Hi all,



Please indulge me. I am not a hot keeper and don't have any plans to start, but I was watching one of those Animal Planet shows featuring this guy prancing around cobras in shorts and sandals (don't get me started on that) and realized I had a couple of questions about feeding captive venomous snakes. If a snake is offered F/T over a long period I'm assuming they still strike and inject venom, but does the venom react differently in a previously dead mammal and consequently affect the snake during digestion? Does the snake's ability to produce venom change in response to the prey offered? I know the snake probably doesn't "know" the prey isn't alive if it is the right temp, odor, condition, but how much control do they have over how they envenomate? Maybe stupid questions to you, but I was curious.



BTW, The show had a segment involving a Gaboon viper. What a gorgeous gorgeous creature!! I'd love to live vicariously and see some of your pictures of captive Gaboons and how they are kept. Thanks for your patience and indulgence.

[ Hide Replies ]

• captive venomous feeding questions - Carlton, Wed Feb 27 15:17:33 2008
• RE: captive venomous feeding questions - Upscale, Wed Feb 27 20:26:10 2008
• RE: captive venomous feeding questions - Ian Long, Thu Feb 28 11:19:42 2008
• RE: captive venomous feeding questions - Carlton, Thu Feb 28 12:24:30 2008
• RE: captive venomous feeding questions - richardduckworth, Thu Feb 28 16:28:33 2008
• RE: captive venomous feeding questions - djs27, Thu Feb 28 22:52:02 2008