VenomousReptiles.org Survey

Survey Question	Current Survey Question Should hobbyists ever free handle venomous reptiles with their hands? Recent Surveys Most venomous/toxic Naja species in the world? I have read that the Philippine cobra is the most venomous (mice, 0.2 mg/kg SC with the lowest reported value being 0.14 mg/kg SC) (Brown, 1973). I have recently, come across something in the Indian Journal of Experimental Biology (Vol. 30, (issue 12), pages: 1158-1162, 1992) which stated that the LD50 for Naja oxiana was the most toxic/venomous (mice, 0.18 mg/kg SC and lowest reported value was 0.10 mg/kg). Along with that, the mortality rate for untreated Naja oxiana bites are the highest among all Naja species (70-80%). N.oxiana also produced the lowest known lethal dose (LCLo) of 0.005 mg/kg, the lowest among all cobra species ever recorded, derived from an individual case of poisoning by intracerebroventricular injection. Following N. oxiana and N. philippinensis are N. melanoleuca at 0.225 mg/kg SC and then N. samarensis at 0.23 mg/kg. The water cobras (N. annulata and N. christyi also have very toxic venoms, but no SC values are listed. Only intraperitoneal (IP) values of 0.143 mg/kg for N. annulata and 0.12 mg/kg for N. christyi. IP values tend to be generally lower (more toxic than subcutaneous values, so it would be unfair to compare their IP results to the subcutaneous (SC) results of other Naja species. Then I have heard that (without solid evidence) that Naja nivea is the most venomous, although their murine SC LD50 range anywhere from 0.4 mg/kg (Toxicon, Vol. 5, issue 1, page 47, 1967) to 0.72 mg/kg (Australian venoms and toxins Databse). So which is the most venomous? To me it seems obvious that it is the Caspian or Oxus cobra (Naja oxiana), followed by the Philippine cobra (Naja philippinensis). What do you think or know? I've noticed that the Australian venom and toxin Database seems to have higher LD50 values for all snakes across the board. For example, for the black mamba IP value of 0.01 mg/kg is listed (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/004101018890219X) and Ernst and Zug et al 1996, list a SC value of 0.05 mg/kg for the black mamba. While the Australian venom and toxin Database listed much less toxic LD50's. So there seems to be a lot of variation. 2014-01-23 What's Your Favorite Venomous Snake? 2013-11-13 Deadliest Bite? 2013-09-16 IF the science of self-immunization for a snake envenomation was proven/perfected what is the least benefit(percentage) you would accept before practicing it on yourself? 2013-06-06 how did you learn to keep venomous reptiles? 2013-03-02 View All Survey Questions Have a good idea for a VenomousReptiles.org Survey question? Enter your idea!
Thanks for voting! Your vote has been included in the results below. Why do you keep venomous snakes?   Posted: Feb 25, 2002   (494 votes, 11 comments) by MSTT
Survey Results
Just because I enjoy them 32% (160) Primarily for personal enjoyment, but also for scientific research or education 18% (88) Primarily for public education, display or exhibit 3% (14) Primarily for scientific research 3% (13) About equally for personal enjoyment and research or education 17% (86) I don't keep venomous snakes 27% (133)
Survey Comments
hot snakes ive kept snakes for most of my life, at 10 i knew how to identify all the domestic snakes and was catching garter snakes, kings, and corns, all but the venomous, now 27 years later i guess all the "croc-hunter-types" have desensitized us lunatics and maybe demystyfied them for the rest of us. Generally they are the most beautiful, i have a southern copperhead and a dusky pygmy rattlesnake. Somehow i dont worry to much since they are domestic, antivenin isnt as hard to come by. I guess you could say it's like an extreme sport. Posted by serpentinespirit on July 6, 2002 This is love.... I like to keep any kind of snakes, I love them. Have docens of non-ven, but I´m starting with hot. Is possible there are animals most incredible than snakes?. I think NO Posted by Jurliki on May 29, 2002 Venomous escape 29 years of keeping. Yes there was one. I was a beginner and a neonate C. v. viridis crawled up the air tube of the fish tank they were kept in. I found her on the lid and no one was hurt. Now I use Tim Cole's cage design and no one gets out. Posted by RATTLERJIM on April 2, 2002 rattlesnakes overrun our area is there a way that will deter baby rattlesnakes from being in my yard or house that will not harm them? i just found out that they are a huge problem here in n. california and a little boy was bitten last year by a baby rattlesnake. i have two dogs and two small children and i am scared out of my mind that they will get bitten. i appreciate that they are here because there is also a field mice problem here and they keep the population of mice down, but i would rather die than have one of my children harmed. any suggestions? Posted by annegoss29 on March 13, 2002 Rattlesnake,s I,Love,These snake,s.But they are not as many as I use To see!Were I live.I wish we could do somthing about this.people go out of the way, To kill,rattlesnake,s maybe,oneday we can do a survey to see how meny are out there ,can any one help me, I hope so. Thank,s Randy T.snakeman Posted by randytsnakeman on March 8, 2002 mamba I live in zimbabwe and keep black mambas for educational purposes Posted by zimbabwe on March 4, 2002 The keeping of venomous snakes I personally do not keep any snakes, in part because of a wife who is absolutly phobic about snakes and