So...This Is A Thing?

So....apparently in states where it is legal to own Rattlesnakes you can pay a vet about $1000 to have the venom glands removed so that the owner can free handle them without worry of getting envenomated.

I can't say I agree with it. I would not do it that's for sure.

Sample video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxb6jZ-mMak

If you choose to do this (I do not agree with it personally, but different strokes for different folks) look up venom glands regenerating so that you can feel just as nervous with a venomoid snake as you do a full blown hots.

Problem is that some time vets dont get all the gland or the snake regrows them over time.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Freakie_frog

Problem is that some time vets dont get all the gland or the snake regrows them over time.

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Exactly the reason why every "venomoid" snake I have ever handled is treated the exact same as its unaltered kin.

Yes, it's a "thing" called venomoid. Many people believe it is inhumane, and may even affect the snakes ability to digest prey. It can never be fed live again. AND, you're trusting that vet a WHOLE lot to have done the job properly so the glands don't regenerate down the road. A venomoid should still be treated as hot. Oh, and I bet those fangs still hurt like heck.

Ha - Ed and James are faster than me!!

And that is the look and sound of a man doing something he knows is a really bad idea.

Don't be that man. Have the courage and common sense to say "not today" to that camera and that snake.

Does anyone know of any documented case of a venom gland regrowing? I've never seen verifiable reports.

It seems like a benefit that's more for the handler then the animal. I've seen some places keep venomoids as part of their educational display but it was more as a precaution for just in case god forbid something happens and the snake got loose/got out, but they were still treated as if they were hot animals and not handled around the public (and it wasn't advertised that they weren't hot). On an individual basis... idk. I don't really agree with it :/ If you want to keep hots, keep hots. Don't take away their natural defenses so you feel safer, if you need to do that... might not be the best idea to have them to begin with.

Omg....that's insane. He looks terrified the whole time!!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wilomn

Does anyone know of any documented case of a venom gland regrowing? I've never seen verifiable reports.

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From: http://www.snakegetters.com/demo/vet/venomoid-faq.html

Quote:

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" One serious human envenomation by a venomoid cobra was documented by the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, and some people have reported that their "venomoids" can kill mice or that they have milked their "venomoid" and obtained venom. Remember that some venomous snakes with complete glands can deliver many times the human lethal dose in one bite. A snake with even a little bit of gland tissue left can still give a very bad bite, possibly enough to kill. Regeneration has been reported by veterinarians who have examined some of these snakes, especially when only the duct is severed."

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It looks like The Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine is the place to search for documentation.
But, true hot or not and prevelence of re-growthaside, there seem to be enough shady people selling things as something they aren't that anyone free handling and showing off with a venomoid could easily find themselves nominated for a Darwin Award.