To think its bonkers our local pet shop sells rattle snakes

[VivaLeBeaver]

And other even more venomous ones?

The bloke assures me you need a licence for them. Oh that's ok then.

I asked if our local hospital stocks anti venom. It doesn't. The nearest hospital that does is 4 miles away. He reckons you'd be ambucoptered over there and would make it if the rattlesnake bit you. The other one he reckons you'd be dead before the helicopter got you there.

So anyone can get a licence and then keep one. Which is fine until it escapes.

4 hours away, not miles!

Fuck me, you'd have to be all shades of weird to want something like a rattlesnake as a pet.

Why, why, why would you want something that can kill you as a pet?

I don't get it either, I really don't.

I'd give your local council a ring to verify what the pet shop owner has said as I'm sure they'd be the one's that would have to give a licence for this.

It's covered by the Dangerous Animals act. Anyone owning such an animal must be registered by the Local Authority and there are strict controls in place regarding the keeping and transporting of the animal.
One of those is ensuring that the animal is safely contained.

That's how it works on paper. I've never kept one, so I don't know how it works in practice.

When was the last time you heard of an escaped snake biting someone? Never. The people in danger of being bitten are the people who own them or work with them. If they are prepared to take the risk then why should it worry you? The only pet likely to bother you is someone's dog. Dogs bite people every day.

Eeek.

This reminds me of that film with Klaus Kinski,"Venom", the premise of which was a black mamba delivered to a pet shop for a zoo and an order for a grass snake for a boy muddled up. He got the black mamba instead (he was fine, others weren't). Good film.

I didn't think this could happen in reality; a pet shop would not have leave to do this, I can't believe that they could. Did you ask to see HIS licence, OP? I'd get on to my local trading standards as a first start.

What.an.idiot!

Yanbu

So theoretically a neighbour could own a rattle snake as long as they have licences!! I'm absolutely stunned to be honest

There are strict rules put in place to get a DWA, you'll be fine.

There are strict rules put in place for DWA's, you'll be fine.

Barbarian, the Daily mail had a bit of a snake obsession a while ago (they have moved onto spiders now) and published a series of (unlikely) tales about escaped snakes biting people on the way to the chip shop and while they were lying in bed etc.

Mail fiction aside, snakes do tend to escape easily, but most of them are harmless.

YANBU. Fuckingnbonkers and cruel. Snakes are not pets, they are wild animals.

Are there any good reasons for getting rattlesnake as a pet? Does the rattle sooth your pfb when even drone of a vacuum cleaner doesn't? Or you think that it'll act as protection for your Picasso?

Although i have no idea why anyone would keep an unfluffy pet () i do think that there is allot more risk of getting bitten from a dangerous pet dog on the loose. There are many more dodgy dog owners then dodgy snake owners.

I've looked after a venomous reptile before. To get the license, you need two secure doors between the outside and the animal and you have to keep anti venom.

A DWA is comprehensive and expensive, so there is really very little risk.

In the really old days you'd do your best to kill all the snakes, wolves etc near your village. Now we import snakes and people buy dogs bred to act like wolves.

Reminds me of the universe song: "and pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in space, 'cause there's bugger-all down here on earth!"

Btw you have got to allow some people to buy poisonous snakes because it's their religion. :)

Mmmm well I guess the pet shop had two doors as the poisonous snakes are all in a separate room off the main shop.

They don't have anti venom though. Like I say the nearest stockist is 4 hours away.

I have read of a python escaping and killing two kids in the flat below. That was in the paper earlier this year. Also an albino cobra escaped recently and was on the loose in a neighbourhood. Both cases in America mind but it shows that they do escape.

Then surely they should have the anti venom there then if they are dealers of them. Very worrying.

I've just read some government leaflet online and as far as the anti venom is concerned you just have to tell the local hospital what sort of snake you have so they can research what anti venom may be required.

Bloody hell this is crazy. Why have a pet that can kill you - or someone else if it escapes???

The other snake was an "elipid". I've just googled those and it covered a few different snakes, all of which look like right nasty bastards.

Viva, did the pet shop owner give any idea as to why any sane person would buy a rattlesnake.

No, I didnt really ask him. I said you'd have to be bonkers to want one.

He just said that they're mostly well "trained" when they're on the hooks they behave. But sometimes if one is in a bad mood it can be "exciting" I think was the word used. So I guess when they handle them they only do it via the long hooks on sticks.

I used to have lizards so I'm not against reptiles. Just poisonous ones!

I don't know why it's legal. Is this legal?

I love that you asked him if there's some anti-venom in the general vicinity. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall.