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Docile Cobras??
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by jared on July 18, 2003
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Heres one. I have kept many cobra species myself and have kinda gotten out of elaps for the most part. I would like to know from some of you guys and gals who have kept most of the cobra species, which ones tend to calm down more than others. From my experience banded egypts tend to be big babies the older they get. Anyone have any other species that dont tend to be as psycho as forests or capes once they get older? Thanks,
Jared
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RE: Docile Cobras??
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by Frawgg on July 18, 2003
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Jared, I probably have one of THE most docile Aspidelaps l. lubricus that you will ever see. Do you have any Aspidelaps with the same temperament?
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RE: Docile Cobras??
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by Arboreal_Viper on July 18, 2003
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I have a south african forest that has never made any kind of defensive move towards me. I can place my male south african on the floor and it will not move from that spot....just lookes around. Other south africans that i have seen and worked with were also quite laid back and docile (even WC).
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RE: Docile Cobras??
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by jared on July 19, 2003
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Wow never heard of docile forest cobras, but then again I have seen kings so tame they would sit in your lap. Are there any other true Naja that tend to tame down after time, I have heard (though they are large and very impressive) that red throat spitters will become very relaxed with there surroundings as well. Thanks for the input,
Jared
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RE: Docile Cobras??
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by TomT on July 19, 2003
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While I do not have fast experience in the area of keeping cobras, I have maintained a fairly sizable collection in the past, and I have an observation or two to add to the discussion.
It is my experience that cobras, like every other animal I have had the joy of keeping over the past few decades, vary in "personality" as much as an other animal I've kept. I have had N. sputatrix that were as docile as any kingsnake I have kept, and I have had others (I assume they were collected in the same region) that were so full of spite that they continuously sprayed the glass of the cage as long as I was within their sight. I have had similar experiences with Pakistani cobras... one female I had was VERY calm and never a problem, and the other bit me the first time I took my eyes off him.
As to my experience with other venomous.... I have had Western Diamondbacks that we so docile that they would come out of their hide box to take dead mice from hemostats, and yet others that would come at me, even through the glass....
So, I believe it is more than a matter of "calm" subspecies of cobra. It is more a matter of calm individuals within the species and subspecies. I also happen to believe it has a great deal to do with the animal's first "bad" experience with "man." If a snake encounters a man (captive bred) under ideal circumstances, is fed and otherwise well looked after, it is far more likely to have less aversion to humans, and be more "calm" than his wild-caught cousin that was caught with tongs or a noose.... Much along the same line of reasoning, I recall a group of Eastern Cottonmouths I caught in South Carolina that were very "easy" captures. None of them appeared to be the least bit alarmed when bagged, because we caught them floating on the water and the whole bagging process was very gently done. All of those snakes adjusted to captivity very nicely. Three years later, I went back to the same place to try to collect a couple of whoppers and it was extremely dry there. All of the snakes we found were VERY aggressive and had to be pinned in order to bag them. To an animal, that group has never adjusted to captivity anywhere as well as the first group I brought home. Did it have anything to do with the capture technique? I cannot say for sure. It may have had more to do with the extreme drought conditions in South Carolina at the time the animals were collected and the stress it had already caused in their lives, I don't know. I do find that snakes that were "easy" to collect tend to be better captives than the ones I really have to work at.
And then there's captive bred animals that never have to worry about where their next meal will come from or whether they're the main course on tonight's menu. It seems that the animals I have raised out of the egg, or out of an embryonic sac have almost always been much more well behaved in general, than their wild counterparts. Perhaps never having to use venom in order to secure a meal does something to the psyche of the animal... again, I do not know, but I can tell you that given a choice between an animal that is wild collected and captive bred, there is no hesitation on my part to take the captive bred animal every time.
I don't know if this has anything to do with what your question was or not. Just the ramblings of an old snake guy that's seen a thing or two in his day.......
Tom
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RE: Docile Cobras??
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by TAIPAN78 on July 21, 2003
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Hey Jared,
It really depends on the individual. Any sp of Naja can be calm or can be hell! Ive seen Forest Cobras that wre as docile as a corn but others which lived up to their horrible reputations! This can eb said of almost every Naja sp I have worked with. Overall, the worst sp I have encountered would have to be Naja sumatrana. Ive only seen imported WCs and all were crazy!!!!
Naja nigercollis (or the red neck spitter you were reffering to. Blk neck spitter is a better name for not all have reds bellies and none that I have seen have any red on their throat. Only glossy blk) usualy calms down well but some individuals can be the wrost cobra to deal with! All the size and almost all of the speed of melanoluca but it also has a fully loaded venom pistol to go along with its arsonal!!
If I had to say any one cobra calmed down more then the others it would have to be kaouthia. This is however because kaouthia has flooded the market and is the most commonly seen Naja. Both of mine are nitts but I have seen many that wouldnt hood if you payed them.(in rats that is:-)I would never buy one rthinking thats the way it will turn out though!
With all of this said no cobra is calm at feeding time (atleast none that I have ever met)and thats when they are most dangerous (IMHO). The cobra hooded, strikeing and yelling dosent scare me, its the one that dosent hood and comes flying out in anticipation for a meal that im worried about.
Welp, my 2 pennies on the matter. Hope alls going well bro.
Peace,
J
P.S Hey Frawgg, ive also got an Aspidelaps lubricus thats very calm. My big female hasnt hooded in years and could easily be handled if I so choose. Ill hook and tail her but never free handle. BTW, she is over 3 ft!!!
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RE: Docile Cobras??
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by Frawgg on July 21, 2003
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Greetings Jeremy. I have looked up your profile and see that you keep Aspidelaps. I would appreciate it if you could keep me in mind when and if information needs to be relayed to one another. I am also on the quest for a female(Aspidelaps l. lubricus). If you know of where any potentially reliable sources, PLEASE inform me! E-mail me at: mamba68@hotmail.com. Thanks! (P.S. Eventhough Aspidelaps is not a true species of cobra, it's the closest thing that I have to a true cobra!)
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