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R-209
12-06-2020, 01:02 PM
Saw a guy at the vet once with a pet squirrel. I can only hope it wasn't kept in a cage.

Raziel
12-06-2020, 01:28 PM
I knew a guy with a pet Squirrel once. As far as I know, he didn't keep it in a cage, though the house is basically a cage, just a bigger one. Should set it free.

Selina M
12-06-2020, 10:30 PM
Some nut owned a Black Mamba? What the fuck are these people thinking. It's like a 10 - 15 foot long Snake, and it basically LOOKS at you and you die!

Good fucking God!

There's a whole hobby around keeping venomous snakes. They refer to them as "hots".

I kind of understand the appeal and I'm ok with people who are deadly (bad pun) serious about the safety aspect keeping them. Those people often have years in the repitle hobby, keep them in separate locked rooms, in locked enclosures, only handle them with snake hooks and have the correct antivenin in their fridge.

The morons who live in bumfuck Oklahoma and get a gaboon viper are another story. You get bit, you die. The local hospital does not carry antivenin for a snake from Africa... Those people just want to seem badass by keeping an exotic venomous snake. Stupid.

I grew up in a pet store when the reptile & exotic pet trends were starting to boom. This stuff is my wheelhouse, lol. I think the "worst" thing we had was a trio of breeding boa constrictors that were about 10' each. It was an ordeal to feed them, had to block off the entire back room and use 3 people. Most of our 'exotics' were of the cute and cuddly mammal and marsupial varieties and various saltwater fish species. I don't know if those even count as 'exotic' when there are people like in this thread who have hyenas :o

My ex was a zookeeper. He once bought a pair of super rare black tree monitors, who required their own cage built from a sliding glass door (like, for a house). They spazzed the fuck out every time you looked at them and I honestly think they eventually died from sheer stress/their own high-strung-ness. Those I felt bad for. He also had an Amazon parrot with brain damage that started randomly attacking me at one point. All that and I still had to force him to allow me to get a dog.... He didn't like domestic animals, just things that you'd find in a zoo.

I have a "small" 4.5 foot ball python and that's it for non-dog/cat animals ;) I'm lowkey looking at another snake, maybe a super dwarf retic python, but I am admittedly a pussy about being bitten and there's also no way to be sure it really IS a super dwarf... I am not down with anything that gets in the double digits for length.

Raziel
12-07-2020, 12:09 AM
How do you even GET a Black Mamba?

eagle2
12-07-2020, 12:58 AM
How do you even GET a Black Mamba?

Probably the black market. If you should ever come across one in your home, here's how to catch it:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I76lavqaoh8

Eric Stoner
12-07-2020, 10:28 AM
When we're talking about venomous snakes as pets we are getting into sheer idiocy. Even with precautions. However ,I had a friend who did have a few. But he was a professional who provided various types of animals for photo shoots , films , T.V. and events. I helped him work one of Trump's birthday parties in A.C. decades ago. I still have the scar on my hand from playing with a 4 month old tiger cub. ( 2 stitches ). He had rattlesnakes , a cobra, a mamba and a Gaboon Viper. All were devenomized. They had their venom glands removed. I still wouldn't go near them because they could still bite.

Raziel
12-08-2020, 07:16 AM
I have issues with that. A Black Mamba needs to be in Africa. For movies, we have special effects. We don't need to grab up a live snake to put in our movie, not anymore. Leave it where it belongs. And leave their Venom glands intact. Let it live it's life, it's the only one it has.

PhatGirlDynomite!!!
12-08-2020, 07:42 AM
There's a whole hobby around keeping venomous snakes. They refer to them as "hots".

I kind of understand the appeal and I'm ok with people who are deadly (bad pun) serious about the safety aspect keeping them. Those people often have years in the repitle hobby, keep them in separate locked rooms, in locked enclosures, only handle them with snake hooks and have the correct antivenin in their fridge.

The morons who live in bumfuck Oklahoma and get a gaboon viper are another story. You get bit, you die. The local hospital does not carry antivenin for a snake from Africa... Those people just want to seem badass by keeping an exotic venomous snake. Stupid.

I grew up in a pet store when the reptile & exotic pet trends were starting to boom. This stuff is my wheelhouse, lol. I think the "worst" thing we had was a trio of breeding boa constrictors that were about 10' each. It was an ordeal to feed them, had to block off the entire back room and use 3 people. Most of our 'exotics' were of the cute and cuddly mammal and marsupial varieties and various saltwater fish species. I don't know if those even count as 'exotic' when there are people like in this thread who have hyenas :o

My ex was a zookeeper. He once bought a pair of super rare black tree monitors, who required their own cage built from a sliding glass door (like, for a house). They spazzed the fuck out every time you looked at them and I honestly think they eventually died from sheer stress/their own high-strung-ness. Those I felt bad for. He also had an Amazon parrot with brain damage that started randomly attacking me at one point. All that and I still had to force him to allow me to get a dog.... He didn't like domestic animals, just things that you'd find in a zoo.

I have a "small" 4.5 foot ball python and that's it for non-dog/cat animals ;) I'm lowkey looking at another snake, maybe a super dwarf retic python, but I am admittedly a pussy about being bitten and there's also no way to be sure it really IS a super dwarf... I am not down with anything that gets in the double digits for length.

The pet trade is huge down here in Florida. Im pretty sure you can get anything, even a black mamba. It's probably illegal to own one but still I bet it's possible. For myself I have a brazillian rainbow boa and a southern white lipped python. I got them both as hatchlings and because of that they don't have agressive temperments as adults. I too know a few people who own venonmous snakes but they also work in wildlife conservation and breeding programs. I once removed a water mocassin from aunties backyard with two brooms and it was surprisingly easy.

