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.
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