Venomous Reptiles

Contrary to popular belief, it is possible to keep venomous reptiles in your home in the UK. However, you do need to be experienced in reptile keeping and be over 18 years of age, have suitable mentoring from trained professionals and possess a DWA (dangerous wild animals) license. It is recommened that you live near a hospital in case you get bit.

Keep in mind that these animals are extremely dangerous and one bite can lead to serious injury and even death within a matter of hours. Even the professionals can get bit and it's recommended to exercise caution with these reptiles as one mistake can be fatal.

Venom Types

There are two main types of venom that snakes can retain. One is neurotoxin and the other is cytotoxin. Venom itself is essentially modified saliva which is used as a pre-digestion and highly effective killing method. Cytotoxins attack tissue and muscles while neurotoxins attack mainly the nerves of the victim. 

While venom is mostly dedicated towards certain types of snake such as vipers and elipidae (for example, a cobra), certain colubrids like the hognose possess mild venom that is usually not lethal for humans. Hognoses are allowed to be kept as a pet without the DWA license.

There are places where you can get training to handle such reptiles and from there you can apply for a permit to keep them. Click here for information.

Here are some examples of venomous snakes:

Albino Western diamondback rattlesnake

Monocled Cobra

Black Mamba

Eyelash Viper

African bush viper

Gila monster

Health and Safety

You have an option to defang the reptile. This involves removal of the fangs by a professional, although this is traumatic for the animal and can pose problems when they need to feed. Another option is to remove the actual venom gland and this makes the reptile "Venomoid". This means they still have the fangs but the gland that holds the venom is removed, although if the surgeon did not do a thorough job, some venom can be retained and the animal should still be treated as being "hot". The term "Hot" simply means venomous and is often used in the reptile trade to describe such reptiles.

If you decide to get a hot reptile, in particular snakes, one essential bit of equipment is a snake hook. This is a long metal pole with a U shaped hook at the end that you use to remove the snake from their tank and is a useful aid to keep the animal's head away from your body.

Snake Hook

My Thoughts

I myself would not keep a venomous reptile nor would I recommend it. For me, the risks outweigh the rewards, although if I could keep one, I would keep a rattlesnake as I think they are adorable and they can tell you when they are angry! It would be a good way to keep away unwanted guests.