Let's Discuss: Field Herping!
 

It's about that time of year again. The snakes are slithering and if we're lucky we'll get to see some in the wild. What venomous snakes have you been encountering in the field lately?

Secondary topic: What is your opinion on collecting venomous snakes from the wild to keep or sell as captives?

The only venomous snakes I see are copperheads crossing the roads. I stop and encourage any to get off the road, that is if there are no cars coming. So far that's the only venomous snake I've ever seen in the wild. Of course I only started looking for snakes last fall so it's all new to me.

As for keeping and/or selling WC venomous snakes, in Missouri it's illegal to sell native species, so that is moot here. You have to have a permit to own native venomous snakes and I don't, so that's also a moot issue for me. I would love to keep one of the copperheads I see but I'm not careful enough to own one. I'd get bit for sure. I know they're not THAT venomous but I know my experience is not good enough to keep one.

I would rather see these animals in a safe environment than with their heads lopped off. If you're a responsible person and know how to keep them, I don't see any reason why you shouldn't be able to keep them.

Let's elaborate on the Mo. law of venomous...
 

in order to have native species of hots you need the Class 11 permit . You also need to register your hot keeps with your county law enforcement in which has brought up some serious controversy in the way of emergency agencies might handle a situation at your residence. I have told my friend that has those monster crotalids and other foreign species he had better make a sign where the " hot room " is so the agencies can be safe and or treat the situation if it comes up to where he would not be denied as some of us have heard would happen either by jokes or straight out fear ! Here in Kansas we are still awaiting to see if the state goes through with the ban of venomous. I have been told that it was dropped after finally becoming a bill and going before the senate or house but cannot be found if this indeed happened. Several species of our venomous are on a " sinc " list. Even if a den area or habitat > ( I still say this is the most threatening scenario ) < goes under we cannot touch the species. I still collect a few crotalids and yes , if they should drop babies or i accidental breed them I will sell them. But I fear these days will be over soon as I read about all the bites of captive hots and as i have said before, it seems more bites by the " savvy " or veterans are happening more and more these days. I also know that there is an interest of insurance companies denying health, life and home owners policies on your keeping venomous and these insurance companies are some of the major ones. I would like to know the situation of the person that started this thread on her insurance capacity of the above. If I understand it correctly, I thought that I had read that in her facility there was a bite situation not to long ago ? If there wasn't, sorry for the misunderstanding.

When I had a facility in Florida, I did carry an insurance bond. That was a required condition of having a license to exhibit. It is a reasonable requirement if you are exhibiting.

I often encounter Crotalus viridis where I live.
Keeping or removing any snake from its natural native habitat is not a good idea. It has a effect on the ecological niche that it lives in (be it a large area or a small one) it upsets the environmental balance, perhaps only in a very small way (.99%) but it does disrupt the natural balance of the native area.

Okay...but what is your view of the situation
 

of the scenario that I posted about the entire habitat destruction of the den site ? By either a new bridge or a bridge expansion, a new or added housing development, a strip mall, etc. All of these I have encountered in my state. All have been in denning areas of the timber rattlesnake ( crotalus horridus ) and some of the prairie rattlesnake ( viridis ). Remember that our timbers are on a sinc list and we can't do a thing about them with the den site going under and or filled in with concrete. I mean your " ecological and natural balance " is probably far more critical by wiping out the entire den site by this than collecting a few , ( if one or it doesn't get out of hand ). Not to mention many other species of wildlife including the feed prey of the den site occupants............

Or how about some idiot buying a piece of land and building a house 100 feet from a timber den. This has happened recently. I talked to a builder who also happens to like snakes. He said while they were digging the foundation a ton of rattlesnakes were showing up and then he found what he believes to be the den. The homeowner is freaking out and, of course, wants all these snakes dead because they have small children.

Why oh why can't we humans, who are supposed to be the smartest animal, think about these things when we are looking to build. This place is in the middle of a large piece of wooded property with a lot of rock outcroppings. They could have built anywhere but chose that spot. DUH did they even look around and check out the habitat? Probably not. Or if they did they were apparently too stupid to think, "Hey this is great timber rattlesnake habitat. Maybe I shouldn't build here because I'm afraid of snakes."

I don't know this for fact but I bet that den is no more. I haven't talked to the builder for a few weeks now. When I see him again, I will ask him about it.

I wish these places could be protected but I know it's not possible to protect everything.

russ does the herping. i do not think a girl whos blind in one eye and cant see out the other needs to be out there. the only venomous we have seen around here lately was a DOR baby western rattler. i usually look for road kill because if it is fresh enough i like to open it up get my magnifyer and look at the internal sand the workings on the body (hey maybe im weird)... most of the DOR's we get are texas rats. however last night a friend of mine went herping and found TONS of broadbanded copperheads. she said she saw some very bright and vivid specimens. russ generally goes herpping in our back lot or at the ranch across the street

Hey Karen:
Did you ever find out if that den was destroyed? I would be interested in knowing this.
Thx

The guy I was talking to about it hasn't been back in the store. I hope he does come back in and when he does, I hope I recognize him. I talk to tons of people every day and sometimes it's hard to remember faces. I bet it was destroyed because he said the wife was raising he11 about it.