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Originally Posted by hhmoore
now your changing the rules, lol. I didn't say anything about being constricted by a full grown retic, burm, or green anaconda...I said it doesn't really matter if you are BITTEN by a ratsnake, or even a fairly large python. As an example, I will say - up to 15 ft. MOST of the defensive type bites, even in that size range, do not cause tremendous amounts of damage (I have seen photos of injuries caused by bites by LARGE WC snakes though...
and I would pass on taking those, too). The bottom line is that working with large boids is nothing like working with hots. Sure, you can get just as dead, but that is another subject entirely.
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I can see your point. On the other hand, I might say that working with giant pythons teaches you (or should teach you) to treat your snakes with caution. If you're used to working with an animal which is capable of killing you, you may be able to transfer that mindset over to working with something that injures by biting rather than constriction. It's not so much a matter of "I know exactly how to deal with this copperhead/pigmy rattler/etc." but rather, "I know how to treat a potentially dangerous animal with respect."
And as far as working with ratsnakes goes: I would think that learning how to avoid getting bitten is definitely a skill which comes in handy when dealing with venomous reptiles.
That kind of mindset, again, isn't something you are going to get with i.e. a ball python or other even-tempered animals. Sure, a rattler's strike is different than a ratsnake's biting style, but it's a matter of knowing in your gut -- not as an intellectual exercise -- that yes, snakes bite sometimes and if I put my extremeties in striking range I'm likely to suffer for it.
Here's a question: what would you recommend as a starter for someone who is interested in working with hots but who has no experience with them? I'd agree that you have to treat a venomous snake differently than even the most ill-tempered nonvenomous animal... but would you agree that one should have some experience with nonvenomous reptiles before deciding that a cobra would look lovely in the dining room?