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Children and venomous?
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by Bitisman77 on August 25, 2010
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My wife is currently pregnant and due around oct 27.My question to everyone is, do you think its wrong to have venomous snakes and children at the same time?Or more iportantly is it irresponsible?Personally i dont think so.I plan to keep them , and as he grows teach him everything i know.This is my hobby, my passion, my obsesion.I love doing this and i dont get paid for it.I gave up smoking before i give up my venomous.I DONT DEAL WITH NONE VENOMOUS!!!!! But let me know what you think,Thanks.
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RE: Children and venomous?
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by agkistrodude on August 26, 2010
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Jonathan, it's a decision you'll have to make. I'm sure you'll get responses from both sides. I kept hots with children, but never in the house. They're all in an outbuilding which is always locked. And living in GA, I only had GA natives. I do know of people that gave up the hobby until their kids were older. Don't forget, it's not only about keeping the kids safe, but also the possibility of them having to grow up without a Dad, should you take a bad hit. I've also heard of cases were DFACS takes kids away from the home because the parents have venomous snakes in the house. There is more to consider besides just temporarily loosing your hobby. Good luck, take care, Marty
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RE: Children and venomous?
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by CanadianSnakeMan on August 26, 2010
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I'm with Marty on this one. I'm all for educating the kids about hots, but I keep them out of the house for the sake of my son who's almost 6.
It's your choice to make and I'm sure that it can be done safely but why take the risk?
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RE: Children and venomous?
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by venominme on August 26, 2010
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I gave up my snakes, wasn’t even a hard decision. Wait ‘til you see your child. It changes your priorities in life. There will be time for your hobbies later. And, what Marty said.
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RE: Children and venomous?
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by Crotalusssp on August 26, 2010
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I will say that there is not really a right or wrong answer to this. Keeping venomous snakes at any time has inherent risks that must be assessed. When a child is added into the equation then you must reassess the situation and make certain safety can be assured. Someone else brought up an excellent point that there is still an added risk of you being killed and the child being left fatherless. Accidents happen and can happen to anyone. It is our job to minimize the risks as much as possible and prevent as many accidents as possible. We all know that accidents happen, but we all also know that almost every accident can be avoided.
I will assume that you had very good safety measures in place before the child. In that case you will need to revisit those safety procedures and reevaluate them with a child in the equation. These safety procedures will need to be constantly reevaluated throughout the child's and even your life. Children grow up and their capabilities will change. When that happens you should reevaluate your safety procedures once again. I guess what I am getting at is that we/you/us must always remain vigilant and not become stagnant and lazy with safety. Constantly think about safety. I believe a good idea for you, and really anyone keeping venomous, is to write out all safety procedures in place including bite protocol and then let others read and offer suggestions for improvement. Same goes for the caging and reptile room. Allow other experienced eyes to inspect and offer suggestions for improvement. Take any and all advice into at least consideration.
This all being said, I quit keeping venomous years ago and did not start back until recently. I also plan on educated by son about snakes, but first and foremost I have my families safety in mind. Remember an escape for example may or may not pose a safety hazard to you, your family, or community, but could easily mean problems for hobby.
Good luck with your decision. I hope I at least gave you a little to think about.
Sincerely,
Charles B.
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RE: Children and venomous?
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by BobH on August 26, 2010
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Charles made a great post. Let me say the adequate caging and a locked, escaped proof room are minimal pre-requisites if you decide to keep them. Perhaps you are the best one to evaluate your previous 4-5 years safety record. Good luck with your decision.
Bob H
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RE: Children and venomous?
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by earthguy on August 26, 2010
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Very good posts so far. I had this same dilemma a number of years ago. With my daughter I didn't keep hots for a couple of years. I finally started keeping again when I was allowed to keep my snakes at work. But before my son was born my hot collection outgrew my little office and I had to start keeping my larger hots at home (although they are in a locked outbuilding).
Long story slightly shorter - you can keep hots AND kids at the same time relatively safely (as safely as letting the kids play in the yard anymore). The only other thing that I would add is that kids are awesome pets, but they require A LOT of upkeep. If you can give all the little critters all the care they need AND give the appropriate level of care to the hots AND no kill yourself with exhaustion then go for it. Just remember that exhaustion can be deadly around here.
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by Rob_Carmichael on August 26, 2010
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Some great points here. I'll agree with Terry's comments 100% If your wife isn't comfortable, it's a no brainer - children come first and foremost...they do change your perspective on life. You mention in your profile you have only kept hots for 4 years but have already been bitten, not a good track record. Chidren will only make it more challenging as they do suck the energy out of you and you'll be sleep deprived. I'm not saying its wrong, but I personally don't think its a good idea UNLESS you possess the skills, knowledge base, and resources to do it right...most don't.
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RE: Children and venomous?
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by blainblain on August 26, 2010
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If one of your children gets injured or killed by a snake that you willfully brought into their world, you will never live it down. It's not worth the risk.
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