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Giantsfan24

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Hello, I am(hopefully) getting my first cb B Dendrophila(Mangrove Snake) soon and while I have experience with Rear Fanged Snakes(FWCs), I have absolutely none with front fanged snakes. So, rather than go out and buy a Copperhead for $50 and hope for the best, I would rather do it the right way and learn to work with venomous snakes with a trained and experienced keeper(IOW not some dude who thinks it cool just to own venomous snakes and has a Gaboon Viper).

So, if anyone out there in the So Cal Orange County area would like to help get some experience and some free labor while your at it, please PM me.
 
If you really want to try your hand at venomous why not try out some snakes that are notoriously aggressive? For example, a lot of people practice keeping blood pythons for when they want to have Rhino's or gaboons. Others will keep King Rats as practice for keeping large fast moving elapids. And even others will keep Scrub pythons as practice for keeping tree vipers and other fast aggressive venomous snakes.
 
I went the same route (mangrove as a practice snake) I think he helps me hone my skills but I find myself getting frustrated and just using my bare hands. He's a pretty big adult +6'.
 
I agree that keeping aggressive nonvenomous snakes that behave the same as the hots you plan to keep is the way to go. And also, copperheads would be a nice "starter hots", but they can still do some damage.

That being said:
I do see that you live here in CA so you do need to get a permit to keep venomous snakes and that is no easy task. I would advise you against doing anything illegally because it can bring bad press to the reptile community if something goes wrong, especially if there is a child involved in a accident.

If you want to keep some hots legally, you can keep 2 of each native rattlesnake species with a valid fishing license. Remember to check your local laws as some cities do not allow residents to keep venomous snakes within city limits. Beaded lizards are also legal with no permit. It would be a good idea to talk to an expert or doctor and see if they recommend keeping a couple shots on hand (from your doctor) to prevent anaphylactic shock in the event of a bite.

I do respect the fact that you are seeking experience prior to attempting to keep venomous species but remember to keep it legal so we can avoid more bad press. We all have to be smart about these sorts of things now more than ever.
Good luck with your endeavor.
 
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