Bob Clark (Industry and community irresponsibility?) INQUIRY

[Mooing Tricycle]

Some may not think that what those two did, acting like, on national TV is that big of a deal, but all it takes is one person to make a mistake because they saw that clip and thought owning a hot would be cool. A small reminder of what can happen when one teen decides that very thing (a hot is cool) without taking proper precautions and is irresponsible:

http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=76240

Hots are not a creature to be taken lightly in any manner, to shrug a shoulder and say "no big deal" because we know that Bob had things in control and was pandering to the entertainment of fears. It is obvious they were planning to have things get out of control because the same mistakes were made twice in a row with the same snake. Sure it was all for the ratings.

There is no excuse to look like a fool on purpose when so many respectively look up to you. Do I think they are bad people, not really, but stupidity is not good either.

Thank you. AMEN. No dang excuse.

 

[Marcial Mendez]

Don't put words in my mouth. I never said banned.

And you don't make a very good analogy... I am not going to "accidentally" strap on a bomb and go kill people. But an irresponsible / ill-equipped keeper very well could "accidentally" leave the rock off his screen top and have the animal escape.

 

[Sulaman]

Fluffy

Check into fluffy Clark never raised or produced it. There is a Herper out west that rasies retics just to get them big. Fluffy was kept very warm(dijestion) and fed every 2 days by them, then sold to clark when huge.

 

[snakewrangler]

Check into fluffy Clark never raised or produced it. There is a Herper out west that rasies retics just to get them big. Fluffy was kept very warm(dijestion) and fed every 2 days by them, then sold to clark when huge.

...and where is the proof that this isn't hearsay?

 

[richardduckworth]

Don't put words in my mouth. I never said banned.

And you don't make a very good analogy... I am not going to "accidentally" strap on a bomb and go kill people. But an irresponsible / ill-equipped keeper very well could "accidentally" leave the rock off his screen top and have the animal escape.

so you aren't concerned with intentional danger?

and you said we have NO BUSINESS KEEPING HOTS.

i'm thinking that your opinion wasn't thought through at all.

it was just someone else's opinion that you adopted, but have no clue why.

also, most folks forego the 'rock lock' method. it would blow your mind the amount of money most spend on safety features. most keepers had rather avoid bites too.

you should check out a local person's hot room if possible. you're clueless about the hobby at this point in time.

 

[Sulaman]

fluffy

A couple wks ago there was an add for Sulawesi on kingsnake. I talked to a man by the name of Jhon. They had it for sell and we talked about retics,They have a w/c sula that is 25ft and power feed their animals. then the mentioned raising fulffy. there are 2 or 3 fluffys. He stated he raised it till it got huge then sold to Clark. I will try to find the ad

 

[nora]

Hey Charles, try to get this John person to come here and post his experience as well in regards to fluffy.. otherwise your post is concidered 3rd party information, cuz that's a no-no here.

Thanks

 

[MikeCurtin]

#1. Too many people name their snakes "Fluffy". It was clever the first time....I digress.

#2. How many knuckleheads (like the one in the earlier link) will be encouraged to handle hots irresponsibly in the future? One w/ the IQ of the kid envenomated in the earlier link will have good reason to simply think "I'll just get a monacle cobra....they look pretty docile....Bob Clark held one like it was a corn snake so how dangerous could they be?"

I think the chance of said intelectually challenged individuals following Bob's example and winding up in the ER is the real risk to the hobby, but at this point all we can do is be responsible, hold Mr. Clark's feet to the fire, and hope for the best at this point.

MkeCurtin

 

[ToshaMc]

Check into fluffy Clark never raised or produced it. There is a Herper out west that rasies retics just to get them big. Fluffy was kept very warm(dijestion) and fed every 2 days by them, then sold to clark when huge.

Are you referring to Fluffy, Fluffy 2 or Fluffy 3 ?

 

[ToshaMc]

As for the whole "I bought cause I saw it on Letterman" theory. I'm not really familiar with Hots or that side of the industry - but are people really that stupid in that particular area of this industry? I mean you'd have to be pretty stupid to just buy a Hot cause you saw one on TV without at least investigating it to some extent first. And you'd have to be pretty stupid to sell a hot to someone that clearly wasn't prepared to handle it properly. Also - don't you have to get permits and such to own hots? Or is that part of our industry running on a don't ask don't tell policy - if you have the money you can buy anything you want?

 

[BryonsBoas]

As for the whole "I bought cause I saw it on Letterman" theory. I'm not really familiar with Hots or that side of the industry - but are people really that stupid in that particular area of this industry? I mean you'd have to be pretty stupid to just buy a Hot cause you saw one on TV without at least investigating it to some extent first. And you'd have to be pretty stupid to sell a hot to someone that clearly wasn't prepared to handle it properly. Also - don't you have to get permits and such to own hots? Or is that part of our industry running on a don't ask don't tell policy - if you have the money you can buy anything you want?

Not all states require permits for hots as far as I know. Not all hot dealers are concerned with the experience level of those buying from either. Its a small percentage I'm sure but just like anything type of animal in the hobby , there are good guys that care enough to ask the right questions and turn down a sale and a few that are only concerned that the buyer won't get himself killed before he gets home.

I say " few " based on the stories I've heard and read. It does happen but to what extent I'm unsure. The seller placing an animal with an unexperienced person is just as bad to this hobby.

