hey
 

Hello,

I just recently got my first venomous snake, a northern copperhead, agkistrodon c. mokasen. I am 14, and I'm now looking into getting a pygmy rattler, I have practiced on many aggro snakes, whitelips, burms (although they're kinda slow,lol), retics, amazon tree boas, and rat snakes. I am also getting a coachwip since that seems to be what most reccomend as a "practice venomous."

Good luck!!

Steven k. Ray

Hi Irwin,

I'm glad your parents are supportive and are allowing you to get some early experience keeping these snakes. You can learn a lot about handling safety at www.snakegetters.com/demo/

Secure housing is important - have you built absolutely secure cages that are kept locked? Aquariums with screen lids are not good places to keep venomous snakes, so make sure your caging is professionally secure. You don't want to stumble over loose copperheads on your way to the bathroom at night.

I don't know where you live, but we get plenty of very nice looking dusky pygmy rattlesnakes here in Florida. If you are anywhere nearby, and you can show that you have good quality husbandry and secure housing, I'm sure I find a spare pygmy or two. We remove a lot of those on wildlife nuisance calls and some are not relocatable because they come from areas where their habitat has been built over. I would have to give the snake to your VR licensed mom or dad, and then it is up to them to give the snake to you.

Do you have a veterinarian who will see your venomous snakes when they need care? That's pretty important - it's not cool to keep pets that you can't take care of when they get sick. Try to establish a relationship with a local vet before your snakes need one, because eventually it is very likely that they will.

also
 

i've also heard green vine snakes make good starter snakes but thier harder to get eating do u guys agree with this or no? trying to talk my mom into a rear fanged snake

Hello
 

Hey,
Thanks for all your support, yes I have a very secure cage for it, he/she's just a tiny one, so even the smallest crack is dangerous, but we have the lid screwed down and locked and everything. I have read your article about snake handling many times, you have some very useful and important stuff there, that helped me a lot. I live in Virginia, so its about a 2 day drive to Florida, but I do get to go there every once in a while, because I have an aunt that lives there, so next time I get to go, I'll certainly look for you.


Yes, I have a pretty good relationship with my vet who sees herps only, and will treat venomous, even though his main customers are boids.

Snakekid,
I'm not very familiar with vine snakes, but I have heard that their bites have an effect like a bee sting, but don't quote me on that. I have also heard that they will take anoles as a food supply, and that many will take a rodent that is scented with an anole.

Thanks, Steven Ray

thanks
 

thanks for all the information everyone i appreciate it

Drop me a note before you come visit, Irwin, and I'll see about rounding up a little pig or two for you. Remember that I cannot give venomous snakes to a minor, only to an adult legal guardian who may then choose to give the snakes to you. Also if any permits are required in your state I'd need to see those. Happy herping!

Florida
 

Thanks a lot, I'm not sure when I will get to go to Florida, but probably this year, I'll be sure to let you know, and schedule a meeting point or something, the aunt I earlier reffered to that lives in Florida is in Cape Coral, close to Ft. Myers. In Virginia you need a permit for timber rattlers (crotalus horridus) and the brown tree snake, but that's all that is illegal as of now. My parents or a legal gaurdian will be there with me, so they will sign or whatever procedure is required.

Steven K. Ray

It sounds to me like there are a couple of young ,budding herpers with good heads on their shoulders.Very impressive.Hell I had a kid email me the other day wanting a Naja....I told him he should get an iquana and ait a few years before he get anything too dangerous.

thanks for the compliment glen it is very important to me to not ruine herping for other people we already have too many herping laws especially here in richardson and i wish some people cared as much about that as i do unlike that guy that sold that 17 year old an african bush viper and he claimed he got bit. His mom called and said he was kissing it on the head!!! people can be so stupid. Thanks and happy herping

I'm going to have to dissent from some of the views espoused on this thread...

While I feel that working with multiple species, of any kind, is a great way to increase the knowledge and experience of a keeper, I truly feel that there is no non-venomous species which can act as a substitute when looking at potentially keeping a hot. Sure, there are species which can be used to learn basic restraint techniques and every species kept gives a certain indefinable measure of competence to a herper but...

The best "first hot" is one that belongs to someone else. Locating a suitable individual who already keeps venomous species and volunteering to clean cages and fill water bowls in exchange for a hands on education about the animals is the ONLY way to go. From there, the best species for any given individual to keep is one that is not considered capable of a lethal envenomation and that they personally feel comfortable working with. I learned (meaning had pounded into my head) handling techniques from my father, who kept crotalids and thus I personally feel way more comfortable hooking a massive, agressive atrox than I do handling just about ANY elapid (I also grew up with corals, but the behavior of a coral is vastly different than the behavior of a cobra or mamba) because those are the species I "leanred" on.