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Speak Out: Where do you stand on “free handling” of venomous snakes.

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pw on 2004-08-26
i am a 20 year venomous herp collector,i own a.c. pheogaster,c.atrox,b.arietans and a soon to be owner of an aray of elapids and new and old world vipers.i have yet to free hand my atrox or my b.arientans(cape puff adder) but my a.c. phaeogaster is very comfortable with free handeling along with various wild caught a.c.contortrix and have been bit once by an a.c.contortrix when it had a bad shed and that was even with the use of a snake tube. besides the point, i do not recommend amatures or rookies to free handing hots for the simple fact that it takes lots of time and patience to be able to read your pet. i dont look at my free handling of hot snakes as a way of an ego trip as some may beg the differ or argu the fact. i look at free handling my hots as a special bond between the snake and the owner. you first have to be comfortable with your handling skills on the contrary with venomous and various aggressive non-venomous species. knowing what to look for in an aggressive or irratable state is a good thing whether it be tongue movement,tail movement,puffing of the body,hissing,tense disposition or just in a constant state of alertness by watch or sensing your every movement,all is a nessity.there are in my eyes certain hots that should not or in better words be handled but there are many others that with lots of work and just simply knowing your particular snake it can be done.you must always stay alert when handeling and always keep in the back of your mind that there is still a chance of being tagged and there is no room for arogance. do not dismise the fact that every hot snake knows that they have the ability to take down prey or a potentialy threatening being with little effort in just the matter of minutes or even seconds. hooks or tongs have the chance of potentially harming the snake and is in most cases why people see their hots in an aggressive state.(exmaple: if you were subjectably held in an inhumane enviroment and need to be removed for cleaning or medical purposes would you rather be yanked out of your given personal space with a giant hook suspending you in the air from your stomach or pinched around your midsection in a seemingly painfull ride to another enclouser or simply containing trust a in the being that has you in captivity by unbiasly and unfearfully picking you up and trusting that neither of you intend to harm the other.) i think that a lot of herpers who have the honor of owning hots look at their ability to hook a hot out of its cage is a way of proving professionalism. i by any means do not want to embarass or insult fellow hot herp lovers this is just away of expressing how i feel cause i still on occasion use my hook when needed cause snakes just like people can have a bad day or moods as well as be in an irratible mood. and those are times when a hook is needed or if the snake is a new edition to your collection then it is too soon for an observation to be made to see if the snake is ready to be handeled. by no means would i go and pick up a wild caught specimen or a new snake, for the only reason, trust between the two must be gained just as if another man were to come up and pick you up, your fist reaction is to fight back or use harmfull words. the same if a giant hand were to pick up somthing potentially dangerous like a venomous snake its first natural response is to bite, the only way for them to fight back.it is and always be a debated and biased opinion. whats your opinion?

420king on 2004-07-08
This is a simple question in my opinion. Because you have to remember we call them snakes, hots, venomous whatever, to me they are a living thing, and any time you touch them ,disturb them, move them , you are invading their personal space, and as a guy who doesnt want someone dragging me up by the ankles every day and dangling my chest over a metal hook, i would say free handling a venomous snake, is simply inviting yourself to get bitten at some point.

Scolex on 2004-07-06
I have never free-handled a venemous snake, choosing to stay cautious. I wouldn't recommend it to any novice, and certanily *NEVER* would I suggest it to a younger person. For younger people (10-14, for the most part), their limbs aren't as long as the average adult, putting them in more danger, as their trunk has to be closer to the animal because of a shorter armspan.

I'd just have to say it might be a powerful experience for some, but getting tagged doesn't seem worth it to me.

fissiksman on 2004-06-30
I freehand all non-venomous snakes because they
react better to not being constrained. I have been
tagged numerous times when I least expected it.
I've seen hot handling by apparently docile c. atrox
straight out of the wild with 5-6 footers, but those
guys are nuts. I NEVER would freehand a venomous
snake, and don't even like to tail them with a hook's
help at the other end.
I was asked at a recent training I did with local
animal control trainees if I had ever been bit by a
hottie, and I said "I've never put myself in a
situation where that was possible" which I hope will
always be the case.

Repect them, expect the worst and you'll stay safe

Zanewaldo on 2004-06-29
Personally, I have been capturing and releasing wild rattlesnakes in San Diego for 14 years and have only free-handed 1 snake, a 5' Western Diamondback. The opportunity arose when it was attempting to retain it's freedom by escape in a shallow concrete crack. With it's head in search, the entire body was in the open and I could not resist the chance to experience the technique firsthand. Sure, I was surprised at how unintrusive the hold was on the herp, how mildly it reacted to being held that way, and even how it didn't freak out when I walked it over to a spot of release, but never once did I forget my respect for what I was doing, and what that marvelous creature was capable of. Would I do it again? Sure, if the circumstances were right. Would I reccommend it to a novice handler? No Way! There is a prudent time to utilize this technique, and ego should remain MILES away from it!

Anonymous on 2004-06-20
i think that free handling is not that dangerous if u know what you are doing i am 12 and have personally only handled water
moccasins and rattlers because i live in florida and have not seen any other venoumous snake in the wild so far.

BarefootBushmanUSA on 2004-06-13
I personally don't freehandle venomous snakes. I do believe that Steve Irwin has inadvertantly contributed to a vast increase of envenomations. What's all this with Mark O'shea? Does anyone know of Prof. Brady Barr (Ntnl. Geographic), Jeff Corwin (Animal Planet), or Rob Bredl (OLN)????? I do not believe the behind the head method causes as much stress on an animal as "Anonymous" says. Tail handling along with a stick to support the snake's body is the most efficient and stress-free way to handle a venomous snake. But in some cases, if the snake is too small or to fast (Boomslang) the safest way is to pin the head and hold it gently.

Anonymous on 2004-06-11
Hi! My name is Little snake. From were I would be on a chart I considered the best venemous snake catcher for my age. I'm only10 going on 11. I've caught somany pit vipers in africa and I've also caught rattlers, tiger, mamba, and others. My favorite animal is the snake my favorite groue of vertabrates are the reptilians or known as geonousians. I spent 1/2 my life studing this groupe. Most of the human kind don't even know 1 1/2 of what I just typed because of all the studing I do. So don't ever call me stupid because I problembly know alot more than you do about geonousians.

Anonymous on 2004-06-11
Where I stand is really close to prfession on free handling venemous snakes, But I think nobody is as good as STEVE IRWIN!!! Those other people are just down right afraid of any snake they come in contact.LOL!!! SHAME ON ANY BODY WHO STARTED THE RUMORS!!!!!! wHEN i GET OLDER , ABOUT 13 i SHALL BE THE BEST SNAKE OR SHOULD I say the best herpotologist that will ever live for my age.

Snaky on 2004-05-25
Im from denmark... Im handling venuous snakes, only vipers, because there is not anymore venomous snakes in denamrk. i love snakes, and i wandt to work whit herpetologi. Love snakes, they are my world, Mark O´shea, tank you 4 all that good series whit snakes. thank you.

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