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WHAT WILL IT TAKE??????
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by venom1980_34471 on July 26, 2006
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I LIVE IN FLORIDA AND STARTED TRAINING TO GET MY VENOMOUS LICENSE/PERMIT IN FEBRUARY OF THIS YEAR. AFTER LOOKING FOR SOME AREA MENTORS TO TRAIN UNDER, I FOUND A COUPLE OF GREAT PEOPLE IN ROBBIE KESZEY AND ROBROY MACINNES OF GLADES HERP. I LIVE IN OCALA AND THEY ARE IN BUSHNELL WHICH IS ABOUT 40 MILES SOUTH OF ME. EVERYTHING WAS GOING GREAT UNTIL THE AFTERNOON OF MAY 16. I GO DOWN ON MY DAYS OFF FROM WORK WHICH ARE TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS. ON THAT DAY WHILE CLEANING OUT SHOEBOXES, I HAD A CROTALUS BASILISCUS (MEXICAN WESTCOAST RATTLESNAKE) BABY ON THE HOOK. NO MATTER HOW HARD I TRIED, IT WOULD NOT RIDE THE HOOK AND KEPT HITTING THE FLOOR. AFTER 10 MINS OF TRYING TO PICK IT UP WITH THE HOOK, AN 18 YEAR OLD KID THAT WAS TRAINING ME AT THE TIME TOLD ME TO USE LONG TWEEZERS. AND LIKE AN IDIOT, I LISTENED TO HIM. BIG MISTAKE. IT WIGGLED FREE OF MY GRIP, SLID UP THE TWEEZERS, AND SANK ONE FANG INTO MY RIGHT POINTER FINGER BOTTOM KNUCKLE. THANK GOD I REACTED BY DROPPING THE TWEEZERS AND STEPPING BACK FAST BECAUSE IT WAS A DRY BITE SO NO ANTIVENOM WAS NEEDED. VENOM ONE WAS PUT ON STANDBY. BUT I WAS FINE. NOT SHAKEN IN THE LEAST BUT I KNEW THAT ON THAT DAY, LUCK WAS ON MY SIDE. COULD HAVE BEEN ALOT WORSE. WELL 2 MONTHS WENT BY AND I WENT DOWN THERE BUT WASNT ALLOWED TO DO ANYTHING OR EVEN GO IN THE HOT ROOM. ALL OF THE BLAME WAS PLACED ON ME AND NOT ON THE KID WHO SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER. MY ONLY MISTAKE WAS LISTENING TO HIM. JULY 11 ROLLS AROUND AND FINALLY MY PROBATION IS UP. IM CLEANING OUT THE WESTERN DIAMONDBACK SHOEBOXES AND THEY KEEP FALLING TO THE FLOOR. THEY DONT RIDE A HOOK WELL FOR ME I HAVE FOUND OUT. NO I DIDNT GET BIT AGAIN BUT WAS FRUSTRATED BY THE LACK OF HELP BY MY PEERS. NOT ROBBIE OR ROBROY BUT MY 2 BEST FRIENDS WHO TRAIN WITH ME AS WELL AND THAT KID AGAIN. I JUST WANT THIS IN THE WORST WAY BUT NOT SURE IF I CAN DO IT. THATS MY QUESTION AND STORY. THANKS.
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RE: WHAT WILL IT TAKE??????
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by vampire on July 26, 2006
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Not in any way trying to be a smart aleck, but next time place the shoe box in a large tote, tub and then if the little fellow jumps off the hook, he won`t be injured or go anywhere. I found this out on neonate Copperheads, they don`t hook well till they get a little size on them.
Mike aka Vampire
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RE: WHAT WILL IT TAKE??????
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by emtnurse on July 26, 2006
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If you have a snake that doesnt hook well, try this.. Get the snake on the hook as best you can, then left up the hook a little bit and rock the hook from side to side. Makes the snake want to "grip" a little better. Feels unstable to them. Of couse, this may not work with all snakes (elapids). But the pit vipers and arboreal snakes, it works well for me.
Oh yeah, dont rock the hook hard from side to side. Just a little wrist motion. Bryan
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RE: WHAT WILL IT TAKE??????
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by LarryDFishel on July 26, 2006
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Like Mike said, put the shoe box inside a larger container if you can do it safely. Use tongs to remove the shoebox from the container and to replace it after cleaning. If you're talking about shoe boxes in a rack system (I think that's what they have), that can be a problem since you don't have a lid and the snake may not stay in the box while you move it. See if you can get a sheet of plexiglass or something that you can slide over the top of the box as you pull it out of the rack.
And as you've already learned, don't let anyone tell you to do something you know is unsafe.
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RE: WHAT WILL IT TAKE??????
