adopting / buying venomoids

[forkedtongue]

I am well aware of the flamebait of this topi, plz read before you start

I have read about them for some time and read posts on the forums.... I would like to adopt one as I also am not a fan of putting snakes through harm.....

I'm not looking to buy one through a company that does this , but I would like to own one... I have been in love with vipers fr most of my life, but owning a true hot is not an option because of my wife and I having kids. While my snakes are kept ina locked snake rom, and the viper would be in a locked cage, its just not something we are willing to risk with a Venomous snake.....

Does anyone know where I can find venomoids for adoption or for sale through other OWNERS ? I can't find much through google....

[KD35WIN.AS.ONE]

Originally Posted by forkedtongue

I am well aware of the flamebait of this topi, plz read before you start

I have read about them for some time and read posts on the forums.... I would like to adopt one as I also am not a fan of putting snakes through harm.....

I'm not looking to buy one through a company that does this , but I would like to own one... I have been in love with vipers fr most of my life, but owning a true hot is not an option because of my wife and I having kids. While my snakes are kept ina locked snake rom, and the viper would be in a locked cage, its just not something we are willing to risk with a Venomous snake.....

Does anyone know where I can find venomoids for adoption or for sale through other OWNERS ? I can't find much through google....

Good luck..venomoids are not common in personal collections and where you do find them they wont be for sale and if they are... Be prepared to pay up to 10x as much as the venomous counterpart... and if you dont get one from a licensed company, your venomoid... will probably still have its venom. I have personally seen this happen and heard about it more than once.

what is your experience with venomous snakes? and what species are you looking into getting?? i see you want a viper but more specific?

[forkedtongue]

My experience with venomous snakes doesn't go any further than playing with the ones I would find as a kid/teen. I'm looking into professional training in my area already but s far nothing that I'm finding seems up to snuff.

I'm aware of the cost difference, I've had people I deal with on carpets and trees offer up various rattlers for next to nothing, matter of factly if I was that crazy about getting one id just bag one of the dozen I see everytime we go on training exercises on the mountains around here, but as I posted above its not an option for us right now.

I'm looking for cratalus species such as the atrox

[KD35WIN.AS.ONE]

Originally Posted by forkedtongue

My experience with venomous snakes doesn't go any further than playing with the ones I would find as a kid/teen.

Your ahead of yourself... Find someone who will let you come into there home/facility and log hours doing routine work. If you are trust worthy there should be atleast a couple people in your area willing to work with you. Just finding them is the hard part... I wish you luck, IMO id rather work with a cobra than a rattlesnake.

[forkedtongue]

I originally wrote a very sharp worded post to this, I would like to repost it in a manner that is not as inhospitable. Give me a moment thanks.
-------

I understand reason for caution. I understand the risks of a venomous species, and is why I posted above that a truly venomous animal is not an option for me. I am aware that devenomed snakes are still just as irritable and finicky as their venomous counterparts.

I was also already aware of venomoids being improperly done, and people selling full fledged hots as venomoids, I would NOT pay for or adopt a HOT without proper documentation proving it was operated on, and then investigating said vet and looking into other snakes who were worked on by that person.

I can handle using hooks with a snake, Ive been around wild rattlers most of my life as they were fairly common on my parents farm and ive handled them with bare hands when I was young. Ive been around wild southern rattlers as an adult avoiding them and observing them during training exercises, ive removed them from fellow soldiers sleeping areas. Ive lived around true Pit Vipers in Iraq as they commonly infested the shaded and enclosed undersides of our living containers and thanks to numerous holes in said living environments, it wasnt uncommon to have to evict unwelcomed house guests.

I am looking for a venomoid, I am intelligent enough to not play with the snake simply because it cant envenomate, I am not looking to be lectured on something I said I was already doing....(finding a mentor)

Its not your place to call where someone is or isnt qualified without knowing them in person or who they are or capable of.....suggesting mentorship is fine, if i hadnt already said I was doing that....

if you werent trying to be arrogant with your posts, then we can just throw this out to not knowing each other or how we talk online. if you were trying to be like that, then frankly im not going to waste any more time with this. i dont know you and i never will, so it doesnt mean much to me to have someone online acting like they are better than others.

[NennaMeerkat]

"Playing" with snakes in the wild is not the same as getting true training through someone who works with them on a daily basis and is considered an expert. You are saying you are looking into buying a venomous snake when you haven't had proper training...it seems dangerous. Find the expert FIRST then get a few years under your belt handling them and caring for them. Then once you do that I bet that expert could help you find a venomous snake without paying out the nose for it.

[forkedtongue]

Originally Posted by NennaMeerkat

"Playing" with snakes in the wild is not the same as getting true training through someone who works with them on a daily basis and is considered an expert. You are saying you are looking into buying a venomous snake when you haven't had proper training...it seems dangerous. Find the expert FIRST then get a few years under your belt handling them and caring for them. Then once you do that I bet that expert could help you find a venomous snake without paying out the nose for it.

