Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i have always enjoyed snakes and reptiles, i have a young burm and other creatures, i would love a venomous but i dont understand how you can have an animal so dangerous, what do you do with a hot and what if you get bitten, thanks for anyone who responds to my curiosity

There are a variety of tools available (hooks, tongs, restraint tubes, etc.) for handling venomous snakes. Most venomous snakes are treated like display animals and only handled for necessary procedures such as cage cleaning, medical procedures, etc). These procedures require some skill and a healthy respect for the animal.
Most venomous keepers have established protocols ready in case of a bite and many have their own supply of antivenin. What they do after the bite largely depends on what they are bitten by but it often requires a trip to the ER and very expensive medical bills.
This isn't a hobby that one should enter into lightly but if you decide you're serious about it, try to find an experienced keeper in your area that can teach you the ropes. I was fortunate enough to find two experienced keepers in my area that taught me a lot and allowed me to work with their collections before getting my own.
Chris

I agree with the above letter totally, that TOOLS are the trick when working with venomous snakes, NOT "hands" as your question might imply. Its just like driving race cars. Many of us can drive a car, and drive well, BUT to be a top notch Indy driver, you need PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, with hopefully no crashes! Sometimes you don't get a second chance!

I always get asked the same question you asked, how do you handle a hot without getting bit. My response is, the best way to handle a hot, is to not handle it. I have a western diamondback that i have had for three years and never once have i had a reason to physicaly touch the snake in any way. Much thought went into his cageing to facilitate cleaning and care without haveing to handle the herp. His hide box itself is a box with a handle on the top. The box has a hole in the front for him to get in and out of, but also has a slideing plexiglass door on it. All i have to do is open the top of the cage, slide the small door shut on the hide box, snake is contained. Later after removeing the box from the cage i wire the door shut for extra security. This allows me to clean the cage without haveing to handle the snake, as well as get a close look at the herp as the box also has a hinged top with a plexiglass window inside the top. Just unlatch the top, open it up, and theres the herp on the other side of the glass inches away. SKINNER

There are very few occasions where you should have to put your hands on a venomous snake (providing it is healthy and has no medical issues.) Taking precautionary steps like you have employed make it an even less likely scenario.
I still don't think it's realistic for someone coming into the hobby to assume they will never have to put their hands on one of their snakes. They should still aquire the necessary skills and the proper tools so they are able to should the need arise.
Even when good husbandry is in place, sh*t can happen. All it takes is a retained eye cap, a problem feeder or the presence of parasites on a fecal exam and you may need to do some hands on procedures.
Of course, a good set of restraint tubes makes these jobs a lot safer IMHO.
Chris