Copperhead Basics
from
Mardi Snipes
Website:
www.coastalreptiles.com
on
August 15, 2000
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The Southern Copperhead Agkistrodon c. contortrix is, in my opinion, one of the most elegant venomous snakes in the world. The subtle beauty of this snake, coupled with a mild temperament, make it ideal for captive collections. Let me state that I do not condone the keeping of venomous snakes by inexperienced herpetoculturists. The copperhead is a good choice for a "first" hot because of its relatively mild venom and usually docile manner. I am writing this article on copperheads because I think they are the most underrated of all venomous snakes. Anyone who is interested in keeping venomous snakes should seek a mentorship with an experienced keeper before obtaining any venomous snakes.
There are 5 subspecies currently recognized: Agkistrodon c. contortrix - Southern Copperhead, Agkistrodon c. mokasen - Northern Copperhead, Agkistrodon c. laticinctus - Broadband Copperhead, Agkistrodon c. pictigaster - Transpecos Copperhead, Agkistrodon c. phaeogaster - Osage Copperhead.
Copperheads range from S.E. New York, to West Texas, to the Florida Panhandle. They occupy a diverse range of habitats that include: mountain valleys, rocky hillsides, deciduous forest, and the fringes of coastal swamps. These snakes adapt readily to human habitation and can be found in many urban settings as well.
Activity occurs mainly during the daytime in the Spring and Fall, but becomes more nocturnal during the hot summer months. I have seen as many as 10 in a night crossing a 1 mile stretch of road in the foothills of South Carolina. They seem to be more locally abundant in the hilly parts of their range than they do along coastal areas. As you might have guessed the copperhead is one of my favorite snakes. They are easy to care for and have a potentially long life span, up to 20 years!
For my adults, I house them in 3ft. custom built cages. I build the cages out of ¾' plywood that is painted with a quality high gloss black enamel paint. Both sides of the cage are ventilated with 7"x9" double screened openings. I utilize front opening sliding ¼" glass doors that are fitted with a key lock. I also install a fluorescent light to add asthetic appeal to the cage. For the substrate I use cypress mulch.
During the summer months the temperatures vary from 90 degrees in the daytime , to 70 degrees at night. I allow my captive a winter "cool down" where they are kept at temps of 50-60 degrees. During this period the snake are not fed. Specimens from more northerly areas may require a longer brumation period.
I usually feed my adults once every 10-14 days. For the most part, I offer them live adult mice, although they will eagerly accept thawed frozen mice if necessary. One thing I have noticed about captive raised specimens is their tremendous feeding response. By saying this I mean when I open the cage they are trying to come out and find the food. This is when it is important to have a pair of long(24") hemostats to offer the prey items from. Even though they are not aggressive snakes, they will strike blindly at any movement if they think food is nearby. Make sure you use the utmost caution when feeding your hots. Neonate copperheads usually do not present any problems when feeding. Most will readily take newborn pink mice for their first meal. Some, however, will require a lizard or frog for the first few meals. If you are worried about parasites, freeze the specific prey item for a minimum of two weeks before using as food. The babies grow quickly and can attain breeding size within 3 years.
Following a winter cool down, most copperheads will breed readily in captivity. Most captive breedings occur in the spring, however fall breedings have been recorded. Anywhere from 4-21 live young are born in late summer to early fall. You can usually tell if the snake is gravid by her refusal to eat. I did have one Northern Copperhead that continued to eat right up until she gave birth to 6 babies. Make sure that the gravid female has room to thermoregulate by providing her with a "cool" side and a "warm" side in the cage.
Breeding these snakes has been a very rewarding experience for me. Though relatively common, I encourage keepers of copperheads to breed their animals. Doing this takes pressure off of the wild populations and allows keepers to obtain healthier animals. Happy Herpin!
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Copperhead Basics By M. Snipes.
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by sniper on August 21, 2000
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Very nice Mardi; as if you need to be told.
Coppers really are the "first and then forgotten" hots.
As I wait for my gravid pictigaster to drop some young, I keep reading your words to see what I did right, by accident, and what I should do.
Thanks, Bill.
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RE: Copperhead Basics By M. Snipes.
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by JHEWLETT on October 3, 2000
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Nice article Mardi. I think the copperhead is an very under rated snake. I love these "easy to maintain" snakes!
Fellow Agkistrodon Enthusiast,
John
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RE: Copperhead Basics By M. Snipes.
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by Felix_in_hat on March 7, 2001
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That was a very informative page. It is hard to find that much info about copperheads. You did an awesome job and these are my favorite hots also.
