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cobras
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by YoungHerp1 on August 28, 2006
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Hey everyone,
i was wondering what is your opinions on beginner cobras. With your experiance let me no what ones are easier to work with. i was thinking about getting a black pak or a monocled.
thanks alot(mike)
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RE: cobras
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by SnakeYa on August 28, 2006
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By beginner cobra do you mean that you have dealt with venomous before then? I would hope that you have. As far as beginner cobras go there really is no real good answer.All snakes can have a good temper and a lot can have really nasty ones. I have had indo spitters that seem like you could hold them ( I didnt) and have had some naja kouathias try to kill me every chance they get. Again i have a male naja nivea that seems like a puppy dog and a suphan that is that nastiest thing ever. So i guess my point is that it all depends on the snake. Work with some people who have them and shop around. I know i didnt answer your question but i guess this is the best i can do.
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RE: cobras
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by Cro on August 28, 2006
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Mike, As far as beginner cobras, a couple of questions come to mind.
First, do you have access to Anti-Venom in case you are bitten? Any cobra you keep should be one that you have access to Anti-Venom for. If you do not have ready access to Anti-Venom, then you should not be keeping a cobra of any sort.
Second, do you have a Mentor who is instructing you in how to correctly work with cobras? Is that Mentor also instructing you in bite protocols? Do you have secure caging for a cobra, in a secure snake room? If the answer is no, then you should not be keeping a cobra yet.
Your profile says you have been keeping a Massasauga for less than an year. That is not a lot of venomous snake experience. Are you sure you are ready to start keeping cobras? Perhaps you should spend some more time working with other venomous snakes first. After all, you have the rest of your life to keep cobras, so do not be in a hurry.
I am not trying to be discouraging, but jumping from keeping a Massasauga to a Cobra is a very big step.
As others have said before, all individual cobras are individuals. Each has it`s own temperment. Some are docile, and some are just evil. There is no such thing as a beginner cobra. They all can be deadly, and one that is docile one day can be very tempermental the next.
Your best bet is to find a Mentor and get some first hand experience working with cobras. Perhaps you have a reptile dealership near you where you can voulenteer to clean cages and stuff in exchange for mentoring?
Hope this helps.
Best Regards JohnZ
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RE: cobras
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by LarryDFishel on August 28, 2006
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What they said...
I don't think you should even be thinking about this question yet. There are plenty of beautiful and interesting snakes that are more managable that you could work with for a while and hone your skills.
A "beginner cobra", if such a thing exists should be your first cobra after you've had at least a few hundred hours working with at least a few dozen vipers, not your second venomous snake.
The first time I handled a cobra was probably only six months after I started with venomous, but that was six months of working 20 hours a week maintaining most of the vipers in a large collection. I still had to be bailed out by my mentor the first few times, as the snake ended up loose in the room and if I'd been alone, I would have been screwed...
Get lots of practice with easier snakes, some personal instruction from a mentor and a bit of supervised handling before thinking about keeping your own...
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RE: cobras
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by LarryDFishel on August 28, 2006
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P.S. Even once you've had plenty of experience, you should expect any cobra you keep to end up loose on the floor occasionally. You absolutely need a completely secure room with space to move and nowhere for the snake to go where you can't get to it. That's really not optional...
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RE: cobras
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by RepFan on August 28, 2006
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Mike,
I would have to agree with what Zachary,John, and Larry have said already. I would also suggest buying a copy of,"Venomous Snakes in Captivity, by B.W. Smith" You can checkout the review of this book at the following: http://www.venomousreptiles.org/reviews/detail/158
In addition to that you may even want try to working or volunteering at your local zoo in the reptile department. That way you can get the skills you need and also have readily available antivenom.
~Todd
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RE: cobras
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by tj on August 29, 2006
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"i was thinking about getting a black pak or a monocled"
And your parent's say what about this? Given that you are 17 and more than likely still live with them, are they cool with it? Do THEY know that THEY will be responsible in the case of a bite, and held liable?
Do they know what to do in the event of a bite? Do you?
It's a bad choice all around and you shouldn't even be remotely thinking about ANY type of cobra at this stage of the game. You're young, and there is no need to jump into something like that this quickly. Get a mentor, get the experience, and buy one when you are out of your parents' house, this way only you are accountable.
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