The Best 1st Hot
from
Adam Grayson, SHHS Florida Rep.
Website:
http://www.Goatsby.com
on
August 15, 2000
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How many times have you been asked this question? How many times have you seen it in the forums? " What is the best first hot snake to keep?" I am sure every venomous keeper or handler has his or her own answer to this question, but what is the question really asking? What qualifies a snake to be the best first hot, pretty coloring? I will try to give my point of view on this subject, and why I feel the ideal first venomous snake should be someone else's.
In most answers to this question, people suggest that they start working with larger, more aggressive non-venomous snakes for a year or two, and then move up to venomous if they feel comfortable in doing so. As much as I would like to agree with this, I can't. Because first of all, how many people that are seriously interested in keeping venomous at that moment will wait that long? What is to stop them from reading Allen Hunter's "Venom 101" and sending their $50 or so dollars and getting one NOW. Also, dealing with large and aggressive non venomous snakes does not get you ready for the adrenaline rush of unbagging that little pigmy you just got from Glades, especially if your closest encounter with one was at a local zoo. I know from first hand experience that this does not work.
Another common answer is the good old copperhead. Ideally, this is the best snake to start with, but it still does not get you used to the snakes reactions or proper handling techniques. So what is the correct answer? I feel that the best first hot is one that someone else, like an experienced keeper, has. I know when I started out I did it backwards. I got the snake, and then I got the knowledge of how to handle it. I still remember locking myself in the bathroom with rubber galoshes and gloves on and being so incredibly nervous that I would have to take two or three breaks just to change the newspaper on a 7" pigmy rattler! Today I look back and laugh, but the reality of the situation is if I had watched and worked with a keeper before hand on how to use the tools and how the snakes react to being handled, it would have helped a lot more and would have created a less potentially dangerous situation.
Unfortunately not everyone has access to people they can work with. Or maybe they don't have the patience to want to wait around and take the time to find someone, but where there is a will there is a way. The internet is by far the best source for finding information, and I am sure with that resource at your fingers, one can get the help they seek. If not, there are the good old yellow pages. Contact local zoos or exotic pet shops and see what they say. If you are truly interested in dealing with venomous, then the effort will than pay off in the end.
To sum it up, we all know that you have to have a certain amount of confidence when dealing with venomous reptiles. And while I can read every book or article on handling, it will not prepare me for that copperhead I find out road cruising. I feel that if we teach those who are truly interested that the way to learn is through first hand education instead of a crash course in Venom 101, then maybe they would understand that the best first hot is not the snake itself, but rather the process of the knowledge needed to responsibly keep and handle these wonderful animals. ~AG
Adam Grayson is currently the Florida representative for the Southeastern Hot Herp Society.
1st Venomous
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by conan on August 28, 2000
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As was stated in this article on first venomous reptiles to maintain my reply as was also stated is it's difficult to find someone who keeps snakes let alone venomous ones (especially in my neck of the woods were agkistrodon and croatulus have been desemated to the point where they are impossible to find). Even if you do find a venemous keeper most are reluctant to show you the ropes because of the possible reprocussions of a mistake by a novice! I am currently keeping constrictors not as a prelude to venomous but because i enjoy them but my true passion is agkistrodon and croatulus horridus and i got my experience through observation in the backyard which i also do not reccomend but no matter what people will continue to maintain venomous animals and sometimes it's easy to weed out the serious keepers from the novices because there is no room for error when maintaining a venomous animal. I personally enjoy observing them in their home without too much disturbance and plus when I leave thats it I dont have to worry about that particular animal anymore! Eventually I probably will add a few venomous animals to my home just because they are incredible creatures but I am a novice in captive venomous husbandry and cannot fathom someone with no experience even considering keeping a venomous animal in their home with matters of their families life and limb being involved! To me the word Novice and venomous should be in vocabulary's a world apart!
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RE: Learning to spell
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by IMPERMANENT0 on October 15, 2000
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Personally i believe that A.contortiix is rather not an innocuous animal but is still limited in it's ability to actually debilitate you in the manner that a larger, more aggressive pit-viper could (e.g. crotalus sps.).
That can be disastrous in that you become cocky. Overly confident if you will.
Large tropical boids are often more life threatening in captivity than a great number of "hots". And we all know what they can do to an overly confident keeper.
I do not currently keep venomous in my home, but i also don't keep giant pythons. I have handled A.contortrix before (wild specimen) without the disastrous results of being bit. Still, no matter how docile an individual may be, there's always that one snake that reminds you of your place.
All the same, I hope to someday keep and maintain some temperate representatives of crotalinae.
