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Il vaut mieux ne pas toucher le terrarium à cause du venin.

Il vaut mieux ne pas toucher le terrarium à cause du venin.
It is better not to touch the terrarium because of the venom.
From Lesson 278:Negative adverbs with infinitives (ne pas, ne plus)·French

Questions & Answers about Il vaut mieux ne pas toucher le terrarium à cause du venin.

Why are ne and pas right next to each other instead of surrounding the verb?
When negating an infinitive (an unconjugated verb like toucher), both parts of the negative structure like ne pas, ne plus, or ne jamais stay together directly in front of the verb. So "not to touch" translates to ne pas toucher.
What verb is vaut from, and how does il vaut mieux work?
Vaut is the conjugated form of the verb valoir (to be worth). The impersonal phrase il vaut mieux literally means "it is worth more," but is used to mean "it is better." It is typically followed directly by an infinitive verb.
Why does the sentence use à cause du instead of parce que for "because"?
You use à cause de (because of) when it is followed by a noun, like the venom. You use parce que (because) when it is followed by a full clause with a subject and a verb, such as "because the snake has venom" (parce que le serpent a du venin).
Why is it à cause du venin and not à cause de venin?
The expression is à cause de, but venin is a masculine noun here taking the definite article le. In French, the preposition de and the article le must combine to form the mandatory contraction du.

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