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Copperhead Basics
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by novaman on July 10, 2001
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Nice job I to keep copperheads I have 1 adult pair and a pair of juviniles. It is nice to know so many people enjoy them also. Here in Georgia they are one of the snakes we are allowed to keep without permits.
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Copperhead Basics
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by Pdexter on November 12, 2001
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Excellent job with the article. One thing I'd like to add, anyone looking to catch a wild Copper, at least in South Carolina, expect it to have mites. I have never found one without them here.
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RE: Copperhead Basics By M. Snipes.
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by cottonmouth on April 20, 2002
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mardi might write a nice article , but try and buy a snake from him. After waiting a month and dozens of unanswered emails, and making you feel like your bothering him, you get your snake. I don't know how he keeps a good custermer base, because I won't deal with him any more.
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Copperhead Basics
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by cottonmouth1 on May 19, 2002
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I have bought numerous snakes from Mardi, and have never had a problem. He is always willing to answer any questions you might have. As for "cottonmouth" maybe you just have to know what you are talking about, befor you start down talking.
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RE: Copperhead Basics
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by Godzilla on August 19, 2002
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Its not him. I have called M. Snipes on at least two occasions, left him messages telling him I want to buy a snake, telling him I have my permits, telling him I am local, and never heard back from him. To hell with him, there are enough "hot" dealers down here in south florida without having to deal with him not calling back. I go to strictly reptiles or glades herp in naples now. As a side note, my osage copperhead had 6 babies yesterday!!
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Copperhead Basics
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by greyhawkatthenet on September 25, 2002
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I had a tame venomoid female for 23 years. She died of
"stargazing" disease along with a large part of my collection - the malady came in with a large purchase from 'ol Tommy Crutchfield. Later I found out that he knew of the problem but sent orders out anyway. I understand that he wiped out a lot of collections with
the disease.
Greyhawk
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RE: Copperhead Basics
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by BWSmith on December 24, 2002
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I have dealt with mardi for several years and have never had a problem with him. Great animals and always represented well. Great article, great breeder, great dealer.
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RE: Copperhead Basics
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by chewwy on March 24, 2003
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I have delt with him in my early days and got junk each time. 1 was a coachwhip that had massive facial damage, 2nd was a monacle that had old wouds all over him and the 3rd was an EDB that had a aboreal cist that evenually killed him. That ain't just bad luck, he dumps his bad stuff on non regulars. Grey
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RE: Hmmm
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by FlVenom18 on November 2, 2003
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Im wondering here why everyone is saying that's a fake Canebrake. Mardi does have a monster Canebrake(I've seen it in person) and from what I remember, that was the one used in that article. He is one of the top snake handlers around. He knows what he is doing.
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RE: Yea
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by RonnieHurst on December 29, 2003
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I met Mardi this year when he and Gordon Cates came over to visit and check out my herps. I have tried to call him lately and have not had my messages returned.
I never assume this is the way one does business always but seems I am not alone in this. Roark F. is also supposed to sex some coppers and get back to me.
Waiting....
waiting....
waiti..
wait.
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RE: Yea
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by bigsnakedaddy on February 20, 2004
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To anonymous Mardi bashers....... Negative posts such as these are usually submitted by cowards or someone who is not man/woman enough to accept the consequences for such petty behaviour....I have held the canebrake in question and can attest to its autheticity.. I have known Mardi for approximately 9 years and he is not only a fine articulate young man but he is good natured and ethical as well. Your posting(s) at the very least are pathetic and at the very best comical. As for me I recieve 80-90 emails per day as well as phone calls without end. If I failed to get back to you I apologize. At any rate get over it... I would encourage you to approach me and badmouth Mardi in person. If you do you will have the undeniable priviledge/opportunity to genuflect/kneel before me to present your case. I suggest that you face your demons! You sure don't want to face mine....Just a suggestion from one ****head to another.....
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Copperhead Basics
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by MSTT on May 26, 2004
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I strongly suggest you check your facts before posting, Mr. Anonymous. I most likely took the photo you saw of Mardi tailing the "fake" canebrake which is quite alive and well, as is Mardi.
Yes, holding any animal at an odd angle causes minor and temporary changes in vascularization which can build up over time and eventually cause a problem. It works with humans too - if you hang upside down for a long time, you'll get dizzy. But you'll note that it takes awhile for there to be any effect at all, and even longer for that effect to become really problematic.
Terrestrial viperids have a cardiovascular system that is less stable and more flexible in some ways under environmental pressures than arboreals and constrictors, which in turn have more flexible systems than mammals. Keep in mind that snakes are extremely tolerant of hypoxia and environmental changes which can affect their blood pressure, even though those changes will happen faster in some reptiles than in a mammal. So any temporary changes caused by being held upside down for a brief period of time (less than a minute) are not going to have any significant health impact.
