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Old 05-05-2004, 06:15 PM   #1
snakekid13
good beginner venomous snake

i have always been fascinated with venomous snakes and i would like some suggestions on what would be a good beginner venomous snake due to me being legally underage for venomous im talking in about six years or so. so please share your opinions with me.
thanks and happy herping
 
Old 05-05-2004, 07:43 PM   #2
snakegetters
I just wrote an article about that actually. Enjoy.

http://www.snakegetters.com/demo/training.html
 
Old 05-05-2004, 09:39 PM   #3
Intense Herpetoculture
I got a FL dusky pigmy rattlesnake for my birthday when I turned 13, and it worked rather well, small strike range, mild venom, small, easy to care for. Just make sure to get a couple good hooks.
 
Old 05-05-2004, 09:57 PM   #4
snakekid13
well ill check the rattler out but since im only thirteen i think it would be wiser to wait till im older since i wouldnt want to make herp keepers look bad if i happened to get bit but thanks.
 
Old 05-06-2004, 06:31 AM   #5
snakegetters
Snakekid, that's a pretty smart and mature point of view.

Some kids do end up keeping venomous snakes, for better or worse. I hid sidewinders under my bed in jars when I was a little girl. LOL As an adult I no longer think this is a good idea, but you can't really stop a determined kid from bringing critters home. So education is better.

I advise parents whose children want to keep venomous snakes to let them start with the "theoretically venomous" species like hognoses, mangroves, paradise flying snakes and other rear-fangers that cannot cause any real or serious envenomation. These animals should be treated as if they were truly venomous and kept in high quality locking cages for handling with snake hooks only. A few years of maintaining these animals plus a few years of experience working with belligerent nonvenomous species should well prepare the young keeper to start safely with venomous species.
 
Old 05-06-2004, 08:18 AM   #6
robin d.
get some rather large asian rats snakes preferebly WC and work with those for a few years as "psuedo" hots gto gain your skills in hooking, pinning tubing , medicating ect. six years of work with those and some evil wild caught racewrs MIGHT just have you ready in six years.........
tannith, i want sidewinders and im a big kid!!!!!!!!!!! but no hot keeping for me right now.. my husband does but i have chosen not to since losing alot of my vision due to a eye disease the first of the year... i look through the cages but thats it for me.. plus i got two of the nasties asians you could ever want, bout 7-8 feet long so thise are a good handfull for me!!!!!!!! LOL
 
Old 05-06-2004, 03:31 PM   #7
elago
Heck,

Just get yourself a foul tempered racer or coachwhip to practice with and maintain for a couple years, after all most of the issue of "hot" keeping is to NOT get bit, EVER, and there are subjects you could maintain to help fine-tune your eye and skills to prevent it from happening. Racers are a fast and very agressive species that do not "tame down" with frequent handling. If it's really your goal to deal with hots, and you have a few years to train, with a couple species just train yourself how to not get bitten, period, by any snake, and progress to a more advanced stage after you have a little functional experience. Remember, freehandling hots is a always dangerous game!!!!!! It's always important to have the appropriate equipment (hooks/tongs) and a steady hand. -Eric Lago *MS Reptilian Hobbyists*
 
Old 05-06-2004, 04:52 PM   #8
snakekid13
mangrove snakes

I was looking at the mangrove snakes is thier venom pretty bad or would u suggest something else for a first time venomous herp i think thier colors are very pretty please post if u think this is a good first rear fanged snake or would u suggest something else. thanks and happy herping.
 
Old 05-06-2004, 06:10 PM   #9
snakegetters
Boiga dendrophilia is not a life threatening bite. It may give you a pounding headache and nausea but that's the worst I'm aware of that has been reported.

Some of the other Boiga have more potent toxins, but mangroves are relatively harmless. Unless of course you have a particularly bad reaction, which is always a possibility. Remember that people do regularly die or get hospitalized by wasp stings due to a bad anaphylactic reaction to the venom.

If you ask on venomdoc.com you'll probably get a much more thorough rundown on B. dendrophilia toxin. Also search the Internet for toxicology studies on this species.
 
Old 05-07-2004, 01:52 PM   #10
psilocybe
B. dendrophila is a very rewarding species to keep. Their venom toxicity is pretty mild (though I've not been bitten by mine), and unlikely to cause serious symptoms (though as Tanith said, people have severe reactions to bee and wasp stings, so don't take "mildly venomous" as gospel). They are also very adept at climbing, and it's not much of a challenge for them to pull themselves up their body length while your tailing them, at an alarming speed. This is true with most arboreals, and is obviously a much bigger deal with a mamba or boomslang than a mangrove, but still, be careful. These are not the best snakes to hone your tailing skills on (as I learned myself), but as said before, the consequences of a mistake are not likely to be heavy. I personally treat mine like any hot, and use the appropriate tools (hooks) whenever its neccesary to handle them. I believe this is the best way, because complancency is contagious, and if you get a little to comfortable with your mang, you might get a little too comfortable with more venomous species as you move along in this hobby. Bad habits are very easily learned, and very very hard to break. It's best to not learn them in the first place. Just my .02 and I hope it helps.

Best of luck,

AP
 

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