Just because a snake doesn't use it's venom apparatus to kill its prey does not mean that it isn't still used (as mentioned earlier). The apparatus is still used in eating/swallowing. Just this stimulation alone should be enough to keep the muscles and associated structures from getting atrophied.

As far as the glands go, I'm not sure if the venom is broken down and recycled, if old venom drips down the digestive tract in small quantities to make room for new venom, or if it is just stored...

If you are genuinely interested in the process that takes place, there is TONS of scientific literature regarding glands in animals. There are glands in many snakes (both venomous and nonvenomous) that we currently don't know the function of.

What process takes place is not all that important, as we have demonstrated that whatever happens, they still are just as much of a threat after eating frozen thawed prey for years as they would be if they had eaten live prey their whole life.

[ Show Entire Thread ]