in part because I have no time for any more pets other than my two English Setters. I have a friend who has several venomous including 4 diamondbacks and a copperhead. I think as long as someone takes great care for that which he or she keeps, there is no problem with it. The problems come from morons who have no business with anything dangerous, from snakes to the cars they drive. These people have no respect for anything and need not be in charge of anything that can kill them. If you let a cobra, saw scaled viper or other extremely dangerous snake get loose in a residential neighborhood, you have not set up your snake-keeping with adequate care, are irresponsible and I have no problem with you going to jail. On the other side, if your snake keeping area has been set up with extra care so as to prevent any escapes than I also have no problem with you keeping whatever venomous you feel comfortable keeping. Arch Posted by notsnakebityet on March 2, 2002 Why do I keep them? Well like most of us I got started very early. My father brough home my first snake. It was a small brown snake. (he worked at the local cemetary) I kept it for about a month then let it go back where he told me he found it. I was about 6 at the time. The next summer I spent alot of time behind the cemetary fishing and collecting snakes. My collection had grown to around 10. I had them in my basement in a large wooden box with a storm window on top. One day my sister happened to throw a basketball down the stairs and broke the window, but didn't tell any one. When I got home I noticed it broken and hunted down all the snakes but one. (of course this happened to be the large pine snake) After several days I assumed it had gotten out of the house...duh. While sitting upstairs watching TV I heard my mother scream this unholy scream. I ran down stairs to find her sitting on the washing machine pointing at the pine snake that had decided to hide in the clothes hamper. That ended my snake collecting for many years. I finally got back into it as a parent and it has totally consumed me. I answed for my enjoyment but also use them to teach people especially kids. I also tell the mothers not to prohibit their kids from keeping snakes, because they will end like me when they get older and have alot them. Posted by vette on March 1, 2002 Venomous Snake Keeping I brought my first snake home at the age of four. Fortunately for all involved, it was not venomous. From that time (just after the discovery of electricity and the end of the Black Plague) I studied and read everything I could get my hands on regarding snakes (which was not nearly as much or as available as today). Twelve years later, I brought home my first venomous snake and the next year, I started giving lectures at elementary and middle schools which I continue to do even to this day. I keep venomous snakes because they are snakes and I like snakes. I also keep nonvenomous snakes for the same reason. I don't keep venomous snakes that are beyond my capabilities but the same can be said for nonvenomous snakes. I involve myself in educating the public as much as I can because I am not selfish about my passion for reptiles and want to share these amazing animals with as many people as I can. If I couldn't educate, I would still keep and if I couldn't keep, I would still educate. But primarily, I keep them for me. So I voted "primarily for me but also for education." Karl H. Betz Posted by Buzztail1 on March 1, 2002 Add -on In case of ya'll are wondering on my vote, I voted on personal enjoyment,research, and education. I love to teach kids about this wonderful and mysterious creature! Posted by punejab on February 27, 2002 What got me started! Well it goes something likes this. See when I was about 4 or 5 I use to have really bad nightmares about snakes, I even sleepwalk seeing snakes everywhere, as I got a little older 5 1/2 years of age, just kidding, about 6 or 7 I started getting curious about them. One day I was walking down my street and I saw something move, but then it was gone ( it stopped moving) I'll tell you why in a minute, so i sarted to walk again and I saw it something move again and the damn thing disappeared agian (it stopped moving again) so I knew something was there so I started to look real hard (this is where I got my first snake eyes) and there it was, a little smooth green snake about a foot long just sitting there in the green grass, then by that time, a girl had came out side to see what I was doing and I said look there's a snake, so she told me to pick it up and I said you pick it up and she did. Now me being a boy and she was a GIRL just kind of made me feel funny so I got my first hands-on and took the snake home ( boy did my mom have a SHIT FIT). So I started to get books on reptiles and etc. well about 2 weeks later we (my sister, and my best friend and a old lady named mat mat) were by some Blueberry bushes and we were picking them and then out of know were was this huge brown and black snake ,mat mat started flipping out telling us to back up and she just kept telling us over and over the same damn thing , but I the master snake eyes (so I thought)got a real good look at it through the whole crisis and saw the huge black diamonds on top of that snakes back, from that moment on I WAS HOOKED! Mat Mat did tell us it was a very bad snake though, but I did not give a damn, because I WAS HOOKED! PUNEJAB Posted by punejab on February 27, 2002 To post a comment, you must be logged in. If you are not a member, become one now!