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Originally Posted by hhmoore
It really doesn't matter if you get bitten by a ratsnake...or even a fairly large python.
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If I had a choice between getting bitten by a 2' copperhead or getting constricted by a full-grown retic, burm or green anaconda, I'd take the copperhead bite without a moment's hesitation. (Not that I'd be thrilled about either possibility, mind you...). A feeding error with a 15-20' constrictor can leave you just as dead as getting tagged by a krait or taipan -- and there's no antivenin available for crushed ribs and internal organs.
The original poster had said that no beginner should deal with venomous snakes... and my point was that everyone who works with hots had a "first hot" somewhere along the line. OTOH, I also think that most of the people who successfully work with hots (i.e. the people who didn't wind up gracing darwinawards.com or losing digits or limbs) had pretty substantial experience working with other snakes before they started keeping hots.
If we're talking about "first venomous snake," a copperhead might be a decent choice. If we're talking about "first snake, period," a copperhead would be a Very Bad Idea, although probably not quite so bad as a Mojave or Diamondback.