Zoo provides antivenin for man bitten by pet green mamba snake

[Gocntry]

Well at least I know if I move to North Carolina I can have Green Mambas as pets



Doctors in North Carolina said they used four vials of antivenin to treat a man who was bitten by his unusual pet: a deadly green mamba snake.

The man is expected to make a full recovery and is back at home with his snake, which is legal to be kept as a pet in North Carolina.


https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2021/03...4971616615960/

[Charles8088]

Sadly, for those playing with venomous, often times the anti-venom is not covered by insurance, and the resulting medical bill can be off the charts. I'm sure the hospital or facility is profiting as well, but what can you do, no choice really if you want to live.

https://www.wral.com/5-on-your-side-...osts/18498196/

[Bogertophis]

UN-fortunately, the zoo providing this anti-venin may now be short of supply needed to save a member of their own staff should an accident happen to occur before they can re-stock, so it's not something that 'pet-owners' of venomous snakes should be counting on, IMO. And re-stocking can take a while.

Medical bills may be just the start of this "pet-owner's" worries: when you make the news this way, suddenly your health insurance may re-think your coverage, & if you had homeowner's insurance, it probably just disappeared. Even "better" if you're just a renter.... Hey, every great pet comes with financial ruin, right?

Honestly, I have little sympathy- no one needs an exotic venomous snake for a "pet" (& by "exotic" I mean one that is not native to the U.S.) because if an accidental bite can occur, so too can the escape of this snake, and that's JUST what no one needs roaming around where it doesn't exist naturally. It has happened before with loose cobras in TX & San Francisco. I'm glad this fool isn't my neighbor- it's not only him that may get killed.

And let's not forget what this does to the public's opinion of all snake-keepers, when one fool makes the news this way. Accidents in the news = more snake-hatred & more laws restricting all of them for all of us.

[Trinityblood]

Owning venomous is "play stupid games, win stupid prizes." I would think medical expenses alone would repel people from owning them as pets. I went to a reptile show and there were several tables of venomous snakes including rattle snakes for sale in taped up cake containers. Owning them requires a permit but I think those people are crazy. I'm surprised, or not surprised, that the owner didn't have anti venom on hand.

[Bogertophis]

Owning venomous is "play stupid games, win stupid prizes." I would think medical expenses alone would repel people from owning them as pets. I went to a reptile show and there were several tables of venomous snakes including rattle snakes for sale in taped up cake containers. Owning them requires a permit but I think those people are crazy. I'm surprised, or not surprised, that the owner didn't have anti venom on hand.

I rescued & worked with rattlesnakes (relocating those I could & doing educational programs for conservation with those I couldn't release) for some 20 years. I didn't get into that "wanting a venomous snake" ever- it was a local issue where they got into people's yards & even houses, & got killed for it, but since many bites happen when inexperienced people try to catch or kill them, it's better when it's someone with snake experience who deals with them. I was self-taught, btw, & my assistance was free. It wasn't about catching & keeping things either, as some do. I even had the blessings of Fish & Game.

There is a VAST difference between keeping a native "hot" and an exotic (from another country). Our local hospitals are fairly well prepared for the occasional venomous bite from native species, but not so for the exotic ones. And if I was a professional zoo-keeper (a profession I once considered) I'd be plenty ticked off that some jerk with an exotic "hot" was using up the anti-venin that was my occupational "safety net", should an accidental bite happen at the wrong time. There is NO good reason for a private citizen to keep such snakes, especially since virtually none of them can afford to pay for the consequences of their mistakes. And most people want them for the wrong reasons anyway. I didn't like rattlesnakes because they're venomous, but in spite of the fact.

FYI- when I kept rattlesnakes, I didn't keep anti-venin on hand either, for several reasons:
1. local hospitals had it
2. it's expensive, hard to get, & might expire while just sitting around
3. And the biggest reason is that you NEVER administer it at home! You can die from a "surprise" anaphylactic reaction, even if you had no previous issues. You need to be IN the hospital when it's administered.

[Bogertophis]

By the way, a HUGE downside of keeping hots, whether native or not, is the difficulty (both finding & affording) vet care when something goes wrong. So it's a huge responsibility, and if you think it's rough taking a regular snake to the vet, or treating it at home, just think how much fun it is with a venomous one.

Apart from the "bragging rights" that entices some people to do this, it's not as much fun to keep hots that you cannot handle & relate to...it's just not. And every thing you need to do as far as their care requires careful planning & your full attention. There is no working with them when you're tired, feeling poorly, or under the influence of any substance, legal or otherwise. It also helps if you can come up with creative but totally safe solutions for doing what you need to do, as I did for cleaning them (& even bathing them, lol). There's just no room for error. And I'm happy to say that I never found out first-hand what a venomous bite feels like.

[JacksReptiles]

I wouldnt be relying on anyone else to keep antivenom for me lol. If I had a snake like that I would have that antivenom on site.

[Trinityblood]

I wouldnt be relying on anyone else to keep antivenom for me lol. If I had a snake like that I would have that antivenom on site.

That's what I was thinking. If a person has it, then a doctor can administer it. If that zoo didn't have any antivenom then that guy would be screwed right now. Makes no sense to not have anti venom around when it means mean life or death. Especially with a non local venomous snake.

[Bogertophis]

I wouldnt be relying on anyone else to keep antivenom for me lol. If I had a snake like that I would have that antivenom on site.

Might be easier said than done though. It's very expensive & challenging to get your hands on it as a private party. And if you try to go thru "back-channels" you also have to worry about it being a fake. Expensive & hard to obtain things are at the top of the list for counterfeiters to "make" & sell. Just saying- you could be paying top dollar for corn syrup.

And call me "old-fashioned" but I'm not so sure that a scarce commodity like antivenin even belongs in the hands of a hobbyist that just wants to keep a deadly species, over & above keeping the stuff available for those whose legitimate work (like agriculture & construction projects) puts them at high risk in the countries where these snakes are found naturally. It just doesn't.

To "put that shoe on the other foot"- how would it feel to be camping on vacation & end up with a life-threatening rattlesnake bite (from one of the species with more neurotoxic components in their venom), only to find out there was no anti-venin available because it was sold out of country to the highest bidders? Not so good...

[Trinityblood]

Might be easier said than done though. It's very expensive & challenging to get your hands on it as a private party. And if you try to go thru "back-channels" you also have to worry about it being a fake. Expensive & hard to obtain things are at the top of the list for counterfeiters to "make" & sell. Just saying- you could be paying top dollar for corn syrup.

And call me "old-fashioned" but I'm not so sure that a scarce commodity like antivenin even belongs in the hands of a hobbyist that just wants to keep a deadly species, over & above keeping the stuff available for those whose legitimate work (like agriculture & construction projects) puts them at high risk in the countries where these snakes are found naturally. It just doesn't.

To "put that shoe on the other foot"- how would it feel to be camping on vacation & end up with a life-threatening rattlesnake bite (from one of the species with more neurotoxic components in their venom), only to find out there was no anti-venin available because it was sold out of country to the highest bidders? Not so good...

Owning a venomous pet is already an expensive liability waiting to happen, or death. I think it's irresponsible to own one as a pet in the first place. I think it's equally irresponsible for an owner to not protect themselves or anyone else who might get bit by their animal (aka having antivenom). They took on the animal, they should have taken the expenses and challenges into account before getting it.

I don't know if that hypothetical situation could be true so I can't say I feel anything about it.