The appeal of venom ??

[eipper]

Mike,

There are anecdotal records of Fatalities/ fatalities are rare/ record of a fatal is dubious etc.....Its all semantics, if the record cannot verified then it is not a reliable record per se.

If it could been verfied I am sure it would of been included...

Cheers,
Scott

 

[Yogi]

I was more stating that a RBBS is a snake with veno
That could be very bad for the victim of such a bite and yes that one case would be very hard to prove that it was the venom and only the venom that killed her. Further more the idea of free handling an elapids is just plain stupid. Would I free hand a great white or a box jelly because that is stupid. I will one day have my vens lic and they will be observered through the glass for the magniscant animals they are.
Cheers Jacob
sorry no arguments intended

 

[Bananapeel]

Thanks blue, appreciate it. And completely agree with your last sentence.
I love pythons and vens just as much as one another purely because I believe each have there own perks. While pythons lack activity (often not always) they make up for it in handling (for those that want something they can handle). Vens on the other hand have the alert and active attitude and while usually lacking the ability to be handled IMO have the amazing potential to do some very serious damage and must be looked at with strong respect. I just think they're a very incredible animal and the fact that we are allowed to keep them is really not something to be taken for granted. As much as I love pythons, vens really are something special and I cannot wait to have the privilege to own them and educate others about them. Because a lot of people seriously need to lay down the shovels. :lol:

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I was more stating that a RBBS is a snake with veno
That could be very bad for the victim of such a bite and yes that one case would be very hard to prove that it was the venom and only the venom that killed her. Further more the idea of free handling an elapids is just plain stupid. Would I free hand a great white or a box jelly because that is stupid. I will one day have my vens lic and they will be observered through the glass for the magniscant animals they are.
Cheers Jacob
sorry no arguments intended

Not to burst your bubble or anything but handling a Great white and a box jelly is a bit different to handling an elapid. Well IMO anyway... Some people believe it's stupid (like you) whereas others (who hopefully know what they're doing and understand the animal) or just see no problem with it, don't care. Next time you make these comments I think you should include that it's your opinion (even though we know it is) because many are fine with it IF the people who do it aren't drunk or incapable show offs. You may also find that when you get into elapids you will learn a lot and may free handle yourself once you understand the animal. Just a possibility...
Anyway, sorry to get off topic and I don't mean to offend you yogi as in your own opinion your points are valid. Sorry if I sounded rude and accusing you. Many people believe similar to you.

 

[Yogi]

No all good yes it's my opinion indeed. And I take a comments well that may be the appeal ( to the op) that they can handle compently hopefully a snake that can cause major problems if bitten. The appeal to me is always there character and awesome look.
Cheers yogi

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And hell yes about your last sentence spoken well to often they are killed just for being there good on you ( sorry back on topic)

 

[RedFox]

Come on people aren't we all tired of the free handling arguments? Can't we all just say each to their own and let nature weed out the idiots, who don't know what they are doing?

 

[MathewB]

What would you do if it happens at night? What would you do if you are only wearing underwear etc? What would you do if the power is out when it happens?

Put on some pants, grab a torch and inform the ladies that there's more than one type of snake on the loose tonight.....Preferably, you'll put on sunglasses while saying that last line.

But yeah, RBBs are on the list.

 

[Wing_Nut]

There are simply to many levels of fascination to possibly describe in words. The venomous snakes of Australia are simply amazing, and the only better place to see one than in high level of care most Elapid keepers, is roaming free in a pristine natural environment. I would certainly keep them should the opportunity arise and my knowledge base was sufficient to provide them with a safe and proper environment.


On a side note according to the Australian Venom research unit there have been no confirmed deaths caused by a red belly black snake.

Regards

Wing_Nut

 

[Ryderthefrog]

I knew this guy that had a huge collection of vens and he amazingly handled them just as you would handle a python and just as frequently aswell. I was always shocked at him and not once (that I know of) had he been bitten. All were quite tame and friendly.
But in my opinion why would you risk it?

 

[Bluetongue1]

I am not an advocate of free handling. However, I have people that I know who make a living out of snakes and who free handle their animals. When asked about why they free handle this or that specimen, they replied in terms of the level of trust they have in a specific animal. Some they are prepared to reach into the bag blindly and take out without making eye contact. At the other extreme, some they watch for the full duration that they have them in their hands. Neither has received a serious bite from one of their captives. These are people who have observed their snakes over a long period. They have an established rapport resulting from an extensive background knowledge combined with many hours of critical observation of individual specimens. Their free handling is anything but slapdash.

