Posted by:
lichanura
at Mon May 16 16:39:04 2005 [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by lichanura ]
Not taking sides in this matter of removing venom glands, I always have the same question when I hear the argument about the removal of the glands having "dietary implications". Is the health of the snake really jeaprodized?
The injection of venom into prey starts the digestion process which actually kills the prey. Indeed, the venom is digestive enzymes. I can see a benefit to this but not that important as non-venomous snakes have no problem with digestion. Also, pre-killed prey given to venomous snakes do not appear to cause any digestion problems, nor "dietary implications". Also, venomoid snakes seem to be living long healthy lives.
Can someone shed their feelings on this? I am not interested in the rights and wrongs of the issue, only the physiological digestive problems that can arise from gland removal. Thanks.
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