 

[Karma Kritters]

Tosha, It would depend on what state you are in. Here in Florida we are inspected for caging requirements and records as to where the animals came from and if sold to who. However other states do not have such rules. I was at a show in another state and overheard a fairly well known person suggesting a monocle cobra or a gaboon as being good beginner hots to a guy who said he had only kept cornsnakes before. As with every hobby there is always that person who is just out to make a quick buck and is not worried about the outcome of there actions.

 

[ToshaMc]

Thanks for the answers guys!! That's somewhat amazing - if that is a possibility then clearly this is more of a problem within the industry than it is with a Letterman show incident.

Seems to me if there were more people concerned about making sure these animals - be they Hots or giant snakes or pissy lizards that will outgrow their cuteness - go to educated and responsible hands we'd have less aggravation from the government to shut down and/or restrict our hobby.

 

[richardduckworth]

Thanks for the answers guys!! That's somewhat amazing - if that is a possibility then clearly this is more of a problem within the industry than it is with a Letterman show incident.

Seems to me if there were more people concerned about making sure these animals - be they Hots or giant snakes or pissy lizards that will outgrow their cuteness - go to educated and responsible hands we'd have less aggravation from the government to shut down and/or restrict our hobby.

got a solution to the problem?

some people can talk a mean game. granted some dealers will sell to people who OBVIOUSLY shouldn't have certain animals, but how in the world could you possibly run a business and actually know? there are thousands and thousands of dogs and cats who aren't taken care of (not counting the strays). no one could make a living selling reptiles if they were too skeptical. if there was federal regulation similar to what florida has, then it would be a matter of "where's your permit".

kinda like when you're 21 and buying beer. if you have a license you will get beer, otherwise, who knows.

there really isn't a whole lot someone can do to screen people, especially with the tens of thousands of internet sales.

and STILL, CAPABLE doesn't mean the person is guaranteed not to do something ridiculous.

it all boils down to personal responsibility. that's why incidents like this are harmful, because regardless of what people DID take from it, they certainly didn't learn anything about reptiles and certainly not about respecting them.

a little bit of fear of envenomation is actually a valuable thing.

 

[The BoidSmith]

I was at a show in another state and overheard a fairly well known person suggesting a monocle cobra or a gaboon as being good beginner hots to a guy who said he had only kept cornsnakes before.

Is there such thing as a good beginners hot? I'm asking because I don't really know.

 

[Junkyard]

Is there such thing as a good beginners hot? I'm asking because I don't really know.

Maybe a tame ball python that has been under a heat lamp all day? Even then...

As for the whole "I bought cause I saw it on Letterman" theory. I'm not really familiar with Hots or that side of the industry - but are people really that stupid in that particular area of this industry? I mean you'd have to be pretty stupid to just buy a Hot cause you saw one on TV without at least investigating it to some extent first. And you'd have to be pretty stupid to sell a hot to someone that clearly wasn't prepared to handle it properly. Also - don't you have to get permits and such to own hots? Or is that part of our industry running on a don't ask don't tell policy - if you have the money you can buy anything you want?

Not a live Dinosaur.

It does happen, some people are more concerned about money when you wave it around in their face. That is how the young man in the link I provided was able to purchase a hot, even though he had his parents permission, was obviously not qualified to own one during the time of sale.

 

[nora]

Is there such thing as a good beginners hot? I'm asking because I don't really know.

Yes and no .. It all depends on the person's training/mentoring as well as their comfort levels. the majority of keepers ive talked to have recommended copperheads, eyelash vipers, and cottonmouths to me as a first hot.. of course this is coming from a girl who thinks her perfect first hot is a east african green mamba Dendroaspis angusticeps... and im not kidding you either.. lol but i doubt i'll ever keep anytime soon..

The best beginner hot would be what you felt was the best for your ownself...

 

[nora]

Maybe a tame ball python that has been under a heat lamp all day? Even then...

lol.. that reminds me.. my brother asked what it was like to handle a black mamba, and i had him try to handle my friend's super psychotic 4ft yellow tail cribo i was babysitting and i think my brother just about crapped himself cuz i never heard someone say so many choice words in all my life.. i know cribos and mambas have completely different attitudes, and whatnot, but im telling ya'll that cribo is beyond psychotic... and the situation was funny.

 

[The BoidSmith]

Yes and no .. It all depends on the person's training/mentoring as well as their comfort levels. the majority of keepers ive talked to have recommended copperheads, eyelash vipers, and cottonmouths to me as a first hot.. of course this is coming from a girl who thinks her perfect first hot is a east african green mamba Dendroaspis angusticeps... and im not kidding you either.. lol but i doubt i'll ever keep anytime soon..

The best beginner hot would be what you felt was the best for your ownself...

The problem is that different snakes behave differently. Allthough highly venomous, chances of getting bitten by a coral snake are slim. Thus one cannot acquire the necessary skills to handle a more agressive species. The term "good beginner's hot" would mean to me that one that would allow you te devlop your skills at cleaning the cage, feeding, etc. without being "nailed" in the process, right?

 

[nora]

The problem is that different snakes behave differently. Allthough highly venomous, chances of getting bitten by a coral snake are slim. Thus one cannot acquire the necessary skills to handle a more agressive species. The term "good beginner's hot" would mean to me that one that would allow you te devlop your skills at cleaning the cage, feeding, etc. without being "nailed" in the process, right?

In a nutshell yes. But if you doubt or question your abilities for even a second, then you're not ready to keep any kind of venomous snake.