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venomous novice
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by ginny on March 18, 2006
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Ive just started keeping venomous snakes and my first is a baby european nose horned viper. My local dealer is trying to aquire for me a Copperhead and a black tailed rattlesnake. Has anyone any experiance in keeping these crots? Any remarks?
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RE: venomous no
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by pygmybait on March 18, 2006
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What is your total experience with reptiles in general and snakes specifically? The more we know about you, the better we can offer advice. Tip #1...Do not touch the sharp end of the snake. Tip #2...Look around on the web and make some bite protocols for each individual species that you have. Talk to your doctor (if you have one) and let him know what you are doing. When he is done telling you that you're goping to get yourself killed, thank him for his time and leave a copy of your bite protocol with him to ignore completely in the event of a bite (just my personal experience, your Doc will most likely take the time to listen). In the event that you are bitten, please review tip #1 and try to figure out where you went wrong and how to keep it from happening again. If it DOES happen again, get a goldfish.
On a serious note, tell us more about yourself and we'll help you out as much as we can. Good luck and welcome to the community!
Matt
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RE: venomous no
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by Rabies on March 18, 2006
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Hi Mark
welcome to the SHHS website. Probably one of the best sites around with various levels of knowledge and experience amongst it's members.
I've noticed that your from the UK, another good forum, not as large as this but in the UK with fellow venomous keepers is http://www.livefoodshop.co.uk/forum/ The major difference here is that you would be able to meet up with fellow keepers, observe and gain some experience and ideas. Both these web sites are an excellent source for information..
Regards
John
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RE: venomous no
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by GREGLONGHURST on March 18, 2006
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Two things I would recommend before you go any further: Get (if you do not already have them) the proper tools for "handling snakes, i.e. hooks (especially) & if necessary, tongs. Always keep the cages locked unless you are working with the animals.
Second: If the nearest hospital does not keep in stock the antivenin needed to treat a bite from one of your snakes, you should obtain a supply yourself. This is expensive, but if needed, well worth the expense. Remember that if you are bitten by a dangerous snake, & it injects enough venom into you to cause an animal of your size to die, the only thing that will prevent your death is antivenin.
~~Greg~~
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RE: venomous no
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by Phobos on March 18, 2006
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Mark:
Alex is our resident expert on Nose Horned Vipers, see: http://www.venomousreptiles.org/articles/268
Not a beginner snake in my opinion.
I have one too and he is Hell on wheels. He just has a very strong feeding response and thinks that anything that enters his cage it FOOD!! He is the only snake (out of 43 I have)that will bite the hook on a regular basis. Be very careful, they are exceptionally fast and have potient venom. One of the first symptoms is collapse and shock from your blood pressure falling like a rock.
Good luck,
Al
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RE: venomous no
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by ALA_snake33 on March 18, 2006
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Mark, always remember, Keeping Venomous Snakes (or Lizards for that mater) is like Keeping a Loaded Gun on Hand with the Hammer Pulled Back. This is a Dangerous Hobby, that is not to be taken lightly. Always keep your Whits about you, watch were and when you place your hands and never get Brave enough to Free Hand your Snakes. I can only tell you what I have learned from my time spent with these Beautiful and Untamed Animals. One other thing I can suggest, do Double Cage your Snakes. This will cut down on the possibility of Escape, and save you from trouble with Neighbors. Remember, not all People Vew these Animals the way we do. Mark, I wish you the best of luck, and please take your time and learn all you can. Use this Site, ask all the questions you want and never get Comfortable with your Snakes. Comfort can Kill in this Hobby....................Be Safe Ya’ll, Happy Herping : Wally
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RE: venomous no
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by Snake18 on March 19, 2006
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Mark,
You should create a yahoo id for you to use, if you don`t have one and add me to your contacts.
Al,
Does your ammodytes realy bite the hook ? That`s realy interesting. I have never seen this with my snakes. But it`s true, they mostly try to eat you if you stick your hand in the cage :)
But, all in all, they are wonderfull snakes and, if the proper tools and caution are used, then they could easily be cared for.
Take care !
Alex S.
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RE: venomous no
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by Snake18 on March 19, 2006
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P.S.:
About the bite, Al is right. A friend of mine got bitten last fall by a 3 day old Vipera ammodytes and he colapsed in 15 minutes.
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RE: venomous no
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by toddg on March 19, 2006
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Just suggestions, go to the photo library on this page, click on snakebite photos, and then click on individual images to enlarge. I suggest this not to frighten or shock you but to show you what you can expect should you have a “little accident”. After the snakebite photos, if you still desire venomous snakes then, as others have suggested, you may wish to keep your own antivenin on hand should you keep anything other than North American venomous. Aside from DEATH, fingers and limbs putrefying and rotting until amputation is a reality when dealing with venomous snakes as you can see from the photos.
todd.g
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by ginny on March 19, 2006
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i have been interested in reptiles since i was knee high so have a vry good understsnding of them in general but i have a limited practical experiance with snakes having started my collection in november 2005 with a juvenile common king snake which i am very fond of and plan on keeping. I dont know if you are aware of the laws in england for keeping venomous snakes but i have to have a public liability insurance policy in affect as well as a lockable escape proof viv all set up with heating, thermostat and also all the safety equipment tongs and grabs ect as well as a source of food available and a vet has to inspect all this before a dangerous wild animals liscence is granted. Then and only then is a dealer allowed to sell me a dangerous snake. I passed my inspection easily last week and recieved my licsence yesterday so i was also able to pick up my first venomous snake being the European Nose Horned Viper [vipera ammodytes] and have had plenty of sound advice on its care from my local reptile dealer. I am very aware of the safety issues and always remove the snake from its container in order to do clean ups ect. She is only about ten inches long at the moment so i can become accustomed to her behaviour as she grows and will be obtaining all my hots as juveniles for the same reason. Handling will be kept to a minimum and anyway i prefer to observe these animals while in their enclosures so not to stess them. I'm not keeping hots to show off to my freinds but because of my interest in the natural world and i want to specialize in true vipers and crotalids. I am reading any book i can get my hands on i believe i will learn very quickly as i become more experianced. I allways listen to people who know more than me and am quite confident that all will go well.I am especially looking forward to getting the copperhead and have downloaded many photos of them on the net and they are a very stunning looking snakes and my dealer has ordered 7 for his shop so i should have one soon. mark
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