WHY VENOMOUS SNAKES MAKE HORRIBLE AND TERRIBLE PET

Every single year, emergency rooms have venomous snake owners showing up with a venomous snake bite. Even though the act of owning a venomous snake for a pet is illegal in most areas, the venomous snake is a popular pet in today’s society. Perhaps it is the danger of owning one, or the taboo nature of having one captive, but more and more people are attempting to keep them as pets.

If the thought has ever crossed your mind, I would like you to consider the man that was in the news this past winter. He was bitten in the face by a venomous gaboon viper. A gaboon viper is a large, heavy bodied snake that is actually rather docile by nature. They are not known as overly aggressive snakes, but they are still extremely deadly. Add to this the fact that they have the longest fangs of any venomous snake in the world at over two inches, and you have a recipe for disaster.

This gaboon viper struck the man in the face, and yet he survived. It is said that a gaboon viper bite is one of the most painful snake bites on the planet. One can only imagine how bad it would hurt to be bitten in the face. Since the gaboon viper is native to Africa, the other problem is finding the anti venom to save the man’s life. He was saved, but I bet he was second guessing that decision to keep a venomous snake for a pet.

The gaboon viper story is far from exclusive in the way of venomous bites. People have been bitten by cobras, rattlesnakes, cottonmouths, copperheads, coral snakes, and even black mambas while trying to keep them captive.

Even snake handlers that do this for a living get bitten on occasion, and they know what they are doing. Snake milkers, that extract the venom from venomous snakes for the anti venom are bitten on occasion and they handle venomous snakes on a daily basis. If you are thinking of keeping a venomous snake, then what do you think that your chances of avoiding a venomous snake bite may be?

There is a very good reason that venomous snakes are illegal to keep as pets. You are not qualified to care for them safely, and they are deadly. These two reasons are enough for most people, and the rest are risking grave danger. If you are not a herpetologist, and have great experience with handling dangerous snakes, then please just find a harmless snake to keep for a pet.

Some outstanding choices for harmless snakes as pets include corn snakes, ball pythons, king snakes, garter snakes, and even rat snakes if they are tamed……Or you could always just get a dog.

SHOULD YOU HAVE A SNAKE AS A PET?

So you are thinking about getting a snake for a pet? Snakes make wonderful pets if you are careful and you know what type of snake to get. Some snakes are not a good fit for you and your family, while others are wonderful for most any family. This article will explore the things you need to consider before taking on a snake as a pet, along with what types of snakes make good pets.

One of the first things you must consider when you are getting a snake for a pet is the care of the reptile. A snake is not an animal you can just stick in a cage. Snakes have special needs in captivity, and it goes a bit further than just dietary concerns. For example, did you know that you have to provide a heat source for your snake? Also, you have to provide water, and various other things to allow your snake to feel at home like they do in the wild.

Different species have different needs, so you can not treat all snakes the same. Before you own any snake for a pet, you should research the species and learn about any of these special health needs.
Another concern that many people do not realize is that you often have to feed the snake live prey. Some snakes will eat already dead food, but the vast majority like to eat live prey. That means mice, rats, rabbits (for larger snakes), or other similar mammals. This can be a very troubling experience for some people.

Snakes are very good pets if you get the right kind and you know how to care for them. Where many people mess up with snakes as pets is when they try to keep a venomous snake or larger species of snake. These snakes are very dangerous, and should never be kept as pets unless you are a herpetologist or similar reptile expert. Some of the more dangerous snakes in North America are the coral snake, rattlesnakes, copperheads, and cottonmouths. These snakes are capable of killing a human being, and should never be kept as a pet.

Other snakes are available that are very good pets for most snake owners. Some good examples of types of snakes that are good pets include corn snakes, garter snakes, king snakes, and some of the smaller boas and pythons such as the ball python. Even these smaller pythons and boas can still get fairly large so you should consider this when thinking of owning one as a pet.

Snakes overall make excellent pets. Just be sure that you think it through, and learn your species. Stay away from the larger snakes, as well as the venomous snakes as pets. If you stick to these general principles, you should have a very nice experience owning your new pet snake.

THE FIVE RISKY PETS TO KEEP

Dangerous pets have become a popular past time over the last decade or so. More and more people are keeping animals that have the potential to seriously harm or kill them. Nobody seems to think that is is a good idea, but every single day we hear of people being hurt by their own pets. One thing that has contributed to this problem is the keeping of exotic pets. These are wild animals that are not meant to be pets at all. When you mix a dangerous pet with an owner that has no knowledge or respect for them, you are sure to have a problem sooner or later. Here are the five most dangerous types of pets to keep, and why they are so dangerous.


Big Cats - This category includes everything from a small bobcat to a full grown lion. People all over the world have tried to contain the raw power of these animals. Many have died trying to do so. Even the smaller bobcat, which is about the size of a large house cat, can be deadly if the situation is wrong. The dangers of a lion, tiger, jaguar, and the other larger cats are clear. They will eat you.

Constrictor Snakes - These large snakes are dangerous for a number of reasons. One, is because they are very powerful. Reticulated pythons, African rock pythons, and anacondas for example, are capable of killing a full grown man simply by constricting. What could these snakes do to a child? The other reason they are so dangerous is because they are notoriously capable escape artists. Can you imagine sleeping well with that knowledge? Even the smaller constrictors such as ball pythons can be dangerous to small children or pets.

Venomous Snakes - These are easily the most common dangerous pets to keep. People constantly underestimate the power, speed, and danger of these reptiles. Any venomous snake is a deadly pet in the making, and you should stay far away from keeping them as a pet. In spite of being experts in their field, snake handlers even get bitten. If they get bitten and are experts, then what chance do you really have?