Raziel
12-08-2020, 08:59 AM
Well, I think somebody's INSANE if they buy a Black Mamba. But that's just me. It'll get WAY big. And you'd better know what you're doing or it'll kill you. They don't really have relationships, like love, not like Dogs or Cats do, my cats NEVER scratch me, all they do is hold on so they can lick me, I never get hurt. I don't have one nick on my hand. But with a Black Mamba it's not a question of if, It's a question of when. Unless you're like a Herpetologist or something (A scientist that studies Reptiles).

Raziel
12-08-2020, 06:51 PM
I take that back, I do have one nick on my hand presently, but I did that myself when I was cutting Tomatoes (Dammit). Forgot about that. But the Cats didn't do it. It's just a little nick between my thumb and forefinger on my right hand. It's healing.

eagle2
12-08-2020, 07:59 PM
The pet trade is huge down here in Florida. Im pretty sure you can get anything, even a black mamba. It's probably illegal to own one but still I bet it's possible. For myself I have a brazillian rainbow boa and a southern white lipped python. I got them both as hatchlings and because of that they don't have agressive temperments as adults. I too know a few people who own venonmous snakes but they also work in wildlife conservation and breeding programs. I once removed a water mocassin from aunties backyard with two brooms and it was surprisingly easy.

You're braver than I am.

eagle2
12-08-2020, 08:09 PM
When we're talking about venomous snakes as pets we are getting into sheer idiocy. Even with precautions. However ,I had a friend who did have a few. But he was a professional who provided various types of animals for photo shoots , films , T.V. and events. I helped him work one of Trump's birthday parties in A.C. decades ago. I still have the scar on my hand from playing with a 4 month old tiger cub. ( 2 stitches ). He had rattlesnakes , a cobra, a mamba and a Gaboon Viper. All were devenomized. They had their venom glands removed. I still wouldn't go near them because they could still bite.

I'd be okay being around venomous snakes, if their venom was removed and they were used to being around humans. It's probably safer than being around large constrictor snakes, which don't need venom to kill. Here's one man who was killed by his pet 8 foot python.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jan/24/python-owner-killed-8ft-long-coroner-dan-brandon

When I was in Thailand, I played with baby tigers. They were really adorable. They were probably less than 4 months old. It's hard to believe they grow up to be deadly killers.

Raziel
12-09-2020, 09:37 AM
You're braver than I am.

I have Water Moccasin's all over the place here. I learned to deal with them when I was a little kid. I could easily remove one with two brooms. Or just my hands (Just come up behind them and then snap, grab them right around the neck, just below the head). They're everywhere in Missouri. You can barely escape them. They're not in the City, but if you leave the city you need to watch, especially if you're near a Lake or one of the many Rivers we have here (You don't want to go swimming in the Meramec River, trust me on this one, they are all over the place). They don't only stay in the water. But I've learned how to spot them. They also tend to congregate in Rock Quarries, probably because of the rainwater..

I just don't kill them. I just avoid them. No need to kill them.

Raziel
12-09-2020, 09:49 AM
I used to actually EAT Rattlers, if it was big enough. Tastes like stringy Chicken.

You don't want to fuck with a Baby though, an adult will bail as soon as it has the opportunity. Can't eat you, you're too big. Wants to conserve it's Venom, as that can mean the difference between eating and starvation. But a baby will freak out and hit you with EVERYTHING it's got. It depends on where you are, but if you're far from a Hospital you've probably got a funeral home in your immediate future.

(Sorry for the second post).

Eric Stoner
12-10-2020, 11:28 AM
I'd be okay being around venomous snakes, if their venom was removed and they were used to being around humans. It's probably safer than being around large constrictor snakes, which don't need venom to kill. Here's one man who was killed by his pet 8 foot python.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jan/24/python-owner-killed-8ft-long-coroner-dan-brandon

When I was in Thailand, I played with baby tigers. They were really adorable. They were probably less than 4 months old. It's hard to believe they grow up to be deadly killers.

Actually even devenomized snakes are still dangerous afaik and am concerned . They are very high strung and still bite. I'm not a reptile person anyway. I prefer mammals.
As far as the baby tigers : Yes, they are super cute and I've held and played with a couple BUT I am coming around to the idea that we shouldn't. Cubs belong with their mothers. In the wild they stay with their moms for their first year and even up to 2 years. The separation is traumatic for both the mothers and their children. I owned a caracal and knew people who had pet caracals , servals, tigers, pumas ( cougars ) and even a big mush of a Persian leopard. I would never do it again and discourage others from doing so. The worst experience I knew about was someone who learned the hard way that ocelots make lousy pets. Very hard to train and very high strung. Whoever worked with Bruce on the old Honey West T.V. show really knew what he or she was doing. Anyway the ocelot owner ended up driving to Tampa to have Big Cat Rescue take care of their former pet. Not sure, but I think it sprayed in the house once too often or somesuch.

Brandom39
12-17-2020, 10:37 AM
I like snakes )

Raziel
12-17-2020, 10:44 AM
I do, too. But i wouldn't want to own one. Especially a DEADLY Snake. Fuck that! "Here's my King Cobra!" Not happening. Gimmie a Garter Snake.

eagle2
02-13-2021, 06:10 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KorCydp9bU

Eric Stoner
02-15-2021, 11:48 AM
Roos are fun BUT they have VERY sharp claws and can push a full grown man down with either upper or lower paws. As a pet - NOT recommended. Unneutered males mark their territory with pee that makes cat urine seem fragrant.

Raziel
02-16-2021, 03:17 AM
^ Not to mention that if they kick you they can CRUSH YOUR RIBCAGE.