Reptile & Amphibian Forums

why is it that venemoids are looked down upon?

what are some of the advantages to venomoids?

i sure as heck wouldnt be able to keep an actual venomous snake...so i was thinking about a venomoids. i thought about it for a litlle and couldnt think of any problems with it...but i did see people talkin about not liking it...but why?

All info pertaining to why venomoids are not good choices for animals have been presented thousands of times on these forums. I am going to restate some simply because you said you are interested in possibly getting one.

First, venomoid surgery has zero, zilch, no benefit to the animal whatsoever. In many, probably most cases, it actually hinders the animal. Plenty of animals operated on die. Most surgeries are not done by vets, but by "garage vets" who basically aquire basic veternary (and sometimes not) tools and attempt to perform the surgery in a usually unsterile enviornment. THEY DO THIS SIMPLY FOR PROFIT. The reason is simple: There are plenty of people who do not want to take the time or have the patience to keep a venomous snake. This is an easy alternative. If you have any compassion for the animals however, you will see it's the wrong one.

Just because a snake is deemed "venomoid" does not guarentee it. There have been cases of a supposed "venomoid" snake envenomating a person. There are many reasons, i.e. faulty surgery, partial regeneration of venom glands or ducts, etc. And as stated before, most venomoid surgeries are not performed by anyone qualified to operate on an animal. Do a search on these forums to find out more. I have two suggestions for you:

1. Go out and find a mentor. You are not qualified (by your own words) to keep venomous animals...NOW. If you take the time to learn the husbandry and techniques in safely keeping venomous reptiles, and have the confidence and discipline to work with them on a daily basis and keep them healthy and their needs met, you can keep a venomous snake. You just need to learn how to do so properly and safely.

2. Stick to non-venomous. There are literally thousands of non-venomous snakes that are just as amazing and fascinating in their behaviors and lifestyles as venomous snakes. If you are hesitant about your dedication or confidence in dealing with venomous, DON'T KEEP THEM!!!!!!!!!!! There is no requirement for you to keep venomous to enjoy snakes! Simply stated, if you cannot handle keeping a snake WITH IT'S VENOM, you should not be keeping a venomous species, regardless if the individual snake is venomous or a venomoid.

I have so much more to say on this subject, but this is the second post regarding venomoids I've replied to today, and I'm exahuasted talking about it. The bottom line (and most, though not all on here will agree with me), is that venomoid surgery is a useless and hurtful surgery that only benefits greedy people who a) want lots of money so they butcher snakes in their garage, or b) are people who don't want to take the time to learn how to keep venomous snakes, so they go and get a venomoid snake to show their friends how cool they are because they have a cobra and can hold it and hug it, etc...i'm going a bit off here, but you know what I'm saying...I hope. Please, I'm literally begging you, DON'T GET A VENOMOID! Buying them supports the market for them! If you love snakes, or even just animals in general, you will realize this.

I have a cat. He is sometimes very destructive, clawing and scratching furniture, me (owwww!!!), and everything else. He is obviously not declawed. If i could not tolerate an animal clawing my furniture and my flesh, I WOULDN"T HAVE GOTTEN A CAT!!!!!!!!! Simple! He's neutered, but neutering benefits many mammals by giving them longer lives, plus it prevents the explosion of stray cat populations, who have no one to care for them and are essentially the equivalent of homeless people, and have very poor qualities of life. Therefore, neutering benefits not only the keeper, but the animal, and that is why I chose to have my cat neutered and not declawed. I know I really went off on this response, but it's for good reason, as I'm sure others on here can verify...Hope this helps you with your question.

AP

2. Stick to non-venomous. There are literally thousands of non-venomous snakes that are just as amazing and fascinating in their behaviors and lifestyles as venomous snakes. ... Simply stated, if you cannot handle keeping a snake WITH IT'S VENOM, you should not be keeping a venomous species, regardless if the individual snake is venomous or a venomoid.

I have thought for a long time that I'd like to keep a venomous snake. HOWEVER, I (a) live in a condo complex with strict rules about pets, (b) have stupid dogs, and (c) cannot dedicate one room in my house to the keeping of a venomous animal. So.... on the advice of MsTT, I am going with a non-venomous alternative.

I have decided to get a water snake, preferably one of the big and nasty ones like Nerodia taxispilota. From all of my research, these are plenty exciting and challenging without the dangers associated with hots. The main problem is acquiring a setup large enough for such a snake. I've bought books and talked to keepers. I figure that in a few months I should have my setup ready to order the snake. The snake's the cheap part.

I do love rattlesnakes; I have to confine that to seeing them in the wild. Perhaps if I change my living situation, I can do the setup right. I want to thank MsTT and everyone else here for all the advice, solicited and unsolicited. I know just who I'm going to talk to when I am ready to keep hots.

I have decided to get a water snake, preferably one of the big and nasty ones like Nerodia taxispilota. From all of my research, these are plenty exciting and challenging without the dangers associated with hots.

Water snakes do have the attitude! However I would caution anyone with blood disorders where they have clotting problems such as hemophiliacs (sp?) from trying to keep them - the anticoagulants in some water snakes saliva can be strong and if bitten could cause potential problems for such folks. I know my blood clots pretty quick and good but after getting bit by a juvenile nerodia sipedon sipedon I bled like a stuck pig long enough to worry me a little. I have a friend with naturally thin blood who can bleed profusely from even a minor nip from a small python and bruise all to hell afterwards - ya think he'd been hit in the hand with a hardball or something. I'd hate to see what would happen if he got hit by a water snake.

if ya ever do get a hot, don't overlook the possibility of them pretty little copperheads! they are quite the beauties in their own fashion.

I certainly don't "look down" on venomoids, any more than I would look down on a badly injured cat that someone had kicked repeatedly until it lost an eye and went deaf. I feel sorry for the abused animal and I think that abusing it in the first place is sick and wrong.

I do look down on the people who think it's acceptable to hurt and mutilate an animal just for the fun of keeping it as a pet, instead of taking the time to learn proper handling and safety skills. That shortcut is paid for in an animal's blood and pain. If you can't care for an animal without chopping pieces of its head off, leave the animal alone and collect something else, like stamps.

Venomoid surgery is not humane and not ethical, and most of the time it is not even performed by licensed veterinarians - snakes are hacked into with crude and nonsterile tools without any pain medication, so some backyard butchers can profit by selling the ones that actually survive this cruel and illegal procedure.
Venomoid FAQ