Any info regarding general husbandry practices and/or common ailments in captivity would be appreciated.
Thanx in advance,
A. Loomis
Vet Tech
Charlotte NC
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Beginning with copperheads
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by Charper on November 4, 2000
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Pain is a great deterrent. And so, it must be pointed out that copperhead envenomations are extremely painful, with descriptions ranging from "hitting your thumb with a hammer" to "1000 times worse than being stung by a wasp."
Beginner's should keep this in mind.
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The Best 1st Hot
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by Atroz on December 16, 2000
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I wish to state that I know what you mean. I really got an adrenaline "rush" when i found my first C. atrox in the wild. I had my snake hook with me and I managed to make to catch. Catching a bullsnake or racer obviously doesn't quite have the same feeling.
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The Best 1st Hot
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by vettesherps on February 2, 2001
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You had some very good comments in your article. Most importantly that one develope the proper technique for using the tools of the trade. I recently got my first hot and chose a Waglers viper. I chose it because I have been handling several nonvenomous arboreal snakes. I thought they were awesome looking and I read several articles on them. They were born and raised locally and I was able to visit the breeder and get some pointers on handling them. I will continue to add different species to my collecton which now numbers 35. Thanks again for you article. Had I read earlier I may not have had to find out all those things on my own.
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The Best 1st Hot
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by Ophion on February 25, 2002
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I think the best first hot is the one you really want. After all, you are going to be stuck with it for the rest of its life (Or the rest of yours if you f**k up) Obviously there are limits to this - you have to be prepared to house and feed the animal realistically, which probably cuts out king cobras, for example. But if you want a cobra (like I did) then by all means get a cobra, or a rattler, or whatever. Just get a neonate captive bred from a good dealer, and raise and feed it carefully. The key word is CAREFULLY. Keeping most hots is way easier than people make it sound, you just have to be willing to take the risk that you may die.
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RE: Beginning with copperheads
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by casanova on June 11, 2002
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I would go right out and get a baby cottonmouth because I am so familiar with them. It would be a major adjustment though, living with one.
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RE: The Best 1st Hot
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by jerstolp on October 17, 2002
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i would say , a small eyelash viper. they ride a hook great, there not overly aggresive and there not to toxic.
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RE: The Best 1st Hot
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by charlie1per on December 17, 2002
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Hey I am a Python(Burms) and Boa owner and am looking at purchasing a Waglers Temple viper as my first hot in a number of years(pygmy rattlers, 10 yrs and 2 x-wives earlier)I would like to know the characteristics of the venom/bite
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RE: Beginning with copperheads
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by waywardson on June 6, 2004
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I can’t remember when I caught my first snake but I can say it was non-venomous. Soon, maybe at the age of twelve, I caught my first Cottonmouth. Though, never bitten, I discovered how easily it could happen through a couple of near misses. When people interested in snakes find out that I catch them, they want to see me do it. My first reply is;
“You will not be entertained like you are by the guys on TV” When capturing venomous snakes, I seldom touch them with my hands. I use containers such as bags and boxes with a hook to GUIDE them in and secure them. I currently have a Southern Copperhead. When it feels threatened, it can display a highly aggressive attitude. But, when I move it with my hook from one cage to another it seems almost tame. As I pick it up with the hook it wraps around it secure. Then I place it in the new container and it crawls off. The most important thing, I believe, is studying the snake’s behavior with as much distance as possible. In my area, the only venomous I’ve found are Cottonmouths and Copperheads. Both species I consider too short for tail handling. The Copperhead, being the less venomous of the two, can be good for first timers. But I would never recommend keeping venomous unless you have;
1. An experienced person to guide you.
2. Experience with many species of non-venomous but aggressive snakes ( upon which you can learn to handle without being bitten)
3. You have adequate containers that can be secure.
4. Have anti-venom on hand.
5. NO CHILDREN!
There is no such thing as too much research. Even though a Copperhead may not kill you, some victims have suffered serious damage and gone through severe pain. Every time I handle my Copperhead, I handle it like it’s my first time. I consider it a beautiful snake and would love to handle it. But that type of relationship does not and can not exist.
I am content to observe it through the glass where I have enjoyed his company for 2yrs now.
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The Best 1st Hot
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by rick on July 7, 2004
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It is definite that one should have experience caring for non-venomous snakes, but handling is another story. They should be observed and not handled (unless with a hook or tongs) in order to reduce the risk. I've also found that wild caught local snakes (venomous or non) are a good choice to start with, just in case your situation changes and you can't keep it any longer.
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