THEY DON'T. There is no evidence to suggest otherwise.

Atrophy is something that happens to muscles/tissues that don't get used and/or get a lack of nutrition. It is not something that occurs in a venom gland, venom apparatus etc. Just because a snake eats frozen thawed prey does not mean that it isn't using its venom apparatus.

I've had snakes that have eaten frozen thawed prey for over 8 years and when I offered them a live weanling rats due to having a lot of extra (restrained by tongs feeding them just as I would frozen/thawed) the snake was still able to kill the prey item no problem.

Saying that venom structures atrophy and become ineffective is making leaps and bounds and is over applying principles that don't fit the situation.

Do you really think that a structure such as a venom glad that took such a long time to evolve is actually going to go away within a generations time due to non-use? Not hardly.

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