SNAKECHARMER

Directory / Services

Four specifications.
Written engagements only.

Each line of practice below is delivered against a written statement of work. We do not offer hourly consultation, and we do not accept emergencies from parties with whom no prior relationship exists.

01

Service

Field Response
& Relocation

Identification, capture, and translocation of native and non-native snakes found on client premises. Work is performed under state-issued nuisance wildlife authority where applicable, and under institutional collection permits for private zoological clients.

Scope of work

  • Visual identification to species, with molecular confirmation where keying is ambiguous (rear-fanged colubrids, juvenile viperids).
  • Hook-and-tube or tong capture, appropriate to species and situation. No snare use except in structural entrapment cases.
  • Transport in DOT-compliant double-containment to a pre-arranged release site or receiving facility.
  • Incident report with photo documentation, GPS point, and recommendations for habitat modification.

Not included

Euthanasia is not offered as a first-line service. Where a specimen cannot be safely released or rehomed, referral is made to a cooperating veterinary partner for clinical assessment.

02

Service

Captive Enclosure
Engineering

Primary and secondary containment design for restricted species. We are retained either at the architectural phase of a new facility or as a post-incident corrective audit after a documented escape or near-miss.

Typical deliverables

  • Enclosure drawings with lock class, gasket specification, and glass-to-frame tolerance at or below 1.5 mm.
  • Airflow and thermal gradient modeling with validation probes across a 72-hour commissioning window.
  • Keeper workflow diagrams: shift protocol, tool staging, two-person rule enforcement, and dead-man alarm integration.
  • Substrate and furniture recommendations calibrated to species ethogram, with citations to current literature.

Governing references

Designs are reviewed against AZA accreditation standards for venomous collections, ASIH guidelines, and applicable state dangerous-wild-animal statutes. Where a client's jurisdiction is silent, we default to the stricter of the two neighboring jurisdictions.

03

Service

Envenomation
Protocol Drafting

A site-specific bite response document is the single most cost-effective risk control a venomous collection can hold. We draft, maintain, and rehearse it.

Document components

  • Species-by-species bite signature summaries, written for the attending emergency physician rather than the herpetologist.
  • Regional antivenom inventory map, including cooperating university and zoological holdings, refresh dates, and transit logistics.
  • Staff action checklist for the first twelve minutes, laminated and posted at each enclosure bank.
  • Rehearsal schedule, including unannounced drills quarterly and full tabletop exercises annually with the receiving hospital.

Coordination

All protocols are co-signed by the client's medical director or a consulting toxinologist. Snakecharmer does not practice medicine and does not administer antivenom. We build the system the clinicians will use.

04

Service

Expert Witness
& Deposition

Testimony, written opinion, and report review in civil and regulatory matters concerning reptile husbandry, private keeper liability, wildlife import compliance, and premises-liability claims involving free-ranging snakes.

Case types accepted

  • Standard-of-care disputes in zoological, educational, or filmed-media contexts.
  • Escape and envenomation incidents in private collections.
  • Administrative matters under the Lacey Act and state injurious-species statutes.

Case types declined

We do not accept retention on either side of matters concerning roadside attractions, religious handling practices, or the commercial breeding of hybrid venomous stock. Conflict screening is run against a standing client list prior to acceptance.