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making the leap to elapids
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by Najahaje83 on July 14, 2012
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I recently backed out of a deal with a very reputable gentlemen because I did not know all the laws for my area (and I don't have anitvenin)...to be honest I didn't feel ready. I want to gain some expierience with cobras so I am ready. I don't want to break any laws and I my passion lies with the animals not to be some show off jackass. Our reputation as keepers and hobbyists have been tainted by bad headlines and I don't ever want to be one. I am SSgt in the Marine Corps and have 8 months left I am moving on but remaining here in ONSLOW COUNTY, NC. If anyone would be willing to give me guidance or take me on as an apprentice I would greatly appreciate it. I am posting this here before I contact that gentleman because to be frank I don't want to be a nuisance to him and I am a little embarrassed of myself but I will definitely still contact him.
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RE: making the leap to elapids
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by KaouthiaKeeper on July 14, 2012
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Keeping venomous snakes requires a lot of responsibility but it isn't brain surgery. Here's how you do it:
1)Buy a cage.
2)Buy a lock for your cage.
3)Buy your tools:
A)Snake Hook.
B)Restraint tubes.
C)Tongs.
D)Probe Kit
E)Venom Defender Gloves.
f)Locking Bucket.
4)Buy a snake.
5)Put it in the cage.
6)Lock it.
7)Feed it with tongs.
8)Spot it before you open the cage.
9)Only take it out when necessary until you feel secure with it.
It's only as serious as you make it. There's nothing an instructor can teach you that a check list can't. At the end of the day your going to have to handle your snake on your own if you want some good experience. If you drop it and it comes at you then just step on it and it will die. This isn't Hollywood. I didn't have any one help me. If you are afraid of cobras then don't get a cobra. There are lots of pretty garter snakes on the market.
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RE: making the leap to elapids
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by Najahaje83 on July 14, 2012
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I appreciate the check list. Minus the venom gloves I have the necessary equipment. I have worked with snakes for nearly 20 years and native venomous off and on for 8 everything from canebrakes, copperheads, and some other rattlesnakes when I was in cali. Some of which were kept over the summer or through the winter depending on the circumstances.My "apprentiship needs" are more in tune with understanding what the legal and correct thing to do is. I have looked up the laws for NC. I seem to get conflicting opinions from what I have read and local hobbyists on just what the law actually is. I just need the ammo to back me up if I was ever put in a situation that needed it. I haven't ever broken a law knowingly (I have had a speeding ticket though lol)and being uninformed isn't ever a wise defense. As for the pretty non venomous, I have plenty, ranging from kingsnakes and blackheaded pythons to womas and balls and everything in between. This is the next step for me and I appreciate all the constructive help I can get.
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RE: making the leap to elapids
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by Najahaje83 on July 14, 2012
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Mail this to a friend!
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I appreciate the check list. Minus the venom gloves I have the necessary equipment. I have worked with snakes for nearly 20 years and native venomous off and on for 8 everything from canebrakes, copperheads, and some other rattlesnakes when I was in cali. Some of which were kept over the summer or through the winter depending on the circumstances.My "apprentiship needs" are more in tune with understanding what the legal and correct thing to do is. I have looked up the laws for NC. I seem to get conflicting opinions from what I have read and local hobbyists on just what the law actually is. I just need the ammo to back me up if I was ever put in a situation that needed it. I haven't ever broken a law knowingly (I have had a speeding ticket though lol)and being uninformed isn't ever a wise defense. As for the pretty non venomous, I have plenty, ranging from kingsnakes and blackheaded pythons to womas and balls and everything in between. This is the next step for me and I appreciate all the constructive help I can get.
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RE: making the leap to elapids
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by KaouthiaKeeper on July 28, 2012
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The best advice I can give you is to find out which organization is regulating you. First try your local Fish and Wildlife Center. If they aren't the ones regulating you then you can try your local Department of Health (DOH). In NY it's the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). Sometimes government organizations will feed you disinformation to deter you from acquiring the animals you wish to have. When I first tried to get my license I called Fish and Wild Life and they told me that they were the ones regulating the private ownership of venomous reptiles and issued the permits to keep them but that they had stopped giving them out and that my name would be given to the police and that I would be "investigated" if I kept trying because I could not own these animals. They spread this disinformation to quite a few people and started a rumor here in NY that many people actually still believe as fact that you can no longer get a venomous reptile license here in NY. I kept doing research and dug a little deeper because they pissed me off and I didn’t believe them for some reason and found out that it was actually the DEC that was regulating me and not fish and wild life. When I contacted the DEC they were very friendly and helpful and referred me to the person who actually designates the licenses. He was also very nice and informative and walked me through how to get the license. I was issued a license a few weeks later. I then called Fish and Wildlife and asked them to explain and the person who I had spoken to refused to answer my questions and hung up on me. The DOH did something very similar. The person I spoke to who dealt with these issues specifically told me that she DID NOT KNOW who was regulating me and that she could not refer me to the proper department because she did not know which department it was. However, she did state that she believed that whoever it was had stopped issuing the licenses and that if I got caught with a venomous snake I would be fined and or put in jail. However, when I actually got my license one of the provisions in it was that I actually had to inform the DOH that I had received a license and that I would notify them in the event of a bite, escape, or death from odd disease. It turned out that the person who I had to notify was actually the same person who claimed that she “did not know” which department to refer me to, while she was well aware of the department and the fact that they still issued licenses. In fact, it is actually so easy to get a venomous reptile license from the DEC, and the people at the DEC are actually so nice and helpful, that I actually started a thread because I believe that the DEC should have some tougher regulations on people trying to acquire the license. I am currently working with several other licensed DEC members to address some of the issues that we are having with the license.
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RE: making the leap to elapids
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by KaouthiaKeeper on July 28, 2012
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After re-reading my lat post I didn't mean to come off like a jerk. If you really want to train for elapids the best thing you can do is getting good at dealing with fast snakes on hooks. My cobra is fast, and other elapids are even faster. Try starting out with a fast non-venomous snake and get good at manipulating them with your hook. The same is true for any other species of venomous reptile. If the species you want is aboreal, try training with non-venomous arboreal snakes. If they are bulky and terrestrial like a gaboon viper, try training with a bulky terrestrial snake like a python that would be around the same size.
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