned Afrikaaners .

I may be splitting hairs and apologies if this takes things off topic, but isn't there a significant scientific difference between Venoms and Poisons? My understanding is that venom is complex proteins designed to do a specific task whereas poisons use the bodies or organisms weaknesses against them. I could be wrong and invite any different ideas.

However you go Mate, as mentioned, do your research and see if owning one now is a good idea or if it would be better to get more experience with other vens before jumping in the deep end. Good luck whichever way.

 

[Hazordous-Herps]

If you think you are capable of keeping this snake without getting a bite, then I would say go for it. It really depends on what your going to do though, if your careful and have the snake for display purposes and keep it locked safe in its enclosure, and you don't free handle and you use a hook and are safe when feeding. I don't see what's wrong it depends on your knowledge and ability to handle things well and right more then how long you have kept reptiles or how well you can spell. Because if the spelling thing was true I probably shouldn't own anything as I failed to spell Hazardous.

 

[Skinnerguy]

I completely and entirely agree on the point of word use. Given that the written word is now the most common modern method of communication, (generally speaking) I believe we need to use it appropriately, and to say that venom and poison are one and the same is just pure bastardisation. But also, Mrherp, I can't help but notice that whilst you seem to demonstrate pedanticism toward language, you seem to be disregarding correct grammar in your quest for the proper use of terminology. Those in metaphorical glass houses, should not throw metaphorical stones. It's a wasteful metaphorical pastime. But anyone considering keeping venomous reptiles should endeavour to learn everything about their potential charges, including any relevant vocabulary. If you are neglecting this, I believe you should probably wait and continue your research, particularly if your only question towards the reptile community pertinent to keeping them is "will i die?". As many experienced keepers have already pointed out, no, if you are responsible, experienced and know how to treat an animal, you will not die. If the keeper is sufficiently careful, the lethality of the reptile's venom should not be an issue. But good luck in any of your keeping endeavourss, and try not to die.

 

[eipper]

Guys some snakes are poisonous and some are venomous.

 

[Deyendran]

im asking here because it doesnt neccesarily mean that there are only people from australlia here, i too am not from there and i do recall man a thread on poisonous snakes. its a forum where people of different backgrounds and knowledges can share and help

get used to it this is APS where we judge all on your text not you experience.
however i would ask, why ask people in a country who can not keep anything from the overseas about the venom/bite/keeping of an animal zero of us have ,nor experience in keeping(scientists and zoo workers excluded), apart from people replying with info readily available via a decent search?

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oh and thanx for all the help as well as the crtitisism, appreciate it

 

[Harvez]

Only read the first few comments, but if it hasn't already been said ..... If you still have the idea that snakes are "poisonous" you DEFINITELY shouldn't be keeping vens, bad bad idea :shock:

 

[Hamalicious]

I feel better now, I was starting to think I was the odd one calling snakes venomous, and yes skinnerguy my grammar is far from perfect, I'm happy to admit that.

 

[eipper]

Deyendran,

Are you able to keep native species. Eg small Bitis such as armata, cornuta etc, or elapids are your thing Aspidelaps scutatus etc. Small arboreal species can be difficult to work with when starting out. Smaller terrestrial species might give you a little bit of breathing room while you are starting out.


cheers
Scott

 

[happynagini]

Well....that escalated quickly.

 

[Bluetongue1]

It concerns me that people think that one’s command of the English language, in particular their vocabulary, could somehow determine their ability to keep snakes.

To the OP… I would assume that you are canvassing a number of forums that you visit and previous experience with APS and threads that have dealt with non Australian species have lead you to respect the knowledge that some of our members have of species occurring elsewhere’s in the world. So I don’t find it the least bit strange that you should post your question on APS.

I am not specifically familiar with the species you referred to but having read each post carefully I would very much encourage you to take Scott’s advice. Develop your keeping and handling skills with similar species that lack the same potential to do you real damage. It is the same principle in any area of life where you are learning new skills in the hope of taking on a complex task. You don’t take your first driving lesson on a multi-laned roadway in the middle of peakhour.

Getting back to vocabulary. It exists for a reason… to provide accurate communication. The reality, however, is that there are different level of vocabulary. Otherwise the term colloquial would not exist. That you can have vocab changes “through common usage” basically says the rules can change if enough people misuse something often enough. I personally believe we can do with out all the semantic BS I have just been on about. So let’s erase that for a start. Where to from here?

If you wish to see people using the terms poisonous and venomous separately and within their correct contexts, then you need to correctly and succinctly define the differences for those who appear not to distinguish between them. There is absolutely no positive outcome in saying something like: “You got that wrong and therefore should not be keeping vens” or whatever else along those lines.

I quite deliberately do not intend to provide definitions ot these terms (but not because I cannot). I think someone who has been ‘vocal’ about it should do so. I’ll even given give you a hint… if you wish to do the job well, you will also define the term “toxin”.

Blue