My new pet snake *PICS*

[TanithT]

Quote:
Snakes have a single occipital condyle, making their necks quite fragile, and viperids are the most fragile of all due to their lack of supporting musculature. They can actually end up bruised under the skin from necking and pinning, as well as stressed, and you won't see the damage except via necropsy or a blood chemistry panel. But it is damage. A healthy specimen can take it and survive, but it's better if it doesn't.

A shirt makes an acceptable improvised snake bag, especially if the arm holes can be tied off with a cord or string or strip of plastic bag to leave more leeway in the fabric. I'd recommend it over prolonged necking, especially of stressed, struggling animals.

 

[TanithT]

Quote:
There's a lovely one in quarantine in my bathroom now.

Pretty green thing just ate, and it should be ready to go back to the museum any time now when safe transport can be arranged.

 

[texasgal]

This thread is almost a year old .. I enjoyed it then .. and I'm enjoying it again!

 

[TanithT]

Quote:
I'm working on enlarging the pic of the cobra so you guys can see it. If the venom gets in a cut or a scratch its just like being bit. If you wash it off your skin fast, you will maybe get just a rash as long as it didn't get in a cut. If it does get in a cut than you have had a bad day. You will have to be treated at the hospital and remember there is no anti-venom for this snake locally. Other wise just getting it on your skin will not kill you. As far as your eyes they should be washed out "immediately." This is where a spitting cobra will aim to immobialize its prey, the eyes. If you don't get it washed out you will go blind.

I've worked with multiple generations of spitters (siamensis, nigricollis, sputatrix) and have been pretty well soaked in venom including up my nose. I've had cobra and cottonmouth venom tossed in my eye (naughty snakes grabbed and tossed the milking cup). No particular effects other than potential long term sensitization and increased risk of anaphylaxis on an actual bite. Contact lens cleaner, the kind of protein dissolver you are not supposed to put in your eye, is a very good eye wash to mitigate the effects of venom in the eye. It stings, but it does bind to venom protein and neutralize it.

Adult spitters in captivity rarely spit; it's the babies that get you every time.

As to the no antivenom locally, why haven't you guys made an overseas order? Getting an IND is not that hard and the FDA people in CBER (the biological research folks who handle IND permits) are usually very nice and cooperative when working with zookeepers and snake keepers who need the antivenom imported for personal use. I have a document that will step you through the process if you want it by email. Bang on my hatch through my website if you want it, http://www.snakegetters.com

 

[TanithT]

Quote:
Um, what? Do you mean a Thamnophis (checkered garter snake)? It is not an adder of any type, nor is it likely to make anyone ill. Like all animals including dogs and cats, they have proteins in their saliva that can cause an allergic response, but it's really pretty rare and depends on repeated prior exposure.

I am not sure the Vets in both our areas carry anti venom. I dont think they do because Fish and Wild life has everyone convinced they cannot tolerate the cold winters here , thats total BS, they can they just den up like they do everywhere else.

Field biologists and herpetologists like me spend a lot of time in the field hunting snakes and identifying snakes for science, and when they say there aren't any in a region it's pretty rare and noteworthy for a "range extension" specimen to be found. In my experience, in over 75% of the snake calls I have done where an otherwise good and reliable person swears up and down that it was a "water moccasin", I have positively identified the snake to be a Nerodia or Thamnophis, harmless water snake species which are sold in pet stores. So you have a lot of people absolutely sure they saw or killed a "water moccasin", but even in areas they are known to live, the vast majority of those people have only got water snakes. People don't believe there are any because there aren't. There are just a lot of people who do not have snake ID skills but think they do.

The first person who submitted a dead body or clear digital photo of a venomous snake outside its previously known range would be recognized and that range would be extended after investigation. So don't tell me that there are a ton of venomous snakes in an area that the experts say there aren't any. If they were there, people would be killing them and showing pictures, and the new range would soon be known and acknowledged by experts. We do listen to field accounts when they are backed by evidence. Except that there never is any evidence, because there is nothing but a bunch of dead water snakes and photos of harmless snakes that amateurs have misidentified.

 

[TanithT]

Quote:
Depends on how you define "slightly venomous". If you mean the saliva from a modified Duvernoy's gland has a toxic effect on frogs, and sometimes mild local irritation or inflammation in humans, then you're probably looking for a Nerodia, a Thamnophis or a Heterodon (water snake, garter snake or hognose). If you mean anything else, it's an urban legend. The rest of our opistoglyphs like the little Tantilla are pretty much incapable of biting humans, and I don't think they occur in your area.

