How did retics get so popular?

[Bogertophis]

of course it is possible but i think this largely comes down to maintaining strict protocols and learning how to properly read the animals - the only envenomation i have ever received wasn’t from my collection but from a wild adult female black widow because i stupidly didn’t shake out my outdoor shoes - it’s entirely possible to go through your whole keeping career without ever being tagged by arachnids if you observe strict safety protocols that i assume would be similar to that of hot/big snake keepers

also comes down to not doing stupid stuff imo eg: putting a big snake around your neck, purposely creating negative experiences to get “cool” striking pix, etc - the more i go on this journey and the more i think on it - a lot of negative things i think could be avoided

Reading the animals well, & planning every move (never making dumb ones- like snakes encircling your neck, lol) is a big part of it, yes. Using the safest methods whenever there's an option.

And I agree that "tags" are avoidable- I never got bit working with hots. It means being focused, & never working w/ them when tired, distracted*, feeling poorly, or anything less than 100% sober, & not under any "influence" legal or otherwise. (*distracted includes showing off, having too much going on around you, etc)

But so is not working giant snakes alone- over-estimating your own KSA's. For example, keepers have gotten in trouble being alone when opening an enclosure to feed. Or I remember some years back, one guy was found (dead- constricted) in the outbuilding with one of his large snakes he'd been trying to medicate for something- the snake "objected" & he had no one else there with him. I think it's safe to say that arachnids don't have the physical power that giant snakes do- therein lies the big (pardon the pun) difference.