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Cristalizing venom
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by Snake17 on March 17, 2005
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Please, I need this info fairly quickly. What is the best way to cristalize snake venom for the venom trade ? What devices are needed, which devices are the best, and how do you do it ? Please, I realy need a fast and good answer on this one. Thank you, Alex S.
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RE: Cristalizing venom
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by Phobos on March 17, 2005
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Hi Alex:
The venom sample is fast frozen in it's storage vial and then put in a device called a freeze dryer or Lyophilizer. Which remeoves the water componet by sublimation under vacuum & low temperature.
Many labs spin down the samples in a centrifuge to remove cellular contaminants before freeze drying.
The euros are really in the venom fractions but that is more complex process requiring more expensive equiment.
Jim Harrison, of Dr. Fry can pick it up from here....
Cheers,
Al
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RE: Cristalizing venom
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by KingCobraFan on March 17, 2005
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Alex, I'm saying this in a non-critical, face-value
manner. Unless you're very well-connected with research institutes, university labs, etc., you'd probably be wasting your time starting from scratch and buying all the required equipment for venom processing. To the very best of my knowledge, that market is pretty much cornered (in the US) by the "Big Three" of Jim Harrison (Al mentioned him), Bill Haast, and George VanHorn. Just saying that the
return probably wouldn't justify the expense.
Bill Huseth
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RE: Cristalizing venom
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by Phobos on March 17, 2005
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Alex:
Bill is very correct if you were going to market vemon in the USA. In Europe, I know a few small private labs that produce for some reseach/pharm companies, so it is possible and not "locked up" as it is here.
Please examine the cost/risk of such an adventure before you put time and effort into it. The main risks are of course serious bites and developing allergies to snake venoms, which would put your personal collection at risk.
Cheers!
Al
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RE: Cristalizing venom
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by Snake17 on March 18, 2005
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Thank you all for your info and advice. It is not me that is starting this adventure but a good friend of mine. As I said a couple post ago, lots of romanians are starting to do this and most of them get a lot of money for it. I am simply helping my friend out. I will probably care and milk the snakes(c.b. v. a. ammodytes) this summer and teach the person how to safely hadnle them. The person I`m talkong about doesn`t realy have a lot of experience with hots but I must say, is well documented(unlike most romanians that only think about the proffit and not the risk or well-being of the animals). I have 6 years of hot herp experience now and I think that I could be a good mentor for some one who has non. My firend was thinking of buying a freeze dryer from www.labkorea.com but he had no ideea that it would cost about 10.000 $ so he is thinking of another soultion now. Thanks again y`all. best regards, Alex S>
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Speaking of Allergies to venom....
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by MattHarris on March 18, 2005
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Al,
Do you have any references to studies done on keepers developing allergies, simply from routine cage cleaning/handling? I've heard only anecdotal stuff, and witnessed one case(though it was a friend bitten by a Naja pallida) who developed an allergy to being sprayed by the venom.
I'm curious, simply because I came down with a "Sinus infection" after cleaning ~12 Bothrops cages and a couple of horridus cages Wednesday night. I felt fine up to the point where I started doing cages. Only bite I've ever had was the minor terciopelo bite in Costa RIca, but was sprayed in the face/eyes by a 2 year C. horridus that struck through a cage screen.
I'm curious to find out more from persons who experience the same symptoms, or any physicians who've explored this.
Matt
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RE: Speaking of Allergies to venom....
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by JHarrison on March 18, 2005
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Alex you can contact Kristen or me at kyreptil@pop.mis.net with any questions on venom production. We answer about 10 calls or emails a day about venom extraction.
Matt
I have observed several keepers that have developed allergies to venoms. Email or call me 606-663-9160 and I will try to find some papers on the subject for you.
Jim Harrison
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RE: Speaking of Allergies to venom....
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by sceniccityreptiles on March 18, 2005
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There are much cheaper means of drying to venom, but they are just not practical for a large scale operation. They are detailed in Venomous Reptiles by Sherman Minton. I am at work and do not have my copy here. Sorry. You can purchase it from Amazon for less then $10 and every venomous keeper should have it anyway. I would buy that book and start with the lower end scale just to see if the market was there before I invested thousands of dollars in the express equipment.
Ray is not doing commercial venom production right now. He still extracts at a small level for personal use.
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RE: Speaking of Allergies to venom....
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by Snake17 on March 18, 2005
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Thanks Jim, I will. Cheers.
P.S.: Has anybody seen the O`Shea`s Big Adventure episode when Mark he was searching for the water cobra ? He caught a Naja melanoleuca and milked it. Afterwords he used a strange blue substance to crystalise it. Anybody know anything about that ? Or is it just a rudimentary method for the field ? Thanks.
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