It is not for me. I would not recommend it. The level of aware observation and the time required in interacting to achieve an acceptable level of safety with free handling is excessive to say the least. It is a bit like car racing – if you are good enough you might just get out of it alive.

Blue

 

[Crotalid]

I couldn't care less about the fact all my snakes are venomous, i bought them purely for the fact i think venomous snakes are far more attractive than non venomous snakes. Not all venomous snakes though, as I'm not a fan of things like Kraits, Coral snakes etc.

I've never felt the need to have a snake i can hold around my neck or walk around with etc, which is why i will never own a non venomous snake. For me, snakes don't want to interact with you in the slightest, they would rather be left alone. So owning venomous is perfect for what i like and how i see things.

 

[Endeavour]

I think at the end of the day its very much a personal choice as to whether venomous snakes are for you. Keeping venomous snakes requires discipline, a very methodical way of working and a real love of your animals. Personally I would not want to take the risk as mistakes can and do happen, its the severity of these mistakes that would be a major concern for me. In a thread I started some time ago I stressed how important it was for me to handle the snakes I keep, this is simply something I would not do with venomous snakes. There is no denying the fact that the attractiveness of some venomous snakes is astounding but again the potential for harm for me outweighs there beauty.

I have the utmost respect for anyone who keeps venomous snakes properly, they are a special kind of person. Its really sad that occasionally we see the odd fruit loop doing untold damage to venomous snake keeping as a whole by being careless and taking silly macho risks on camera

Kindest regards

Endeavour

 

[Crotalid]

That was meant to say, "far more attractive than non venomous" - I should really start reading what I write!

 

[Bluetongue1]

Crotalid, at the very bottom of your posts, on the r/hand side, you will see “Edit Post” in front of the usual “Reply” and “Reply With Quote”. This allows you make corrections. It only remains active for a week or so (how long I am not sure) and then disappears. We knew what you meant anyway….

Blue

 

[Crotalid]

Crotalid, at the very bottom of your posts, on the r/hand side, you will see “Edit Post” in front of the usual “Reply” and “Reply With Quote”. This allows you make corrections. It only remains active for a week or so (how long I am not sure) and then disappears. We knew what you meant anyway….

Blue

Ah whoops! Didn't think you could do it on the Tapatalk app, but it appears you can. Thanks

 

[cement]

To those who want to get vens then I would suggest doing a ven husbandry course. What has been kicked around here should be noted but realise there is a hell of a lot more to it.
I for one would hate to get tagged by a large rbbs, and take them very seriously. There may be no deaths on record, but how does a kidney failure sound and a life of dialysis? I reckon that if you want to keep vens then research the venom of the species you want to keep, the known effects, and take a good hard look at the reasons why.
Elapids are prone to defecate more then pythons so be aware there is a lot more hands on then you may think. They are messy buggers.

 

[moosenoose]

My red belly black doesn't like me much. He's getting to about the 4ft mark (maybe bigger) and still carries on like a pork chop. I like to let him loose occasionally in the backyard for a bit of sun, but the bigger he gets the faster he moves :lol: Sun time is a fun time :lol: :lol:

 

[$NaKe PiMp]

I Handle venomous snakes everyday,and i handle far more wild snakes than most people in my work, but plenty of captive ones too. I really enjoy my time with these amazing creatures and have a great life i share with them.
The other people i know who share a similar passion they too seem to have there lives enriched,if you like them maybe you should keep some, but only if your really interested, a passing interest is not enough in my opinion.
Probably the greatest thing ive been able to share through venomous snakes with the people i meet during snake jobs,or during wildlife presentations i do,or talks to community groups etc,is by making people more aware of snakes they are more likely to be aware of conservation,and if they conserve snakes then they are more likely to conserve all living creatures in our ecosystem.

 

[Bananapeel]

Well said $NaKe PiMp.

 

[snakeman478]

Once you have owned vens you will never own a python again. Everything about them is better IMO

 

[Hamalicious]

No recorded deaths from RBB,s their venom is quite low in toxicity compared to other Aussie elapids...

Is this correct? They are the 19th most venomous snake on earth. I think the lack of fatal bites is because of their placid nature, reluctancy to bite and the fact that they will often only dry bite with out injecting venom.