Having worked with both hots and "fixed" snakes I can offer some valuable insight into your question. First off...the removal and litigation of the venom ducts alone is known as a ductonemy, while a full venom gland and duct removal is called an aneductonemy.

I currently have a northern pacific rattlesnake female, who is about 3 years old now...she has been venomoid since the age on 2 months, and she is amazing! She has tagged me, and no ill results! She has only had her ducts removed. In general with vipers you leave the glands if possible, as they look like they get hit by a car when removed! Implants are often hack job work, and are frequently merely marbles stuffed into the area where the gland once was and the snake stitched shut! Venomoid hack jobs digust me, and I do not support amature lame @$$ attempts of making venomoids! I use only qualified surgons, and they use the highest grade possible everything for the procedure. Much care is taken to do the procedure, and it is time consuming.

Having seen professionally done venomoids I can say they fare just as well as their hot counterparts. Cobras seem to do amazingly well after being fixed...one of my sugrons has a monocled cobra that has been a venomoid for 14 years already...she has outlived all of the hot counterparts from the same clutch!

Venomoids must feed on frozen and thawed or fresh killed prey, as they no longer can kill the prey with venom (as it is not used!).

You must use a qualified and experienced surgon, as both your life and the life of the animal are at stake! You don't want to get tagged by your harmless snake and get envenomated, and you don't want to be cheap and harm an animal! The procedure, when properly done, is nearly flawless with very few complications. I have had several animals done, and never yet one fatality due to the surgury!


I have kept and sold both hots and venomoids. Morally I feel they are the right way to go in some situations. For presentations, etc they are the only way to go! Ethics...hmm...some people keep western diamondbacks in a 20L with a screen lid and they have 4-10 year old kids...now that is irresponsible. Venomoids are not for everyone, but they are the way to go in many situations!

Please feel free to email me for venomoid bite pics!

-Steve Clark
TurtsAndTorts@tmail.com -- email me with any questions!

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