Plain Stupidity

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Originally Posted by Hulihzack

You bite poison. Venom bites you. I think you are misunderstanding the literal meaning of the words. To call it poisonous, you'd have to go suck down a vial of venom... and that's hardly possible in any natural situation.

To the OP... there's no need to get angry with people's ignorance about snakes. It's not common knowledge, many people don't know squat. Working at a reptile store, I pretty much answer these "stupid" questions all day long. I even hear people who own reptiles saying ridiculous things. "I got a 38 foot Egyptian python back home!" Just smile and Nod and go along your business. If it's someone close to you, take the opportunity to teach. No need to get worked up over it.

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poi·son·ous (poi'zə-nəs) adj.

[Capable of harming or killing by or as if by poison; toxic or venomous.]

ven⋅om⋅ous  [ven-uh-muhs] –adjective
1. (of an animal) having a gland or glands for secreting venom; able to inflict a poisoned bite, sting, or wound: a venomous snake

I agree with your statemet, but this is one definition straight from the dictionary. I'm just saying that I understand why people interchange these terms. Today is the first time I learned that they had such specific meanings.

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Originally Posted by Chocolate Muffin's

Some snake venom is poisonous, so I DO think that is a valid understanding. It’s a matter of semantics to say that the animal itself is not poisonous but their venom is.

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It's not a matter of semantics.

Poison is ingested.

Venom is injected. There's a difference.

Therefore venom is not poisonous, it's venomous. I mean yes if you swallow it, it's poisonous, but that's not how it usually gets in one's system.

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Originally Posted by Diamond_1028

Today my auntie told me she had mice and to let my snake loose in her kitchen, oooh no. I am not stupid and that sounds stupid.

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Tell her to get a cat. Or borrow her neighbor's cat. :D ;)

You guys are being too anal about the poison and venom thing... yes it is 2 different names in English, but what about other languages? In spanish Venom and Poison translate to the same thing Veneno.... Is not a big deal.

In honesty, this stems from the same lack of a certain thing just like in the pit bull situation: education.

That, and ignorance. There will always be that breed of people who, once they have decided upon something, they are right. End of story.

Not to change the subject (although it is based on similar perspectives), but I had an infuriating encounter when I took my pit bull to the pet store. Granted, yes, he is a powerful dog, yes, he does have tons of energy and can come off as aggressive when all he wants to do is meet another dog. He was never socialized, so he does not have very good manners, but by NO means, at ALL, is he aggressive, human and dog alike.

Either way, an elderly lady walked by and literally took a step back, as if she had been bitten. I instinctively smiled and said, "Don't worry, he's friendly." She merely stuck her chin up and said "Yeah, that's what they all say." while walking away.

I couldn't keep back my response: "Yeah, well then maybe you should do some research, lady."

I've bombarded my family with the facts, and they still won't change. But, back to the snakes. When I was contemplating getting a BP, my boyfriend's father said: "But aren't they all poisonous?" So, I got the double deal there. Sigh. :rolleyes:

"Snakes are evil" obviously this is true because it was a snake that tempted Adam and Eve... Evil is the sodding hampster that clamped down on my finger at 6 am this morning while I was trying to administer Baytil.

"Snakes are slimey" Your opinion would be valued if I thought that you had actually ever touched a snake....

These are the two that I hear the most (thanks grandma) and really irk me. Not because someone dislikes my animal, but because they show a general disregard for knowledge. I had a lady tell me one time that PetSmart would burn in hell for selling snakes. I was working there at the time so I bit my tongue but really, that is plain ignorant.