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Good first venomous

M

mambaman

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I have kept many different non venomous snakes before and a copper head for a while. I am wanting to get a venomous snake this summer. I am not sure which snake to get to start with though. I like the banded kraits but I have a feeling that would be a big no no for a starter since they are so dangerously venomous. What kind of venomous snake would you recommend to a starter?

Thank you.
 
Find a mentor...

Work with a mentor to gain experience and get a feel for what you want to keep.

Available antivenin needs to be a serious concern.

Some states do not allow exotic venomous also.
 
I am not sure of anyone who keeps venomous snakes in my area so a mentor would be hard to come by. I live in Missouri the only thing I could find is that I have to alert local authorities that I am keeping a venomous snake.
 
mambaman said:
I am not sure of anyone who keeps venomous snakes in my area so a mentor would be hard to come by. I live in Missouri the only thing I could find is that I have to alert local authorities that I am keeping a venomous snake.
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It took me a long time to find a mentor here in my area... but there is no way I would be keeping 'hots' without that training. Not only can they show you the right way... they can teach you WHAT NOT TO DO... which is sometimes even more important.

Your best first 'hot' would be your mentors.
 
Before you get any hots i'd start practising with a fast aggressive non venomous snake like a tiawan beauty or something along those lines.. after you've mastered hooking and everything then you could try getting a false water cobra, a mangrove snake, a cape coral cobra or sheild nosed cobra. There pretty good starter hots but you have to remember all venomous snakes have the potental to kill and they should all be treated with respect wether their's been recorded deaths or not. Btw their's no antivenom for those species.. i hope this helps.
 
mambaman said:
I have kept many different non venomous snakes before and a copper head for a while. I am wanting to get a venomous snake this summer. I am not sure which snake to get to start with though. I like the banded kraits but I have a feeling that would be a big no no for a starter since they are so dangerously venomous. What kind of venomous snake would you recommend to a starter?

Thank you.
Click to expand...

If you've already kept copperheads in the past, you should be able to keep any of the small-medium rattlers as well. They are similar to keep and require the same polyvalent.

IMO, no pit viper is going to prepare you for cobras, kraits, etc. I don't necessarily think they are harder to keep but they are different in how they act/strike.
 
BlindOne said:
If you've already kept copperheads in the past, you should be able to keep any of the small-medium rattlers as well. They are similar to keep and require the same polyvalent.

IMO, no pit viper is going to prepare you for cobras, kraits, etc. I don't necessarily think they are harder to keep but they are different in how they act/strike.
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I started out with rattlers a few years back and thought I was ready for cobras........wrong, they are much faster and seem more high strung to me. Not saying you cant do it, but i would think long and hard...
 
If your thinking about getting some elapids then i'd suggest getting some aspidelaps (sheild nosed and cape coral snakes) like i'v already said above. Other then that i'd say go with some rear fanged snakes or with some small crotalids like BlindOne has said..
 
I wouldn't recommend jumping into elapids first. Ambush hunters are alot easier to predict. Do your research first. Native snakes to your area would be easier to get antivenom for just incase however some north american rattle snakes have really long strike distances and are easily pissed off making them more difficult. My wagleri is so calm sometimes I have to remind myself its still a loaded weapon. Either way, the better prepared you are before you make a decision, the more likely to make a smart one.
 
Even some of the most experienced hot keepers i know consider elapids a completely different beast than other hots. They are fast, fatal, and unpredictable. Best beginner snakes i would recommend would be copperheads (easy to obtain antivenom (for the most part), beautiful colors, venom is not as dangerous (for the most part)), Pygmy rattlesnakes (small, predictable as much as other rattlers, colorful), whitelip tree vipers (venom is not deadly (in most cases), small, easy to find as cbb). Keep in mind that when dealing with a lot of venomous snakes, most species (especially tree vipers) are going to WC compared to CBB, and this definitely plays a big part in keeping them and how they react to their keepers.
 
Malestrom said:
eyelash vipers seem to be very popular here for some reason
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I am hoping to own a Gaboon Viper when I move to SC. But that's a hope. Not sure my wife will stay with me if I get any hots. I'm lucky she puts up with my growing collection of boas.