Im not looking for a venomous snake, im looking for a proven and documented de-venomized snake. I am comfortable handling a snake with a very mean bite, but no venom. I own tons of neosporin from work related incidents, in fact I get it free from the pharmacy. And thats if I get bit, I dont plan to, like I said, I feel comfortable with my ability to hook a rattler that worst case is going to hurt me, not kill me or destroy flesh.

I also have experience assist & force feeding snakes that will not eat. I am not worried about husbandry so much with the snake, I just want training to get used to the PROPER way to handle a rattler IF IT WERE a venomous snake, because in 15 years when my youngest has moved out i want to move into true hots.

[forkedtongue]

Honestly, this thread is getting very off-topic, I definitely appreciate everyones concern for my well being and my ability to handle a venomous snake.

I FULLY AGREE I SHOULD NOT HANDLE A venomous SNAKE......

I hope that you can just entrust me that I can manage the husbandry and well being of a venomoid rattler, if not for the fact ive been around one species or the other since I was 10, then the fact that I AM looking into training.

[TeaNinja]

i don't like the fact that animals get altered to suit pet owners. if you want a non venomous snake, get one. i don't care what you do forked, i'm just saying that's my opinion in general. i wouldn't do it, but to each his own.

[infernalis]

On topic...

Blake, I have been involved in reptiles now for years..

The only company that I trust to perform the surgery correctly is also very expensive, therefore most people who invest thousands of dollars for one usually keep them for the snake's entire life.

If the person gets "busted" either for animal crimes or some other reason that brings authorities into their homes, the animals are either destroyed or sent to zoos.

So the short answer to your question is - not likely you will find any up for adoption at all...

[KD35WIN.AS.ONE]

Your to defensive on the subject... And assuming im arrogant because i don't believe you have enough experience (on a daily basis) to own a atrox, venomoid or not, is flat out wrong... If you think my opinion's on your choices are harsh, then you have yet to meet the venomous community. Because i can see your getting your self worked up over this ill leave it be.

[Uncle_Rev]

Your instantaneous defensive mode is a pretty fair indicator that you, the poster, doth protest too much. This community is by far more tame, incredibly more friendly and a thousand times less preachy than the venomous community. KD35WIN offers solid advice and has trustworthy knowledge base.

As far as for "adoption"; your request is SO specialized you will have almost no chance of finding such a beast unless you put in some time scouring kingsnake and fauna classifieds daily. Even then there is still no guarantee that what you think you are paying for is what you actually received.

Truthfully, as far as adoption/re-homing/rescuing for a fee goes; don't crap in the tub and call it a brownie, just go over to a place like ******* and call it a day. In the end you can just rationalize you "rescued" the poor butchered reptile from a bunch of corporate baddies...

[Will0W783]

It seems that this thread has been well-answered, but I wanted to add that I too doubt you'll manage to find a venomoid for adoption. There is only ONE company that uses a licensed veterinarian, pain medication, silicone implants AND microchipped documentation- and that is Venomoid, Inc. They are very expensive indeed- for example, you can find an intact CBB copperhead at most reptile shows for $35-70, but for a Venomoid Inc venomoid you will pay $400-600, IF you get one they have in stock. I've heard that they are only taking orders now, and not stocking venomoid animals, so you'd have to buy the hot, send it to Venomoid Inc, pay for the surgery and recovery, then have it shipped back to you. I'm avoiding the whole venomoid to do/not to do controversy. I personally wouldn't do it, but there was a venomoid cobra for sale on Craigslist in my area that I was tempted to inquire about....

In seven years of working with snakes, being active in the reptile community, and being a part of four reptile forums, I have only seen venomoids for adoption once- a venomoid cobra on Craigslist- and that is IF you consider $250 an adoption. Venomoid crotalids are fairly rare, as they are irritable enough that most people won't bother with them if they can't handle the intact, and the few venomoids done are usually for educational exhibits/ traveling shows.

I commend you for seeking mentoring- that's the right first move, and I agree that there isn't anything inherently wrong in asking around about where to find a snake at this point, but I would continue to concentrate on the mentoring first- you can never be too careful, and a mentor who has years of experience with his/her own hots can help you learn to anticipate the behavior and strikes, and how to be aware of where your munchable body parts are at all times- something that is easy to overlook when working with non-hots.

I honestly think that your best bet is to get your mentoring, ask your mentor about where you might a venomoid in your area, and go from there. But, not to be a downer, I honestly think that if, after training and experience, you still feel you need the snake to be venomoid, that you will have to go through purchasing one from Venomoid, Inc. I doubt you will find someone giving theirs up for much cheaper than buying direct would be.

[forkedtongue]

Thanks fo the post willow.

What made me pissed off is people talking to me like I'm a child, I said I was looking for a venomoid, I didn't say when I was going to get one, I just asked if anyone knew where to find venomoids for sale or adoption from users, NOT venomoid,inc .

I was not planing on getting a venomoid until -atleast- january, and like I said I am -actively- seeking a mentor, eeevery week I'm on craigslist and asking local shops.

It pisses me off having someone talk to me like they are better and have the right to juge me, a simple post like yours was fine, the "I'm better than you" attitude was completely un-needed....

[Valvaren]

Personally I didn't see anything like that happening, just a person with a lot of experience trying to give you advice.