Beardo said:
I couldn't agree more. This is a very controversial topic and one that shouldn't exist IMO. If a private keeper is interested in hot snakes, they should have the experience to be fully capable of housing and handling such an animal. Devenomizing an animal and creating an abomination is wrong and really unneccessary. Even with proper surgery the animal should still be considered venomous and should be handled/cared for as such. The last thing you would want is to be careless and be accidently envenomated by an animal you thought was "harmless." I admit when I was younger I was very curious about hot snakes, especially non-lethal arboreal vipers, but realized what a serious responsiblity keeping such an animal would entail. Before any amateur keeper purchases a hot snake, they should practice with fast moving aggresive non-venomous snakes for several years.