She found a baby boa wrapped around a kitchen chair last year and freaked.
It was lost for a couple weeks,and somehow found its way int my kitchen from the basement.
 
hadenglock said:
Even some of the most experienced hot keepers i know consider elapids a completely different beast than other hots. They are fast, fatal, and unpredictable.
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You know, I do not totally agree with this. Viperids are faster than most elapids really, they just don't usually display how fast you are. A lot of people get complacent with their gaboon viper (Bitis gabonica) sitting on one corner of the cage all day and they get into the habit of reaching into the cage to change the water dish. Nothing happens 100 times but that 1 time it does and usually ends fatal. Yeah, most elapids are obnoxious little buggers but they are more bluff than anything. Also, their constant active state tends to keep people on their toes and most mellow down quite easily.

Obviously, I wouldn't advice a large elapid like a Mamba (Dendroaspis sp.) or a Taipan (Oxyuranus sp.) to a beginner. But a captive bred Coral Cobra (Aspidelaps sp.) or a water cobra (Naja (Boulengerina) sp.) is not a bad choice. I have started with a Monocled Cobra (Naja kaouthia) and I agree that it was not the best starter snake but it erased the possibility of complacency.
 
What are you interested in??

I would recommend a baby. Whatever species you decide to get. This way you and the snake grow together and learn its behavior and needs. You must also consider which tools and enclosures you need. For example I would not use vision cages with small elapids that can flatten out and slip out between the sliding glass. Don't be fooled. I've had insane Crotalus viridis. And most all cobra seem to become laid back over time.Each snake is individual. Now obviously taipans, mambas, etc.. Would not be recommended. Learn as much as you can and choose a species and remember its a bigger commitment than a ball python. What I mean is. It's easier to sell a ball python than a cobra or rattlesnake. Also now you must consider the venomous community and ethics. If you decide this is not for you. Will the person you sell it too be competent? And I think you should get one of the species that interests you most. Not a "beginner". There is no such thing as a beginner. It's like a gun a 22. can be deadlier than a 45. I would not want to be shot by either. The same goes for snakes. I don't want to get bit by a copperhead or a cobra. Both can be deadly depending on many different factors.
 
A copperhead ( A. contortrix ) envenomation will not kill you, the risk is higher in small children and the elderly. Cottonmouths ( Agkistrodon piscivorus ) is potentially more fatal then any A. contortrix bite. A envenomation from a A. bilineatus would be considered the most potentially fatal out of the Agkistrodon genus.

There are many Crotalus species that will light you up quick. I'm not saying about the toxicity of the venom, which there are a few species of Crotalus that are highly toxic ( C. tigris, C vegrandis, C. scutulatus etc... ), more towards high venom yields. Most common example are C. atrox and C. adamanteus.

I only keep Agkistrodon, Cortalus and Sistrurus species, and can say that Crotalus will always keep you on your toes. I would say a good starter hot would be a pigmy rattlesnake ( Sistrurus barbouri / miliarius / streckeri or a copperhead ( A. contortrix ) since they have small venom yields, potentially fatal and are more toned down then other species.

I think the best way to break into this community would be keeping a few rear-fanged ( NO Boomslangs ), they are hyper, most are mildly venomous and would be great to train with. But always treat them like you would with any other venomous species.
 
serpentsofdistinction said:
I would recommend a baby.
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Not so sure I'd agree with that. From a handling standpoint, I preferred having a bit more space between my hands and their fangs - I always hated having to use the tiny hooks. It often helps to be able to use their length/weight against them, which doesn't work so well with the babies.

yasin said:
I have started with a Monocled Cobra (Naja kaouthia) and I agree that it was not the best starter snake but it erased the possibility of complacency.
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Yeah, that it does (or should). Out of everything I've kept, my little monocled cobras were the only ones that truly scared the :censored: out of me.
 
Fangthane said:
Yeah, that it does (or should). Out of everything I've kept, my little monocled cobras were the only ones that truly scared the :censored: out of me.
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I have a baby female right now and she is not scared of chasing me at all :).
 
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