Is this man being responsible with these hot snakes?

[Praireboyfarmer]

Originally Posted by SSSSnakes

I don't know how many of the people who have posted here actually keep or handle venomous snakes, but I do. I keep and handle venomous snakes every day. There are many ways that may appear to be unsafe when handling a venomous snake, but with experienced keepers and handlers they are not. If it works for you,, then go with it. I may not agree with some of the things he does and I'm sure he would not agree with some of the things I do. One of the people he has trained, also has said that his ways may be careless but he told them to do what he teaches them and not what he does.

As a venomous keeper and mentor to some, there is never a completely safe way to handle a venomous snake, there is always a risk. Viperkeeper, Steve Erwin and myself, are not hobbyist. We are professional keepers and handlers, so we look at what may be considered dangerous in a different light. I personally have to follow certain rules and regulations to keep my licenses, which helps to make me a little safer. My enclosures are keyed locked and only someone who is licensed can handle my venomous snakes. I know when I am performing one of my shows, I tell the audience that I'm not a daredevil and I wear HexArmor gloves and use snake sticks to help protect myself. I have no need to try and boost my ego or popularity as being a risk taker. I think Viperkeeper, Steve Erwin and myself all feel, as Steve use to say, we do what we do so others will feel as passionate and love these animals as much as we do. You want to save things that you love.

When I asked this I was genuinely curious about the way he handles his snakes. It looked a bit reckless to me and I was curious as to if it was safe or not (Because incidentally I had actually seen your comment about "It may look reckless, but it's not".) It's obvious that the man is knowledgeable and very experienced (Though I personally don't care for his less than friendly attitude)

If I knew it was going to turn into a big argument on this thread I wouldn't have posted it as I do not want a bad reputation on these boards and am genuinely interested in stepping into the world of Herpetology.

Thanks.