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RE: Please read. Need opinions. Monocled Cobra 1st
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by LarryDFishel on December 3, 2006
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Mike, a couple of comments.
1) One person misread your post. That happens. If you're going to freak out every time it happens, you're going to be both unhappy and unwelcome on the net.
2) No one changed "your" title. Everyone gets to put whatever they want in the title of "their" reply. That's completely normal on the internet. See #1.
3) Your title actually includes the words "Need opinions.", so telling someone to keep their opinions to themselves in their replies seems a tad strange...
4) As far as what you actually wanted to know... Whoever wrote the text you quoted is looking at things entirely the wrong way. How fast a snake strike is absolutely irrelevant, because you should never be in range of a strike. King cobras are slow strikers too, that doesn't make them good first hots. Others have already explained why a cobra is not the best choice.
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RE: Please read. Need opinions. Monocled Cobra 1st
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by Rob_Carmichael on December 4, 2006
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Very well said Larry. You oftentimes can gauge folks' maturity levels by the way they respond to constructive criticism. Immaturity usually means that someone is not ready to take on the immeasurable responsibility of owning a venomous reptile. Thankfully, Mike, though flying off the handle a bit, is not jumping right into it yet and hopefully will take a step back, catch his breath, and try to heed some of the good advice that experienced keepers are trying to give him, and take that advice to heart.
As an aside, I would NEVER, ever recommend any Naja to an inexperienced keeper (young or old); heck, I almost wouldn't recommend Naja to anyone, period, but that will get me in trouble (but there are some extremely talented keepers of Naja that I respect very much). When someone is adament about wanting a cobra, I usually try to steer them towards a Coral Cobra - you get all of the wonderful traits of a cobra wrapped up in a small body that's fairly easy to manage and maintain.
Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center
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RE: Please read. Need opinions. Monocled Cobra 1st
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by YoungHerp1 on December 4, 2006
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I didnt no you can change the titles, like i stated before im sorry. But it showed up differant on the home page. I dont know but i get it now. If i jumped down someones throat (so to say) im sorry. I just want to gain the respect of Other keepers older and young. I just found that artical reading my magazines and thought i'd post it and see what you guys thought. After i work with my snakes i have now, for a while i may be ready for a cobra. Who knows, i like them very much, but i am getting a trio of false water cobras. Im young and i have alot of time ahead of me, like JohnZ is sayin theres no rush. Thanks for all you advice and hopefully it keeps comming in a good way.
~MIke
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RE: Please read. Need opinions. Monocled Cobra 1st
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by Nightflight99 on December 4, 2006
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Mike,
many - if not most - keepers go through a number of different phases early in their venomous herpetoculture career, if one can call it that. One of those phases is typically marked by an increasing interest in elapids, and along with it the growing desire to keep them. It is also not in the least unusual that out of all of the different elapid taxa that are available in the trade, it is the members of the genus Naja that people are primarily interested in. In fact, if you visit a number of different online venomous forums and conduct appropriate searches, you will find a number of threats dedicated to the topic of the "first elapid", "first cobra", etc. Your position is therefore nothing unusual, and is essentially one that many keepers will be able to provide you with an opinion that is based upon actual experience.
The fact that the article you mentioned discusses the suitability of Naja kaouthia as a first venomous snake obviously puts a slightly different spin on things. It is my personal opinion that there are some (very few) individuals who are capable of keeping a N. kaouthia safely and responsibly without prior experience of keeping venomous snakes. In fact, I have seen a few people do this successfully. However, it is paramount that you understand that such cases should absolutely be regarded as exceptions, as I have seen far more people (even people with prior venomous experience) get in over the head, and pay dearly for it. Ask any longterm keeper, and he/she will undoubtly be able to cite a number of cases that have occured over the years, involving somebody who insisted on jumping into elapids with both feet, only to become the subject of negative press and the commonly associated ridicule within the venomous herpetoculture community.
There was one thing you wrote that is also common among novice keepers: "I just want to gain the respect of Other keepers older and young". Those few keepers who are really respected in this community have achieved that position by their knowledge and/or achievements. I'm not aware of even a single case where a keeper gained respect simply by keeping xyz. In fact, it backfired every single time that I have ever witnessed it, including numerous cases on this forum and others. You are not smart or knowledgeable, just because you keep dangerous animals! Actually, if you keep venomous reptiles or any other potentially dangerous animal, you will have to work a lot harder, just to merely appear sane to others, and this is also valid for gaining respect within this community.
All that being said, there is no sure fire way to tell whether you are "ready" to keep cobras, or anything else for that matter. People on the various online forums will use the information you provide to estimate your level of maturity, knowledge, etc., which may or may not be completely different from what it really is. Nothing can really stop you from getting whatever snakes you desire anyway, but you should realize that you are almost guaranteed to lose whatever respect anyone may have for you, if it *appears* that you are rushing into it.
Lastly, you should only keep those taxa that really interest you, i.e. those whose natural history, ecology, etc. are most fascinating to you. Never keep a snake because of the (mis-)perceived status that you may associate with it. Most longterm keepers will respect someone who is extremely knowledgable about the captive propagation and natural history of copperheads a lot more than some guy who keeps a cobra in a tank.
I hope that you will find some of this advice useful.
~TE
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RE: Please read. Need opinions. Monocled Cobra 1st
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by 23bms on December 4, 2006
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No offense taken. I should have made it clear I was referring to the article.
That being said, I stand by my primary points that they are fast and it is best to get some supervised experience before you try one on your own.
Having kept the species before, I also realize that this particular monocle is rather worse than average. Alas, you never know what that cute little guy you bring home is going to turn into. Still, he's one of my favorites.
jrb
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