That's an interesting thought- thanks!

We've seen their method with taipans and brown snakes, but I've never seen it done with mambas. It's true that the risk increases the longer the keeper interacts with the snake, but Jim is most comfortable and practiced with this method. I would be interested in their thoughts of using the pinning disc on mambas, because I wonder about the added challenge of mambas being more adept at climbing tools.

@@kyreptilezoo surely theres gotta be a safer way to milk these snakes than with your bare hands? Why not at least wear gloves ect? Or just try to come up with an entirely new way to do it?

Gloves would limit Jim's dexterity and ability to feel the movement of the snake's head, and they would also have weak points along the seams of the fabric. People have developed and sharing venomous handling techniques over the years, but for Jim, he has developed his method over 48 years, and there would be a risk to try to do something completely new.

Does a snake ever remember a previous occasion with the tube and not cooperate?

We don't use tongs on our animals directly. We use hooks to lift and guide them, hopefully without scaring them, and for extraction Jim prefers his method because he can feel exactly where he's holding them and how much pressure he's using.

You are a little bit wrong!!! Yes, it is absolutely because of the venom and aggressive behavior!!! The Black Mamba venom acts faster than any other snake against humans!!! 20 minutes you can die, and with antivenom people still have a 40 percent chance of dying!!!

They also have very potent and fast acting venom.

I’m more dangerous snake you encounter overall but them, Eastern brown snake, or any of the Taipans bite you and you’re gonna get the same results.

They get fed weekly if they're being extracted from regularly, and every other week if they're not.

We have considered covering the windows to the other enclosures. It's tough when they're already on alert from being hooked out. We appreciate the suggestion though!

The only places in the us with that antivenom are zoos that carry it for the safety of their staff. Individuals can get it if they have the license to purchase non FDA medications like antivenom.

We've seen the method used in Australia; Jim prefers to do it this way and it's what's more comfortable for him. I've seen their method on taipans but not mambas, and mambas do have the challenge of being able to climb tools quickly. We don't have any rare hybrids, but we do have Mangshan vipers!

Thank you for your reply. I also wanted to ask you if you guys have seen the video of the guy who let's black mamba bite him. I think he was trying to build up an immunity to their venom. I just was curious what your thoughts were on this.

We have seen that. The herpetological and broader scientific community (including us) doesn't condone self-immunization with venom. His body is probably producing antibodies, sure, but the immune system can't react as quickly as it would need to in a bite. Our bodies are used to viruses or bacteria that need to grow, giving our antibodies time to build up in defense. In a bite, all the venom is received at once, and if our bodies tried to release enough antibodies that fast, we could go into shock. They would also be the potential for long term side effects from long term venom exposure. It's just not a worthwhile practice.

@@kyreptilezoo Wrong. Tim Friede can take 2 direct bites from multiple kinds of snakes including the black mamba. He's not using anti-venom. I think being highly resistant to venom is a worthwhile practice in some circumstances.

When taking a direct bite, it’s impossible to know how much venom was injected. The concern is that if a large amount is injected, the immune system would send the person into anaphylaxis trying to fight it, and that is a more acute emergency than snakebite.

Jim has been extracting for 48 years. Because we are an educational institution and work with our state's wildlife agency, we are excluded from the state ban on owning injurious animals. Different extractors have different techniques and they do what is most comfortable for them. We also don't like to generalize the behavior of a species too much because each individual can act however it chooses.

Many snakes have yellow venom, but mambas have clear or white venom. The components of the venom have an overall smaller molecular weight than those found in other snakes' venom, and this allows it to potentially travel faster in the body.

@kyreptilezoo Thanks a lot, maybe inland taipen has also clear (transparent) venom 🤔