NEW METHODOLOGIES The Snake Box: A novel approach for safely restraining venomous snakes

Physical examination of venomous snakes is sometimes required for veterinary treatment, sex determination, assisted feeding and various research applications (e.g., scale counts, blood or tissue sampling, etc.). however, this is a dangerous task; 87.5 % of snakebite incidents in academic institutions with venomous snakes resulted from suboptimal techniques in capturing and restraining methods (ivanyi & altimari, 2004). a standard technique for close examination of snakes is tubing, which consists of restraining the snake in a clear acrylic tube (murphy, 1971). To place the snake into the tube, the animal is usually first moved to a low table or to the ground, and its head is gently guided into the tube with a snake hook. after the snake has entered the tube ca. on