ME pick a fight?! LOL You came here unsolicited and started calling all keepers who don’t agree with round-ups hypocrites!

For, what it’s worth, what I’m saying is that most of the activities concerning treatment of snakes at round-ups is questionable at best. The same goes for the sustainability issue. I do not believe that rattlesnake round-ups create respect for nature or teach anyone substantial natural history…if anything they stoke the fire of a fear of nature. It feeds on the ophidiophobia already present in the human psyche. And that fear is just plain antiquated. It has no basis on actual threat of envenomation or death (at least, in the USA): look at the data below showing deaths in TX for snake bites and other causes. It shows you are 10 times more likely to die from LIGHTNING strike! LOL (By the way, this is from our recent state herpetologists book on “Venomous Snakes of Texas” published by the University of Texas.)

When questioned by the media, many of the leading “round-uppers” will respond that the snakes’ populations are out of control. REALLY?! Rattlesnake populations are only proportionate to the local rodent population. Period.

I did not say that you sew the lips of snakes shut. Perhaps you do treat the snakes with respect — I have no idea about you personally.

I wish you would, however, quit lumping us into this group of people that “sell to anyone” and “allowing slow horrible deaths”. I know many, if not most of the people I sell to. Most of the snakes I have sold are not cheap. With the few people I have not known, it is highly unlikely those people would want to throw away their dollars by not caring for their animals. I know this, because many of them e-mail me if they have a question on how to care for them better!

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