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by Cro on July 26, 2006
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Jonathan, you are getting good advise on husbandry and hooking techniques that should help you get better at working with venomous snakes.
If you are consistantly dropping small snakes on the floor, then there is a problem with Your hooking technique that you need to figgure out. Try what Bryan said, and try to hook and move the snake in one fluid motion. This takes some practace, but watch Robbie and Robroy. Small snakes can be a pain, but you should still not be dropping bunches of them. Perhaps try holding a long handled net or scoop spoon below the hook so that if they do fall of the hook, they will land on the spoon and not the ground. Something like a plastic dog doo scoop might work.
What you said about the lack of help from your peers and the kid makes me think you are way too concerned about what others think. You ask What Will It Take ? It might just take you taking a good look at yourself. You state that the blame for the snake bite was all placed on you and not the kid who gave you bad advise. It seems you want to blame others, but the responsibility for your actions comes back to a mistake You made. A mistake in listning to the kid in the first place, a mistake in trying to pick up a WDB with tongs, a mistake for letting it get loose from the tongs and somehow slide uphill and bite you? If you take responisibility for your actions, and stop being angry, then strive to correct the mistakes you made, you should see a great improvement in your handling ability and confidence. Stop worrying about what the others think, or wether they help you or not. Just keep believing in your own ablility and that it will improve, and it will. If you make excuses for everything that does not work out, you are not approaching the problem in a way that will allow you to get better at working with snakes. Also, there are many more people in Florida you could work with, if these folks just dont work out for you. Good Luck and Keep Trying -- You Will Get There ! Best Regards JohnZ
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RE: WHAT WILL IT TAKE??????
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by SwampY on July 27, 2006
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It's difficult to explain handling without actually showing someone, but I'll try my best to explain this. A small snake can be trained to stay on a hook by putting them on the floor next to a wall, pick the snake up and let their face almost touch the wall and move the hook up and down in a fairly smooth bouncy motion. Their attention will be drawn to the wall and they won't try to crawl forward while they are trying to get their bearings on the wall, which looks to them like it's moving up and down. After a couple of times doing this they generally tend to stay on the hook. Try it with a runny baby coachwhip and see what happens.
Chad
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RE: WHAT WILL IT TAKE??????
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by thenewdisciple on July 27, 2006
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when i have a small snake that wont hook well, i hook them into a shallow container or platform and transport them that way. you just have to watch and make sure they dont slith out or off of the object you have them on.
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RE: WHAT WILL IT TAKE??????
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by venom1980_34471 on July 27, 2006
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THANKS FOR THE ADVICE JOHN. I AM NOT ANGRY AND PLACING BLAME SOLELY ON THE KID. IT WAS MY FAULT AS WELL. I AM JUST DISAPPOINTED IN MYSELF THAT IT HAPPENED IN THE FIRST PLACE. PROBABLY CAME OUT WRONG FROM MY INITIAL POST AND FOR THAT I APOLOGIZE. I HAVE NO PROBLEM GETTING THEM OUT OF THE SHOEBOXES. ITS GETTING THEM BACK IN AFTER THEY ARE CLEANED. THEY ARE VERY SENSITIVE PLASTIC BOXES WITH LIDS THAT WILL CRACK AND BREAK UNDER THE SLIGHTEST PRESSURE. WHEN I TRANSPORT THEM, I PUT THEM INTO A 40 GAL BREEDER CRITTER CAGE WITH LID. I BELIEVE THE DIMENSIONS OF THE SHOEBOXES ARE 12X6X6. ITS THE WIDTH THAT GIVES ME A PROBLEM GETTING THEM BACK IN. ROBBIE WONT BE ACTUALLY TRAINING ME TILL I REACH BETWEEN 500-800 HOURS. IM ONLY AT 200 RIGHT NOW. HAD TO TAKE TIME OFF CAUSE I BROKE MY ANKLE IN 2 DIFFERENT PLACES IN APRIL AND HAVE HAD OTHER HEALTH PROBLEMS. JUST DOING BABY PIT VIPERS NOW. WHEN I REACH 500-800, THATS WHEN ROBBIE WILL ACTUALLY TAKE OVER TRAINING US ON ELAPIDS, MAMBAS, ETC........ RIGHT NOW ITS AN 18 YEAR OLD KID WHO IS WITHOUT A LICENSE AS WELL BUT WHO IS A PAID EMPLOYEE. HOPE THAT CLEARS THINGS UP. JONATHAN.
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RE: WHAT WILL IT TAKE??????
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by thenovice on July 28, 2006
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try practicing hooking larger snakes and tell you mentors that you would like more hands training while working WITH them, if it doesn't work out, there are plenty more people that will be willing to help, check for a local herp society
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