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Guide to "How To Care For Your Pet Forest Cob
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by rabbitsmcgates on October 16, 2006
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I bought a Forest Cobra (Naja melanoleuca) sight unseen. It is ENORMOUS. It is dangerous. Is there any specific article on how to care for one? I am surprised to see a pattern on the dorsal hood, more than a monocle, less than a spectacle. Is that usual? It tolerated being very cold on the way home (in a bag, within a bag, inside a cooler, inside a wooden box). I didn't see how BIG it was until I got it home. Besides scaring me, it has explaored its cage and eaten a rat. Its afraid of a white quail I put in there (was jumping around) so I took that out. I am uncertain if it could swallow the quail; if the feathers are compressed then it would be the size of the rat.
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RE: Guide to "How To Care For Your Pet Forest
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by LarryDFishel on October 16, 2006
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A forest that I am currently snake-stting for a friend has a pattern under the scales that only shows when he hoods (which is most of the time). It looks somewhere between a monocled and a Chinese (Naja atra). I have no idea how common it is though.
Care is pretty straightforward. Not much different than any other cobra. Stick with rats, expect to do a lot of cage cleaning, and expect it to try and kill you every time you take it out.
I don't mean to add to your anxiety, but if you've never dealt with a big cobra before, you seriously might want to reconsider. A big forest is not a good place to start. Mine will physically leap off the hook towards me, thrash around when I tail them (which I pretty much have to do) and they're strong enough to come up towrds my hand very quickly (this may be harder for yours if it's THAT big). Oh, and they REALLY don't like to go into any type of holding container.
They're only about 5 1/2 feet, and I find a 10 foot king easier to work with...
I would suggest a trap box, but I suspect that would just leave you having to dig a pissed off forest out of a box full of crap 3 days a week...at least that's what mine would do... :)
By the way, how long would you estimate he is?
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RE: "How To Care For Your Pet Forest Cobra&qu
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by rabbitsmcgates on October 17, 2006
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He/She is supposed to be between six and seven feet. It is about as big around as my wrist. I put a cardboard box in there for it to hide in so far. With another cobra I have (much smaller) I throw away the box when it gets dirty or smells. I can get a better fitting box that way too. I will have to get or make something to close it in for when I clean out its cage. I dread that eventuality. I ordered a standard hook and a Standard tongs from tongs.com today just so I can do something with this snake with less chance of it biting me. "Reconsider" you say? Oh, I did that as soon as I saw how big it was. Then trying to get it from the first cage to its final cage I didn't know how I was going to get it to go and not attack me while using two mini hooks. Somehow it didn't panic and attack and I didn't panic and do something stupid. And I only sweated out a few liters which left me sopping wet afterwards! Now that its in its cage it may never leave if I think it is gonna kill me if I take it out. *sigh* Maybe I can feed it soooo much that it has to roll around the cage like a dumpling and so it won't be able to attack me? :p
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RE: "How To Care For Your Pet Forest Cobra&am
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by rickyduckworth on October 17, 2006
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10 years experience but no normal sized hooks?
well, your odds are only going to improve with the correct tools available. kinda like brushing your teeth with your finger instead of a toothbrush. welcome to the world of DENTAL HYGIENE, MUAAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
good luck, just ask for more tools for xmas ;) lol
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RE: "How To Care For Your Pet Forest Cobra&am
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by SwampY on October 17, 2006
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two things to add about forests -- watch the tail, they like to wrap it around your wrist and then do all sorts of acrobatics when they have you where they want you.
look at the tail on this egyptian and see how he's wrappin it around the fingers... http://www.envenomated.com/images/egyptiancobra4.jpg
also -- they can strike straight up, so don't try the cobra kissing thingy. It won't work with a forest.
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RE: "How To Care For Your Pet Forest Cobra&am
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by LarryDFishel on October 17, 2006
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Oh, and speaking of the tail... Forests have another tail related trick to mess with you. The scale on the tip of the tail is a little spike that they will poke you with repeatedly (if they can't wrap you first). I wouldn't call it painful, but if you're not used to it, it's certainly enough to take your attention away from the dangerous end...
