your thoughts on "venomoid" (defanged)

[Ginevive]

What are your thoughts on "defanging" venomous snakes? People do this to venomous snakes to make them more desirable as pets, and also when using them in acts, such as snake "charming." They do not actually defang the snake, but they do perform a sometimes-traumatic surgery to remove the venom producing glands.
Personally, I think it's horrible to take away a natural part of an animal just to have it as a pet. Then again, we do that to cats/dogs by neutering them, and this in itself is a good thing, because it keeps the population down, thankfully. But to take a venomous snake's venom glands away, just seems sickening and purposeless to me.
I have seen "venomoid" (the technical term for "defanged" snakes for sale on KS classifieds, and it really bothered me. Your thoughts?

[The_Godfather]

Shouldn't be done. If you want a void, you don't need a venomous.

Venomoids have their glands removed and typically replaced with implants to keep the head from appearing messed up.

Defanged I assume would simply be defanged.

Besides the moral issues behind this... It's also bad husbandry, because the venom aids in digestion.

[Smulkin]

I think it's horrid - the John Bobbits of the snake world - hots for people who shouldn't keep hots etc. I really can't think of a good analogy for this - it's nothing at all like having your cat declawed or throwinig a muzzle on your dog. It's stripping away one of the defining characteristics and tools of predation from the snake - would be like "bobbing" the tail off a scorpion. It baffles me.

[Ginevive]

I can't believe people can sell them on other sites. I guess that as long as it makes them money, the sites really don't care. Sad.

[gozetec02]

People who do this IMO have lost sight of the husbandry aspect of keeping reptiles or amphibians as pets. Our job as the caretakers of these magnificent animals to put as little stress on their lives as possible. And also to reproduce as close as we can, their natural habitat. Removing the venom glands from a snake to make it a better pet is like cutting the legs off a cat so it doesnt run away from you when you want to pet it.

When I hear stories like this it makes me sick to my stomach.

[Marla]

I think it's appalling, but I will admit to having had a pet skunk that had been "de-scented", which removed its natural defense mechanism, so maybe that makes me a bit of a hypocrite.

[The_Godfather]

John Bobbits--- hahahahahaha

[rex322]

the venom, in my opinion, is one of the biggest things that make them so interesting. while it could be a good thing to certain extent, its still not right. its cruel, and i imagine it can cause big problems for the snake. i think its wrong, and anyone who feels they have to do this to own one, obviously shouldnt and is not ready to own it.

[JLC]

I agree with everyone so far. It's an abominable practice. If a person is not capable of keeping hots (and let's face it folks, most of us are not!) then there are plenty of other fascinating and wonderful non-venomous snakes for us to keep.

[gozetec02]

I saw on the Jeff Corwin Experience where these "snake charmers" in India would capture Cobras by the hundreds and keep them in small clay containers. They would cut the fangs out of thier mouths so they would be "safer" but he said unfortunately all the snakes die of either dehydration or infection. He showed one cobra that had its fangs removed and it had an abcess on top of its head from an infection. I just say that removing the fangs removes the means in which they eat. And infection seems highly probable.