Western Diamondback Rattlesnake venom extraction KRZ

[nefty018]

The first one wasn't as aggressive but after that one, the rest of the snakes got aggressive and tried to bite.

[rminitials]

Wow that's a lot of venom at 4:01 - I never knew they could produced that much while being milked.

[TheArkyrebel]

Is there a difference in the toxicity of the venom between the eastern and western diamondbacks?

[Djinnhydra]

Rattlesnakes are the scariest to me :( it's not about the rattlers either I actually like the sound they make but it's just the way they look and the way their head is shaped for some reason it scares me

[Spadadiforza]

THAT was A LOT of venom from the WDB

[28JohnnyP]

They couldn't pay me enough to do that job. With my luck i would get bit the first try, LOL

[gumdo666]

I like the Byrds "Turn, Turn,Turn" played in the background. :)

[kyreptilezoo]

@gumdo666 :) just what was on the radio at the time.

[shaheen1990]

Lol The Third Snake Was like Back Off !!

[resistislam2011]

how long does venom keep its toxicity after its extracted?

[koger677]

well i was woundreing if eny body knows what i can do with the dimond backs at my house im 15 and i cautch them live but my dad wants me to kill them what i really wana do is help people by catching them and if somebody wants to buy them they can

[kyreptilezoo]

@koger677 While it is nice that you do not want to kill them, there are a lot of diamondbacks in captivity and they are not really needed to be collected from the wild. Also, not to offend you, but you are putting yourself at risk by catching them-- most people who are bitten are intentionally coming into contact with the snake.

[Saihitei7]

Probably one of my most personal favorites when it comes to US pit vipers. And I'm going to guess that was an albino Western you had in that video (I could be wrong, as there is always the possibility it was a leucistic... it was hard to tell with the eyes)

And I don't blame you for the sounds. I'd probably go a little bonkers too if I had to listen to that all day.

[kyreptilezoo]

@Saihitei7 Yep, it is an albino.

[MikeGomezish]

I LOVE the western diamondback, they're soooooo pretty. i wish i could own one sadly i am not ready....prob never will be but i can dream right haha. keep up the good work :)

[coondogtheman1234]

That's a lot of rattling. when they are all going at it all you hear is white noise. I hear Turn turn turn by the byrds in the BG.

[kyreptilezoo]

@coondogtheman1234 Yes it is the Byrds. I have to have music when working them because the rattling can get to you after being in the room for a few hours.

[coondogtheman1234]

@kyreptilezoo I hear ya. i can't work w/o music. I have my iPod with me as well as an mp3 player with a radio.

[tjcoffey]

I have a question. If one of these snakes that just got milked bit one of you guys, would it have enough venom to kill?

[kyreptilezoo]

@tjcoffey Yes.

[Ian303]

Very Very VERY Pretty Albino. (I'm just assuming its Albino btw)

[kyreptilezoo]

@Ian303 Yes. Thanks for the comment.

[sallick07]

Do you kill the Rattle snakes after the venom extraction like those Texas ass holes

[kyreptilezoo]

@sallick07 No. Some of these animals have been on the venom production line for over 20 years. Also we breed them here at the zoo. Check out the Birth of Western Diamondback rattlesnakes at KRZ video.

[Keithattal1]

Do you ever get chills, and the hair stand up on your neck form hearing all those rattlers?

[kyreptilezoo]

@Keithattal1 No. But it can give you a headache after being in a room of 100 plus rattlesnakes rattling for a few hours.

[kyreptilezoo]

@solidsnake203 No. It injects venom just like the other pit vipers.

[kushnugz]

How deadly would you consider a Western Diamondback? Which is the deadliest of the Rattlers? Thanks for all these videos.

[kyreptilezoo]

@kushnugz Westerns can cause death, but death from any snakebite is rare in the US because our medical care is so good here. The most toxic rattlesnake in the US is the tiger-- but it is small and does not have a large range and so causes few bites. Easterns and westerns cause more bites due to their larger ranges.

[kushnugz]

@kyreptilezoo Thank you very much for you informative response. Enjoying all your videos :). Be safe!

[29patrick92]

@kushnugz u live in the LA area? Have you heard of camarillo?

[kushnugz]

@29patrick92Yes sir, Camarillo outlet mall my chick loves shopping there. I drive through all the time when I go to Pismo Beach.

[29patrick92]

@29patrick92 thats where im located, right next to the highschool.

[29patrick92]

@kushnugz im pretty sure it is the diamondback. i almost stepped on one yesterday as i was hiking with my friend

[kushnugz]

@29patrick92 Yikes that's scary. Good thing nothing happened. I'm extremely scared of snakes I would have freaked out. I live 15 miles outside of Los Angeles in the Santa Monica Mountains and we have tons of rattlers around.

[Surfboard365]

I'm on spring break in AZ and almost stepped on one of those earlier today, totally freaked me out but they truly are beautiful creatures, if it hadn't have been for that rattle I'd probably have tromped right on it and been bitten

[NathanGrammatico]

Anyone of you all EVER gotten bitten?

[kyreptilezoo]

Yes, we make mistakes just like anyone else does. We work as hard as we can to minimize our mistakes as much as possible.

[buttersownsuall]

I salute you. I wouldn't be able to do this. Thnx for keeping people safe

[kyreptilezoo]

Thanks,

they rattle because they are scared. It can get loud in there sometimes, though!

[buttersownsuall]

They are all pissed off. You can hear them all rattling

[likitty20]

why does he press the snakes head?

[kyreptilezoo]

He has to hold it down so the snake doesn't bite him.

