venomoid?

[cmack91]

i personally will never ever ever own a venomoid, the venom is one of the reasons i would buy a venomous snake in the first place. and like stated, they can still grow their venom glands back, so its never 100% safe. and starting off with a monocle is not the best idea. if i were trying to get into hots right now, i would get a snake that we have locally, in my case, it would be the western rattlesnake. the main reason i would go with a local species is because antivenin will be close by in the event of a bite. this isnt likely to be the case with a monocle cobra. but whatever you choose, there is a way to make sure your snake isnt venomous (and note that even this method should never be considered 100% proof), you do a live mouse test, basically you have the snake bite a mouse, and if it lives, its either a dry bite (no venom injected), or the snake has no venom. even this you would want to do numerous times to be sure, and do it often. for example, just because these 5 mice lived, doesnt mean the next five two weeks later will. its up to you, but if you ever buy a venomoid, you have to be willing to own a fully venomous version of that snake, since there is a chance the snake can end up that way. just look into it, and do as much research as possible, and maybe even find some super aggressive snakes to handle with tongs/hooks to get a feel of how to do that.

and dont take any of this as coming from someone with any experience, as i have 0, this is all just from what ive read

[Maixx]

Another reason this has been considered inhuman is that several species use their venom as part of their digestive process, not just to kill.
If you want a venomous reptile, first find out the laws, they are illegal in many locations. Then do your homework, how to handle, start off with with non venomous aggressive snakes, then work up to non lethal venomous, then the lethal ones.

Most venomous are illegal in WA, so its a moot point for me.

Jump into this too early any you could end up dead or maimed.

[Strick]

Okay then no, I do not believe that this is ethical. If I were to own a cobra (actually one of the easiest snakes to tame) I would take the risk and have some antivenom handy instead of buying a mutilated animal. To do so is to encourage them to continue mutilating these cobras.

Might want to do some serious research there...It's all not quite that easy including the anti venom...

[Enigmatic Reptiles]

Well I have assisted in a few different types of Venom gland removal or duct occlusions. We ONLY will do these for state approved facilities which use the animals for educational purposes and the need for wildlife conservation. I still do not agree with it one bit...but I feel the same way about debarking. If getting a dog debarked means that it will remain in a loving household and not end up in a shelter...it is worth it. Back to the topic. The procedure which we have had the most LONG TERM success is to occlude and cauterize the venom gland. This is actually far easier than implants and since the duct itself has been in cauterized, there is FAR less likely of a chance of regrowth with function. This being said I would NEVER trust a bite from any venomous snake regardless of the procedure. I think if you want to keep hots, take your time and keep the HOT.

[jason_ladouceur]

Venimoids are and atrocity! Mutilating one of these amazing animals no matter what your motivation goes against any and all things that any animal lover should stand for. In addition to all the snakes that die as a result of this disgusting surgery, the survivors are maimed and as you can see in the video link posted not even reliable safe. It’s all ready been stated but Naja kaouthia is far from an ideal beginner hot. Although by cobra standards they are fairly calm they get pretty big and can be quite a handful for a novice. As mentioned before it would be ideal if you found a mentor to show you the ropes before jumping into any hot snake. But if this is not possible and you are determined than I suggest you at the very least start with something a little more manageable, maybe you should consider Aspidelaps. They stay small and will defiantly give you a taste of what it takes to successfully handle elapids. You also need to consider the availability of anti-venom in case you do suffer a bite. Be aware that anit-venom requires a prescription to obtain, has a very limited shelf life and is very expensive. Also depending on where you live ER doctors will more than likely not be aware of how to properly treat any snake bite let alone one from a foreign species.

And most importantly be careful and be safe.
Jason Ladouceur

[mr.spooky]

i could be wrong, but there is one place that the venomoids are done right, and are done by a DVM, and given a chip.. im not sure of the "success" rate though.. if venom glands are surgecally removed, and all of the gland is taken, i dont think that they can regenerate the gland.
the thing that i found out when looking into these animals was that they are illegal in my state... heres the wierd thing,, i live in georgia where it is LEGAL to have HOT NATIVE species,,, but it is illegal to have "hot "non native species. they (DNR) said that the only way to have a hot non native species was if it was for teaching purposes (wich about only leaves university acredidations),, and more that that, there were stacks of paper work, and expensive fees that you had to pay. (the fees were not a one time thing).
soo,,, if i wanted a venomoid EDB, i could have one,, or i could have a "hot " EDB... guess ill never have that gaboon
spooky

[WtGreg]

Aside from ethical, humane, and legal debates, I would say you don't want to start with a cobra if you are getting into hots. They are beautiful, but also fast, and can have a temper.

I have had cobras with venom and devenomized and there is ABSOLUTELY NO DIFFERENCE IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING! I know because I got into hots by jumping straight into cobras (hots, not devenomized at that point), so trust me there. A devonmized needs to be treated as if it were hot, with the fully respect of a deadly cobra. The video posted before is an excellent example of why. If you get bit by one which has venom, even if sold as a v'oid, them do you have access to anything that could help the doctors save your life? Is there anyone in your area that does, because if they can't ship it in in time because it was too far away, then you're screwed, and worse that adds another story in the newspaper to drive people further towards wanting to ban hots and even all reptiles. And, BTW, insurances commonly don't cover antivenom for cases like exotic pet handlers, so you have a potentiaal for a really high medical bill.

With cobras especially, the second you loose respect because you get cocky with the thought "this is a venomoid, it can't hurt me" is the second you get bit. I know this because I did this. It is so easy to get yourself into that mindset you don't even realize it until it happens and you ask "what was I thinking?" I was good with hots, never got bit by one of my other cobras and handled them perfectly with care, but I got cocky with my v'oid while pinning it and sure enough, I was nipped. Grabbed too lightly and it wiggled all of an inch or two forward as I tightened grip, enough to whip it's haed around to scrape me. Hardly a nip of only one fang, but that could have killed me if it was one of my other hots or was not properly devenomized.
I am never happy to admit this, but I do cause I know others can learn from my mistake and others have made the same mistake and not been as fortunate as me..

I know I should never have jumped into hots with cobras looking back, but wayyyy back then it seemed like a good idea and I probably wanted an animal to show off, knowing my younger self. That was all the wrong reasoning and it isn't until I got comfortable with handling all my cobras that I realized I really wasn't ready when I began. I didn't have all the forums and other online resources to tell me all the points I hadn't considered, so I hadn't considered alot of what people point out here, now. Please use the resources that are now available to you.

Since noone can stop you, to own a hot is your choice, but get an experienced handler to show you every thing and guide you. I suggest you start with something easier to handle if you are just starting out in hots. I am not trying to say your shouldn't have hots, but really a cobra needs experience before you get one if it is your first hot. It is not a beginner hot in my opinion. If you are not absolutely comfortable handling a hot cobra, then you shouldn't own a v'oid, cause at the end of it all they are the same thing and should be respected they same.

my 2-cents in novel form.

[Strick]

^^^
Good points there. My neighbor who got me started with balls is in to hots. He is teaching me as I help him with his...When I am ready I will get one but not until he says so. I wont be starting with a cobra either...

[Jessica Loesch]

Yes .. antivenin is extremely expensive and can be difficult to obtain. So getting it just in case would be quite hard to do.

[Maixx]

Yes .. antivenin is extremely expensive and can be difficult to obtain. So getting it just in case would be quite hard to do.

Adding to this, I believe it also has a shelf life. But no idea how long.