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background and capacity?
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by suudoniim on February 5, 2007
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Does anyone here have the background and capacity to milk their snakes to do simple experiments with the venom? Not lyophilizing it first and reconstituting it later. If you fit the description then I assume you have tried to find out some bit of info. So, what have you done and what did you find?
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RE: background and capacity?
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by sceniccityreptiles on February 6, 2007
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I decided a few years ago I wanted to learn how to do venom extractions, so I went to south FL and spent about a week with an experienced extractor. I feel comfortable doing extractions now, but I have to have a reason, I don’t do them just for the sake of doing it. I have done a hand full during lectures I have given since then, and provided raw samples to Auburn University, a few grad students doing research, one physician who was researching EDB venom as a mean to treat AIDS. For my private research I tested the LD50 of venom in relation to time out side of the snake. That required extracting venom from the same snakes, establishing the LD50 of that snake, then extracting again and allowing the venom to set 30 minutes, then an hour, and so on before injecting the test group. The venom does not lose its toxicity nearly has fast as I had heard. I have all the equipment to do extractions. I also have a centrifuge to separate the elements, but I have no means to freeze dry it.
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RE: background and capacity?
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by LarryDFishel on February 6, 2007
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I would be fairly comfortable milking some of my snakes. I do not have appropriate equipment for milking (padded vials), but that would be easy. I have thought of various tests I would like to do, but most of them would involve injecting raw venom into live animals (namely mice) and without some reasonable scientific credentials, I can see where that might not be legal. (I wouldn't really have moral issues with it, since I would probably be feeding off the mice afterwards.)
I have not actually done any milking yet because I haven't had a good enough reason to risk my fingers and stressing the snake. I probably would for a good enough cause... A few times, not on a large scale as I consider it too dangerous.
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RE: background and capacity?
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by AquaHerp on February 6, 2007
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I dig the Prairie chicken on the profile. We are one of the 5 Zoos that raises the little grouse.
Doug Hotle
General Curator
Abilene ZOOlogical Gardens
Abilene, Texas
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RE: background and capacity?
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by suudoniim on February 6, 2007
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I would be really interested in what results you got from your LD50 tests. I don't suppose you put them in Excel charts or something? Your profile picture is quite impressive! I am glad there are such huge monsters still around. You seem to have most US venomous snakes. My question was prompted from my experience a while back of milking a cobra [don't do it, it hurts them] into a small bottle and adding something, mixing, then putting it in a coat pocket. It was in the pocket for two days at room temp, sometimes carried around, sometimes thrown in a corner. Then I took some, diluted some more and injected a rat, which died. I was surprised but glad the something I added initially seemed to have protected it. There is no practical use for it though.
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RE: background and capacity?
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by LarryDFishel on February 7, 2007
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Maybe you're just not mentioning the rest of the experiment? If not, this sounds like how a lot of snake lore gets started. If the experiment consisted of adding "something" to the venom and letting it sit for a few days and then injecting it, you might not realize that you would have gotten the same result by doing nothing to the venom. Without knowing what the "something" is, is it possible that the "something" killed the rat?
Just curious?
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