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Okay folks, it's time for me to put on the moderator hat and remind y'all to tone down the rhetoric. The last thing I want to do right now is lock down a thread.
The topic of venomoids quite justifiably makes most serious herpers' blood boil, but persuasive arguments often tend to yield better results than ad hominem. As he's 15 and relatively inexperienced, it would be far more purposeful to educate rather than alienate. I know it gets tiresome at times, but let's try to put a bit more effort into genuinely educating our young, misguided member before going for the jugular, m'kay?
And to Mike, understand that the reason your comments have so many people up in arms is that they have a genuine respect for these animals. These aren't people whose knowledge comes from a TFH book or secondhand misinformation. Many of the folks who've responded here, myself included, have been seriously working with venomous reptiles longer than you've been alive.
To make an analogy, hacking out part of a snake's head for fun and profit is pretty much on par with amputating a lizard's legs to prevent it from escaping because one is either unwilling or unable to provide it with secure enough housing. Yes, it can survive like that, but that still doesn't justify unnecessary and disfiguring surgery.
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