Scorpions - This is yet another dangerous pet that is often underestimated. The venom in some of these scorpions are just as dangerous and powerful as some of the venomous snakes mentioned above. If you are keeping a scorpion as a pet, you are asking for a painful sting. If the scorpion is deadly, then you are playing with your life.

Dogs - Though the dog is not your typical deadly animal, they do kill. Because of the sheer volume of dogs that are kept as pets, they are the ones that attack humans most often. Though this does not mean you should not keep one as a pet, it might make you think twice about the breeds that you keep. You should make certain that you know how to take care of any breed before taking them on as a pet. Even still, exercise caution around these animals, particularly with children around. The family dog can in some situations be the most dangerous pet of all.

STAYING SHARK FREE WHILE IN WATER

Shark attacks are a fact of life. They are incredibly rare, but they do happen. For this reason, it is foolhardy to ignore them as a danger. Shark attacks usually happen when we as humans do something that goes against shark safety rules. There are exceptions, to be sure, but we can certainly mitigate the factors that cause shark attacks. When we go body surfing, it is certainly a time that we should consider shark safety. Here are some keys to shark safety when we go body surfing in the great outdoors:


One of the most important factors of shark safety when body surfing is simply being in the water at safe times. Sharks are predators, and they are most active at night and during the early morning hours. Dusk, dawn, and the dead of night are the most dangerous times to try to body surf. Stay out of the water during these hunting times, and you are mitigating your chances of shark attack considerably.

Another important shark safety consideration is what you see around you. Obviously, if you see a shark in the water, you should get out. That said, there are other signs that could mean shark activity in the water when body surfing. First of all, you should not swim in areas where active or past fishing activity is going on. Sharks will go where the food is, and fishermen are notorious for leaving behind bait and the like. Also, fish that are caught with hooks bleed. Blood draws sharks. Finally, if you see schools of fish jumping in the water, there is a good chance that sharks are in the area. Sharks chase these food sources.

Sharks are notorious to be attracted to shiny or bright things. Like most fish, these shiny objects are similar to the scales of a fish that is swimming in the water. For this reason you should leave jewelry behind when you go body surfing. Likewise, you should also avoid brightly colored swimsuits and the neon colored bodysuits. Dark colors are ideal when body surfing.

A shark can detect even the most minute drop of blood in the water at extreme distances. Blood draws sharks in like nothing else. If you have any cuts, are on your period, or are otherwise bleeding in any way, you should avoid body surfing.

Another truth of the ocean is that sharks go where the food is. Unfortunately, that is right around the drop off shelf of the ocean. That point where many body surfers like to catch the best waves is also where many species of fish hang out looking for food. Of course, this includes the shark. Consider swimming and body surfing on the clearest water days. Swimming in brackish or unclear water is a serious shark problem, because you have no chance of spotting them before they attack.

THE DEADLIEST ANIMAL ON EARTH

The tussle between humans and animals is not as one-sided as you may think. We count down the top ten deadliest animals.

Since the dawn of man, humans have held sway over the animal kingdom, hunting animals for purposes of food, tools, survival and sport. But animals still do a fair bit of damage to humans, claiming the lives of a more than two million people each year.

So which animals are the worst offenders? It’s not the usual suspects. Sharks, whose attacks receive the most publicity, only kill three to four humans a year. The most poisonous animal on earth, the poison-arrow frog, lives deep within the tropical rainforests of Central and South America and rarely makes contact with humans.

HEAT STRESS AS IT AFFECETS WILDLIFE

Itook a trip to Dubai on my way from Uganda tororo in east Africa and i could only imagine how hot this places are but at night, tororo has certain cooling effect so i wondered how wildlife would survive in places like this. Do you know that east africa has alot of these wildlife? well,It is well documented that the stress of hot environments lowers productive and reproductive efficiency in farm animals. Likewise, research information is available to aid in the management of livestock in such adverse conditions. However, practical methods to achieve the desired levels of productive and reproductive performance are lacking. Summer forages that will support a high level of productivity in subtropic and tropic regions are needed for ruminants. More critical information is needed on the total dietary needs of all farm animals in hot environments. Dietary emphasis should be to increase intake or to alter levels of proteins, amino acids or other nutrients to improve the conversion of feed units into production units. Increasing nutrient intake to support a higher level of production will render animals more sensitive, in terms of productive efficiency, to environmental modifications that improve comfort. This should be especially pertinent in the humid Southeast and other regions where production responses to environmental modifications have been variable. There is limited information on the effect of the night cooling cycle on productive efficiency and on the effect of severe heat stress on reproductive phenomena not related to conception.

HOW DESERT ANIMALS SURVIVE

Desert animals, like desert plants, have adapted in very special ways to live in this hot, dry environment. When finding water is a problem, many animals develop ways of living to help them use less water.

One way to save water is to stay as cool as possible. When people get too hot their bodies start to sweat. This water, coming from small pores in the skin, helps to cool the skin and keeps the body temperature from getting too high. Although most desert animals don't sweat, the same type of cooling happens when an animal pants. The body can lose a lot of water under the desert sun.

People are lucky because they can carry water with them in canteens and waterbottles. Animals must rely on the water that they can find. Most of the time little water is available, so animals have to be masters at keeping cool and saving water.

Almost all desert animals are smart enough to stay out of the sun during the hottest part of the day. They stay deep underground in burrows. There the sand is much cooler, and burrowing animals, like the kangaroo rat, the badger, the gopher, the coyote and the kit fox, sleep while you are playing on the dunes. At night, after the sun goes down and the sand cools off, the animals come out to hunt for food. When an animal is active at night and rests during the day, it is called nocturnal.