Technically it is possible. However as stated it is not 100% reliable, and a lot of vets will not perform the procedure which means a lot of snakes are operated on in unsanitary, backyard procedures.



In addition, since venomous snakes use their venom as an aid in digestion, we have no way of knowing what harm might be done to the snake in the long term besides the trauma of the operation in the first place.

Basically, it's up to you as to what you want to do. No one on an internet forum can tell you what to do. But it's my firm belief that if you want to keep a hot, then keep a hot, not a venomoid. Unnaturally altering an animal for our own selfish desires rubs me the wrong way. Additionally if you are inexperienced enough to be scared to keep an intact hot, then IMHO you don't need to be keeping one anyway. Get a few more years of experience under your belt, see if you can find a mentor who keeps venomous species to show you the ropes, and keep one of these beautiful animals as they were meant to be kept, not "neutered" so that you can feel safe playing with it.

There's plenty of beautiful snakes out there that aren't venomous. Northern Water Snakes look a lot like Copperheads. I understand why you would want one, heck I want one. I also want an Eyelash Viper, a Monocled Cobra, an Albino Rattlesnake, and a Rhino Viper. BUT I know I'm not up to keeping hots, so I don't have any.