WebSlave

I think the point people are trying to impress is that no, the snake itself is not evil, it's a WILD animal. It doesn't think like a human being. It doesn't recognize you as a friend. It doesn't feel love, kinship, affection, or have any interest in your welfare. It does not think about whether or not it WANTS to bite you or not. It will not feel regret if it bites you because it mistakes your hand for a rat and you die. It will not understand why you don't come around to feed it any longer nor what that awful smell of your decomposing body in your bedroom is.

Heck, I can't list the number of times I have had nonvenomous snakes that have never expressed any hint of wanting to bite before, just turn the head and latch onto my arm or a finger. I remember particularly a california king that without any warning suddenly lunged at my face. Luckily my reflexes were quicker than they are today or I could have gotten an eyeball snagged and punctured. Lord only knows how many times I've gotten bitten by corn snakes just from plain old feed response. It happens. They are wild animals. They are designed to evaluate everything as being possibly FOOD. In their world, there is no penalty for biting something that turns out to NOT be food. I can't think of any logical reason to assume that it can't happen with venomous snakes as well. Just with venomous snakes, you might not get a second chance to correct your handling practices.

Yes, everyone is welcome to pick their own lifestyle and their own poison, if they want to. I presume you do know that what you are doing is dangerous to you, do you not? I sure hope you do. But do you not also realize that IF you get bit, you will be a newsworthy item that can negatively affect not only your future legal ability to have those animals, but potentially snowball into affecting EVERYONE's privilege as well? THAT is what others are concerned about here. I'm sure no one here really wants to hear about you dying from a Gaboon bite. The main concern is that your actions COULD become the spark that sends bills to legislators to vote on, at all levels of government to outlaw what you are now doing for EVERYONE else.

Probably you are not concerned about that aspect of your actions. And I suppose that is your right to not care about what anyone else thinks. But you will be responsible for what happens afterwards if you do get bit. Heck, they may even name the law banning venomous snakes from private possession with your name. The "Barry Foster Venomous Snake Ban". You want to be famous in that fashion?

You claim that no one here knows you, but the reverse is also true, is it not? Do you know how your actions can affect them? Do you KNOW the people your actions may affect and how it could impact what they love to do? My impression is that your answer to that is "Hell NO! I don't give a damn about anyone else but me and what I want to do." That is it in a nutshell, isn't it?

BTW, do you live alone, or do you have other family members living there with you?

Personally, I really don't care what you do, as I have never, and will never, own nor handle venomous snakes. But even though I am retired from the reptile business, I still do care about what happens to it. How about you?