[kmjames89]

actually thats where the venom glands are in all vipers... so he is actually extracting the venom from the glands

[kyreptilezoo]

He rubs the glands while extracting, yes... I interpreted the question above as why is he pinning the snake.

[1and12]

omg isnt tht scary? and hard? and how long do you do tht?

[kyreptilezoo]

'Scary' isn't really the right word-- yes it is dangerous and you have to respect the animal, but if you are truly scared you shouldn't do it. It is hard only because it is tedious and the snakes are strong.

[CommercialFreak77]

What does he do with the venom?

[kyreptilezoo]

Used in research ,antivenom and a dog vaccine.

[pcorallinus]

Awesome serpent !

Do you know/ was see an

B.jararacussu ?

[kyreptilezoo]

We do not keep any Bothrops jararacussu, but we do know about them.

[MrWhammydive]

that second one was agressive

[shutterbugZoe]

I disagree, an aggressive animal is one who attacks, who brings the fight to you so to speak. The snake was being defensive. It felt threatened, and was trying to defend itself. In the wild these snakes will either run, lay there quietly hoping you go on by, or coil and rattle if they feel threatened. Only if they feel threatened will they strike, unless it's to capture prey. And we as people are definitely not prey!

[clawver937]

exracting look REALLY dangerous

[kyreptilezoo]

Yes, it is dangerous.

[gnarley123321]

crotalus atrox are my favorite rattlesnake! most likely because i see them a lot down in san diego. btw gorgeous albino

[kyreptilezoo]

Thanks. I've grown to like them a lot.

[Juggalo10p]

im going to start working with copper heads soon and ive noticed in my area theres quite a few bites however most arnt fatal there are the few that are because of an alergy how hard is it to actually extract the venom from smaller snakes

[kyreptilezoo]

Harder to hold because of being smaller.

[Spadadiforza]

That WDR let out quite a bit of juice.

[mikgazine]

The Albinos one is very beautiful

I suppose its the most aggressive of all rattlesnakes...

[luixdaniel12]

dude i can get some Crotalus durissus there are a lot arround here in mexico let me know if u want some we can go hunt some for your bussines

[kyreptilezoo]

Neat. We don't need them right now but maybe in the future. Thanks for the offer.

[joeleon777]

Man they sound pissed Lol.

are any of the snakes you use for extraction your pet's?

[kyreptilezoo]

None are pets. Breed for venom extraction.

[CRITTERKING1987]

nice vid how much money do you get from snake venom?

[kyreptilezoo]

Western diamondback venom is $70 per gram. It takes about 5 extractions to get one gram.

[CrotalusCatalinensis]

Notice the forked tongue. The snake uses this to "taste" the air and find its prey. Pit vipers, like the diamondback, also use heat sensitive areas in "pits" on the front of their heads to locate their victims even in total darkness.

[FireGuyX]

That's a huge Western Diamonback, biggest I've seen. Is that a full grown one?

[kyreptilezoo]

Yes- though they reach sexual maturity at about 2 or 3 years old, they do continue to grow throughout their life. They do grow more slowly as they age.

[XeperIset]

great video =) I used to be terrified of snakes, but I've watched so many now on youtube that my fear is starting to become more reasonable, and now I really start to like em. I hear a lovely song by The Byrds in the background too :D

[Vladpryde]

That is a absolutely beautiful albino rattler that you have! He/She must be very rare and hard to come by.

Thank you for the work you do!

[kyreptilezoo]

Thanks,

she is a nice animal. Albinos are unusual in the wild, but they do pop up in captivity from time to time.

[DanAndLew]

You 2

[DanAndLew]

Ok All for the good anyway Like the work ur doing there!

[kyreptilezoo]

Thanks take care.

[DanAndLew]

dnt that hurt the snake?

[kyreptilezoo]

Doesn't hurt the snakes. Most of the snakes on the video have been here on the extraction line for over 10 years and I have animals that have been on line for 30 years. We try to be as gentle as possible.

[slacker6848]

Awesome video, i always love the videos you make, very fascinating to watch

[kyreptilezoo]

Thanks.

[kt484]

He is huge thew biggest one i ever seen

[kurtpe12]

I forgot to say maybe I might get to come..... :-P

[kyreptilezoo]

Hope to see you then...

[swimzmako]

Wow I thought eastern diamondback rattlers looked vicous

[kyreptilezoo]

Their just scared.

[kurtpe12]

No wonder they always go ape!!!! :-)

[jaydizzle222]

some very nice atrox you have, and that pinning stick looks very substantial did you make it yourself?

[kyreptilezoo]

No. I have a friend that makes them for us.

[kurtpe12]

Cool albino Jim :D I would love to come to your zoo someday this summer :-)

[kyreptilezoo]

Hope to see you this summer.

[DeclanHerp123]

Great vid again, loving the room of Rattlers lol

[rspeaksup]

Beautiful albino was it donated to u or u purchase it? Want to visit ur facility sometime this summer I live in Marysville Ohio not to far away!!!!

[kyreptilezoo]

Donated. From another zoo. Not that far my parents live near Dayton,Ohio. Kristens live in Cleveland.

[bulletsponge62485]

I love that albino! That is a gorgeous animal!

[kyreptilezoo]

I have had her for about 9 years.

[bulletsponge62485]

My wife and I are hoping to get down there and visit your facilities someday soon. We currently live in northern Indiana. We are about 3-4 hours away. Maybe someday soon I will get to see her in person:)

[ancanthrus]

you use really short hooks

[kyreptilezoo]

I have found that I have to be close to the animals to grab so long hooks get in the way.