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RE: Guide to "How To Care For Your Pet Forest
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by Atrox788 on October 17, 2006
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This is alittle disturbing. Not only that you got a snake you arent prepared to handle but that the dealer even sold you such a highly aggressive and dangerous animal to somone ill equiped.
My personaly feelinsg are that Forest Cobras ARE NOT COBRAS!!! Let me explain. First, all true Naja are genneraly limited to the classic defense posture that everyone is fimilar with. Asian Naja especialy. By rearing up they make themselfs clumsy and can be managed if you know what to do. Even large african Naja (bannded, snouted, Eygiptian etc)are mnaged with ease, save for feeding time because they all either dont get uppity or when they do they rear. I know from experince that these "typical cobras" can be runny and bitey at the same time making them problomatic but it is still within the relm of control. Usualy though you get a hood. Not always but usualy.
Now lets look at Forest Cobras. Though they do rear just like any Naja look at the body structure. They are built like a mamba more so then a cobra. Very slender and agile allowing for great speed. All of these traits can be said for alot of other elapids but there is one very important factor the Forest share with about no other species. Its agression! Talk to any seasoned experinced elapid keeper and ask what their most hair raiseing, heart raceing encounters have been. Id bet you 90 percent of them say with "Forest Cobra".
These snakes are in another league. They can move like Taipans and mambas and are usualy MUCH more aggresive. They have been known to make traps for keepers, acting calm only to violently bolt for freedom the second there is even an inch of opening in their cage. They will persue humans with every intent to kill, can lunge from the ground up to face level in a split second and have an extreamly nasty venom. They get Huge, probaly the largest TRUE Naja and are more ill tempered (as a genneraly rule) then any snake I or most keepers have tangled with. I truley belive there is no such thing as a dry bite from this species.
Forest Cobras are only for the most experinced of the experinced. I have 8 yrs experince handleing large elapids and I will be damned to ever keep one. I love these animals but at the same time they pose a risk greater then what I am willing to deal with. As they do for alot of keepers that keep them or have in the past includeing keepers of Mambas, Mulgas, Eastern Browns and Tiapans.
Am I saying it wrong to keep them? Not if your leet in this hobby and know this species enough. Do I think the fact that they are easily obtainable, cheap and that alot of morons sell them to anyone that says "thats a pretty snake"? Oh hell yea thats wrong!!
Forest cobras should be atleast 500 dollar animals for 2 reasons. 1) they shouldnt be getting brought into this country at the frequncy they obviously are and 2, they are too dangerous to have such a low price tag, making them affordable to even teenagers.
Seriously, have you ever wondered why forest cobras are everywhere? Its because no one that knows what they are wants to deal with them. These snakes are in my mind the most dangerous snakes to work with! Taipans and Mambas are close, very close but the demonic at times mind state that these snakes have realy put them in another league and it is a sad shame that people who arent trained and experinced can obtain them so easily.
To the OP, im by no means trying to come off as harsh but the facts are the facts. You should not have gotten this snake and I urge you to look for a new home for it. Its the best for both you and the snake.
Anyhow, I will get off my soap box now.
Take care,
Jeremy
P.S All of the aboved mentioned varience is based on behavioral aspects and do not include my personal gutt feeling based on body structure and other differences that lead me to belive Forest will soon be split from Naja. For the sake of this post I am saying they are Naja by taxonomic definition. I do belive work is in progress that may split them but untill such time they are Naja.
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RE: "How To Care For Your Pet Forest Cobra&am
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by MoccasinMan on October 17, 2006
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BE VERY CAREFUL!!! Know your limits. Don't become the next high profile tragedy. Search your heart. Honestly assess your skills. Are you ready for this? Think it through.
Best Wishes,
Andrew
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RE: Guide to "How To Care For Your Pet Forest
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by captiveherps on October 17, 2006
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You keep all of this but only have mini hooks and no tongs ? (What venomous species do you keep ?
Dusky Pygmy Rattlesnakes, Southern Copperheads, Canebrake Rattlesnake, Mojave Rattlesnake, Southern Pacific Rattlesnake, Western Diamondback Rattlesnake, East African Gaboon Viper, West African Gaboon Viper, Puff Adders, Green Mambas, Black Pakistan Cobra, Albino Monocle Cobra) Sounds like you should try to return the cobra if you can.
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