any advice or tips for a potential hot keeper

as the title suggests i want to eventually own a venomous snake. im practicing right now with a very nasty honduran milksnake & havent gotten bit yet. i plan on doing this for another year or two before i actually get a hot. im still trying to decide what species i want to get & was hoping you guys could give me some advice as to which species to get. i want something thats not gonna get more than 4ft-4 1/2ft and isnt deadly venemous, i want something thats gonna be a little forgiving wen i make a mistake. id like to figure out which species im gonna get now so that i can do all the research i can on it now so when i get it i already know what to expect. thanks for reading

I'd suggest figuring out what you want to work with, then basing your "practice" accordingly.
Working with a nasty honduran (sorry, that is almost too funny to type) will be essentially useless if you decide on an arboreal viper, rattlesnake, cobra, Bitis, etc. It probably won't even give you much in the way of hook working experience.

I'd also suggest finding an experienced keeper to work with - you can practice all you want; but, unless you have somebody to point out what you are doing wrong, you won't know until you get bitten.

I read on another thread a copperhead or pygmy rattle snake would by good starters but I'm leaning towards the copperhead. I just ordered a snake hook it should be here by Monday. A guy I get a bunch of my snakes from has copperheads & rattlers & said he'd help me but he just got out of the snake business. He's the one that I got the honduran from. I've been trying to find someone close to teach me but haven't had any luck yet.

I know my thoughts on this matter aren't necessarily the ones most will express, but it doesn't really change just because the topic shifts to hots. Pick your snakes based on what interests you, not on what somebody else suggests.
There's not really much sense in getting a copperhead as a "starter", if your real interest lies with cobras, rattlesnakes, arboreals, whatever. Yes - a copperhead is an easy venomous species to keep, and the bite is not likely to be fatal......but that doesn't help you build experience toward keeping other species.
Unfortunately, there are relatively few nonvenomous snakes that serve as good trainers. The most important thing for you, as one who intends to start working with hots, is to become very aware of what you are doing. There are so many things that we do routinely that can result in a bite, and it is of major importance to break those bad habits. I saw a great post a number of years ago regarding this - I'll try to dig it up and repost it.

that would be great if you could. i eventually wanna get into rattlesnakes & possibly coral snakes. the reason for getting a copperhead as a first hot is because they dont strike as fast as a rattlesnake & their venom isnt as potent. i dont want to just jump into rattlesnakes & find that their too much to handle. i wanna take steps towards owning rattlesnakes. i did the same thing with non-venomous snakes i started out with docile species like balls & corns & worked my way up towards more aggressive snakes like emerald tree boas & chondros.

You want a hot thats is going to be forgiving if you make a mistake? Well, there isnt one.
Believe me, I was in your shoes about a year ago. To help "train" to get a hot I was handling the nastiest blood python that I could find. I thought I was ready, so I then got my first venemous snake, which was a southern copperhead. Though they are not as fast as rattlers, they are still extrememly fast, and will tag you at every chance that they get. And the bite can become fatal.
Just remember, there are no venemous snakes with "training wheels", and at any second they can and will try to bite you. It sure is a rush to handle a hot though. lol

i know that no hot is forgiving, what i ment by a copperhead being forgiving was that while they can be deadly rattlesnake venom is much more toxic. i also dont want to get an exotic hot because the antivenom for most if not all exotics are in florida which is quite aways from ohio. copperheads are also found in ohio so when i do get tagged the antivenom would get to me alot faster. ive been giving this some thought for about a year now, i dont wanna rush into it & get in over my head.

Originally Posted by M_MULLINS

that would be great if you could. i eventually wanna get into rattlesnakes & possibly coral snakes. the reason for getting a copperhead as a first hot is because they dont strike as fast as a rattlesnake & their venom isnt as potent. i dont want to just jump into rattlesnakes & find that their too much to handle. i wanna take steps towards owning rattlesnakes. i did the same thing with non-venomous snakes i started out with docile species like balls & corns & worked my way up towards more aggressive snakes like emerald tree boas & chondros.

This was exactly the point I was trying to make earlier - working with a copperhead won't get you ready for a rattlesnake. I've made this comment (in this, or similar form) several times, but nothing acts like a pi$$ed off rattlesnake on a hook...except a pi$$ed off rattlesnake on a hook. You can keep a copperhead for 5 uneventful years, and all it will do is lull you into a false sense of security. As soon as your first rattlesnake throws itself off the hook, you'll say Oh , and wonder what you got yourself into. Then you'll do what you have to do. You'll probably have some close calls - hopefully be lucky - and learn from your mistakes.
As I said, the best training is to recognize the bad habits, and see how many potential bite situations there really are...and avoid them, of course.


Coral snakes are harder to keep, but easier to work (IMO) than copperheads or rattlesnakes. There are far fewer successful keepers of corals. You may want to consider that part if you are seriously leaning in that direction.




The piece I referred to earlier was on a now defunct forum. I'm not positive, but I think it may have been posted here. My initial searches didn't find it, so when I have time I'll have to comb the thread list (thinking it was in 2005 or 2006, but I could be wrong).

Ok thanks for the info. Ill probably just go ahead & get a rattlesnake then. I want to get a copperhead still because I love the color & pattern on them. What species of rattler would you suggest I get? I want something that'snot gonna get more than 4ft.

What species of rattler would you suggest I get?

If you were close enough, I'd reach out and smack you, lol. If you'd been paying attention, you'd know that my response is What kind of rattlesnake do you like?