Keep in mind that we often do surgery on anesthetized vipers in the dorsal recumbent position (upside down). These animals are ventilated with oxygen and monitored on a pulse oximeter to make sure there is good perfusion. There is a vasovagal effect on reptiles which are held upside down or head down for a prolonged period of time that seems to cause temporary cessation of motion. However any stimulus can cause motion and righting reflex to resume, unless of course the animal is anesthetized for surgery. There do not seem to be any ill effects to producing this effect. I would personally be hesitant to do it repeatedly and frequently on the same animal, but even when this is done (as in "alligator wrestling" shows) there do not appear to be any health complications.
I expect to see some effects in a terrestrial viper within 1-2 minutes of being held in a 90 degree upright position or in dorsal recumbency, and some potentially more serious effects at 3-5 minutes. I would start worrying at 10-15 minutes. However no one is likely to hold a snake up by the tail for a very long time, nor are they normally held at a very steep angle. When I tail big vipers to move them from cage to safety bin for cleanup, they are held for about 15 seconds and released.
During the photo shoot in question, I fired off six shots in rapid succession, one every 5 seconds or so, as the snake was gently held. Total time elapsed including getting the snake adjusted and posed, well under a minute - maybe 40 seconds at most. The animal was not held at a steep angle throughout the shoot. Its position changed several times. There was no risk to the snake's health, or I would not have willingly participated.
The other issue to consider when tailing any snake is the mechanics of protecting and supporting the fragile occipital condyle and the vertebral structures. Again you have the most serious potential risks in the terrestrial viperid family due to their relatively weak muscle support. In my estimation, as the photographer on the shoot that was used in Reptiles magazine, more than adequate care was taken. This specimen is a placid captive raised animal and he did not struggle or show any discomfort at any time. He moved around normally and comfortably during handling like a healthy, alert snake.
As for the king cobra tailing shot with Mardi on snakegetters.com illustrating elapid tailing methods, the technique is correct. Yes, the snake can turn around. In fact a lot of them will turn around, so (duh) don't put your hands on a king cobra unless you are prepared to deal with that scenario. You will notice that the handler has a snake hook in hand and plenty of space to move around in. That's how we work with king cobras. But no, I don't suggest people try this at home if they aren't experienced professionals. King cobras are not toys to play with.
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Rattlesnake bone structure
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by MSTT on May 26, 2004
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Rattlesnake bone structure is the same as elapid bone structure - it's fragile as hell. The reason that rattlesnakes are much easier to injure than constrictors or their close taxonomic relatives the elapids has to do with the comparative degree of muscling and the strength/thickness of their ligaments and tendons. Large, heavy bodied adult rattlesnakes score right at the bottom of the scale, as do a number of other poorly muscled terrestrial viperids. Fragile bones, very weak supporting musculature especially around the neck.
A cobra has the same bone structure and is even more vulnerable to injury in one specific place - its hood, where there are many tiny fragile bones and not much supporting muscle. But its vertebral structures and occipital condyle (at the juncture of the skull) are comparatively well protected by thick well developed muscles and strong ligaments and tendons.
As for "food going to the head" the anatomy doesn't quite work that way. If you mean that a recently fed snake will probably regurge if you let gravity pull its meal back down, or even if you stress it too much, sure. Could happen, if you held it head down for long enough at a steep enough angle, or "milked" the prey item out as field biologists do to check the stomach contents of wild snakes. In any case that snake has been in captivity for a lot of years and has a better temper than most boas I've met. Brief and gentle handling doesn't bother this snake at all. And I seriously doubt that it was fed just before the photo shoot.
You have a point - one point amongst all the rude anonymous sniping - about keeping the hook higher on the body. Yeah, that's a good idea. No, you can't always maintain that position 100% of the time with a big snake that is not standing still. If you work freshly imported, large and wiggly kings at all, try videotaping yourself sometime and watching the replay in slow motion. If your hook doesn't slip lower on the body a time or two, I'd be quite surprised.
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Copperhead Basics
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by BuzzzWorm on June 21, 2004
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This is a very nice article on Copperheads.
I've been keeping & breeding copperheads for a few years now and they are still one of my favorite snakes too. Thanks!
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Copperhead Basics
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by Jakob on November 5, 2004
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Very nice article...
But i do wonder why some people has to turn this into something personal??!!!
Cheers
-Jakob
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RE: Yea
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by Scott7590 on August 14, 2005
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I don't know Mardi, but I do know that anything an anonymous basher says is not worth the time it takes to read it.
Before you complain, you should ask him to put in a dedicated phone line so you and he can have one-on-one conversations. Why would he want to communicate with anyone else but you?
Grow up.
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