 

[chilling in muscadine]

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Whats the purpose of having a venomous snake? You cant take them out and play with them

and they aren't endangered. (no offense , just curious)

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/11624_holding_bubba.jpg
This is how you get your rattlesnake out and play with it.

Most definately don't try this at home. This is snakeman doing what he loves to do. Most folks around here think he is crazy for all the bare handling he does. He knows the risk after 50 years of handling and being bitten twelve times now. As far as the anti-venom he had a bad allergic reaction to the anti-venom so he has instructed me if he gets bit in the future and can't talk for his self he doesn't want the anti-venom and also says if he doesn't make it to not let anything happen to his snake. With the puff adder or gaboom viper, well.......you better hope you got some anti-venom because its gonna be a real bad day.

 

[chilling in muscadine]

Quote:
Um, what? Do you mean a Thamnophis (checkered garter snake)? It is not an adder of any type, nor is it likely to make anyone ill. Like all animals including dogs and cats, they have proteins in their saliva that can cause an allergic response, but it's really pretty rare and depends on repeated prior exposure.

I am not sure the Vets in both our areas carry anti venom. I dont think they do because Fish and Wild life has everyone convinced they cannot tolerate the cold winters here , thats total BS, they can they just den up like they do everywhere else.

Field biologists and herpetologists like me spend a lot of time in the field hunting snakes and identifying snakes for science, and when they say there aren't any in a region it's pretty rare and noteworthy for a "range extension" specimen to be found. In my experience, in over 75% of the snake calls I have done where an otherwise good and reliable person swears up and down that it was a "water moccasin", I have positively identified the snake to be a Nerodia or Thamnophis, harmless water snake species which are sold in pet stores. So you have a lot of people absolutely sure they saw or killed a "water moccasin", but even in areas they are known to live, the vast majority of those people have only got water snakes. People don't believe there are any because there aren't. There are just a lot of people who do not have snake ID skills but think they do.

The first person who submitted a dead body or clear digital photo of a venomous snake outside its previously known range would be recognized and that range would be extended after investigation. So don't tell me that there are a ton of venomous snakes in an area that the experts say there aren't any. If they were there, people would be killing them and showing pictures, and the new range would soon be known and acknowledged by experts. We do listen to field accounts when they are backed by evidence. Except that there never is any evidence, because there is nothing but a bunch of dead water snakes and photos of harmless snakes that amateurs have misidentified.

 

[chilling in muscadine]

A couple of days ago a family came by and Snakeman went out to meet them. People here want get out of there vehicle because of my dogs. None of them are lose but I have one or two at all the points around my house. Anyway I look out the window and see a bucket so I decide to go out and see what kind of snake it was. It was a dead canebrake rattler. I asked the man why he brought it here and I asked him rather rudely. Before he could answer I told him to leave and to never bring a dead snake back onto my property. If his children hadn't of been there the conversation would of been rough on his part.
We teach people how to coexsist with snakes, not kill them, what a moran this man was. If this wasn't a family forum I would love to tell ya what I really think of him. We do have people bring dead snakes that they found that had been run over, not there faught.
I'm usually not that rude to get my point across but since I found out I have cancer I don't hold anything back. Oh well!!!!!

I hope the man that killed the rattler ends up with a major rat problem. Is that wrong? I don't think so. Every year we have a list of people wanting to rehome rat and king snakes for there rat problem since most of our rattler calls end up being non venomous species.

 

[chilling in muscadine]

Earlier this year a man caught a copperhead an brought it to snakeman. Snake is pretty famous in this area and people love to catch snakes to bring to him. Most are non venomous but the people that caught them still are interested in what they have caught. Of course this usually ends up in being a full blown snake show. We can not bring folks inside to see our snake room because we have a couple of dogs that would chew there leg off. Anyway Snakeman will bring different breeds out and handle them bare handed, he always puts on a good show but he is also educating people about snakes. And telling people to not pick up snakes like they see him doing is the number one rule. The number two rule is if you don't know what kind it is to leave it alone and the snake will leave you alone.

Anyway we had noticed that the copperhead the man brought us earlier in the year was getting fat. We are talking female fat, pregnant. Snakes have there young in August or early September. Well she has had 11 offspring. I'll have to wait until I have some better light maybe tomorrow if I get up since its almost morning now and get some pics of the new babies.

We will keep them until there first shed and then release them into the wild to hopefully live a full life. Releasing them will be a good day. I have some amazing video I want to put up on you tube but I have dial up

Hopefully I can get high speed soon so I can share the amazing videos I have with you guys.

With the economy how it is and Snakes job burned to the ground before the economy hit the fan we are strugling like everyone else. Maybe something will give soon!!!!!!

S@R@