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Acquiring Education,Knowledge,and Experience
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by Agkistrodon555 on February 6, 2014
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Dear Southeastern Hot Herp Society,
My name is Nathan Andrew Tluchowski, I'm 23 and I live in Jefferson County Ohio. First off I just wanted to say thank you for allowing me membership to the site. I've been a bit reluctant to ask this,on other forum sites where I have I've been ridiculed and belittled for wanting to dedicate my life to venomous snakes and their husbandry. Though after reading through similar posts I've concluded that,contrary to other sites I've tried,I might get some relevant advice from people with real experience and knowledge who could really help me learn and grow. As my thirst for knowledge has been so far unquenchable I've been looking into formal education in Biology/Herpetology/Herpetoculture but I'm feeling a bit discouraged. Is formal schooling in such a large field of study really going to prepare and qualify me for such a specialized niche as safely keeping venomous snakes?(If so what colleges would you recommend looking into,or what school did you attend?) Is a mentor the route to go? How do I meet the "right" people or find a good mentor? It's difficult to gauge a person's credibility online, and since the banning of venomous snakes in my state it's impossible to find someone local willing to teach. I know no one that keeps hots in my area,and I know of no venomous handling/husbandry safety courses or seminars scheduled for 2014. The task of finding a mentor or choosing a school is beginning to seem daunting at best. Any advice?
Thank you kindly,
All my best,
Nathan Andrew Tluchowski
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RE: Acquiring Education,Knowledge,and Experience
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by Crotalusssp on February 7, 2014
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I sent you the copy of Venom 101 you wanted. Thank you for filling out your profile. I really appreciate your attitude towards learning the hobby, in my opinion, the correct way. By correct way I mean researching information on your own and then seeking a mentor to advance safely from there with the animals. Additionally I would like to commend you on writing a well thought out and grammatically sound post. I am sure I am not the only one who gets irritated by individuals who use poor spelling and grammar. That, seemingly small to some, fact alone gives me a much better feeling as to your character and yes IQ. Best of luck.
Charles
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RE: Acquiring Education,Knowledge,and Experience
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by Agkistrodon555 on February 7, 2014
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Thank you for making me feel a bit more welcome, I don't have a huge ego or thin skin but it is upsetting when people who aren't even serious treat me like a fool for wanting to pursue this. I also deeply appreciate the PDF you sent, seems extremely informative and in-depth.
Again
Thank you Kindly,
Nathan Tluchowski
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RE: Acquiring Education,Knowledge,and Experience
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by BlackMamba88 on February 7, 2014
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You don't need a college degree to keep venomous reptiles. it wouldn't help you at all. My best advice to you is to look into which species you would be interested in starting out with. Study that snake, its husbandry, what it likes to eat, what you need to keep it, etc. Get the bite kit protocols for that species. Also, there is no anti venom available for a lot of popular species so if thats something that bothers you make sure you look into that ahead of time. Find someone knowledgable about that species to speak to incase you run into any issues with it. Also, in my opinion, you don't need a mentor. Just invest in a good set up first and start using your hooks and tongs on the non venomous species you keep. When you get good at that go out and get the hot snake you want. There is no ideal starter hot just get what you want and get experience with that snake. Try to get a baby, obviously it will be a lot easier to start out with a baby king cobra then a 9ft king cobra.
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RE: Acquiring Education,Knowledge,and Experience
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by Agkistrodon555 on February 8, 2014
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I really value your input and agree that what your proposing I do might have worked for you or others in the past or other states(regarding no mentoring), but there are a few main issues I have with it. I live in Ohio, where venomous snakes(and basically all other exotic animals)are now banned.Speaking only about the legality not the fact that these are dangerous,potentially life-threatening animals we're talking about keeping in a home in a residential neighborhood with no prior experience (I know I wouldn't want my neighbor to do so), to keep them or purchase them, in this state I would need some permits/references. I could hypothetically legally purchase an animal in another state, but the minute I tried to take it out of that state it would no longer be legal. How would I attain these permits or animals with no references to attest to my (potential) ability,my goal is not to get into trouble with the law.I do however,treat my snakes at home or snakes I find in the field as if they were all venomous(hooks,tongs, etc)and this is invaluable practice(assuming I'm not just building bad habits) but I have very little hands on experience(pretty much none) with venomous.That said the only venomous snake in my area is the Northern Copperhead, and yes there is antivenin readily available and I have relentlessly studied the species, and the neonates need cicadas and often times won't feed at all needing to be force fed(which I don't wanna try with no guidance).So putting aside the fact that this species is responsible for countless cases of permanent morbidity, if I felt confident in my abilities I could potentially take an animal from the wild,but since the snake ban the $25 noncommercial propagation permit no longer allows the capture of Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen, it's lumped in with the rest of the banned/exotic animals. So that would also be illegal in my state(assuming I don't get tagged first day, Copperheads are nervous and quite cranky,and I've seen them slip pins by thrashing,unhinge and bite sideways while restrained,and strike well over half their body length especially the small ones, and they don't ride a hook well). I could hypothetically move to another state but I still won't have the exposure and experience that I would need(to not lose my life or any of my fingers). Again I'm not disagreeing with what your saying, I just don't think it would work in my instance.Thanks you so much for your encouragement.
All my best,as always,
Nathan Tluchowski
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RE: Acquiring Education,Knowledge,and Experience
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by Agkistrodon555 on February 8, 2014
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That said maybe you or anyone else is aware of somewhere I could purchase a fast, aggressive colubrid like a Coachwhip. I've been scouring the net for a while with no luck. I think a wild caught specimen would be best.
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RE: Acquiring Education,Knowledge,and Experience
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by lordrevan230 on February 19, 2014
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I happened across your post, and figured I'd jot down a quick note for you. I too have a similar issue. I live in Florida, and the laws and regulations on venomous snakes are a pain here as well. I've had no luck finding a personal mentor, but I found that zoos or serpentariums seem rather willing to permit you to come in and work with the reptile keepers to gain the appropriate experience. I live hours away from the closest one, but I'm getting time in here and there. As for getting a species to practice with, I'd say it helps. I bump into rattlers and such on occasion, and honestly, the snake I would consider most comparable is a tree boa. You can usually find one for around $50, which is nice. And they usually have a nasty temperament, good reach when full grown, and about as close to having fangs as you can get without it being venomous. I would definitely suggest it as a strong candidate if you want a precursor to a venomous. Best of luck on getting your permit. Don't let anyone discourage you from your goals.
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RE: Acquiring Education,Knowledge,and Experience
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by CHRIS on February 21, 2014
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If common sense is used,along with safe tools you should be fine. Also no no no non venomous snake will substitute for a venomous snake. Also a college degree in just as many cases is a handicap. Some of the most noted snake guys had no college degree,and did not even work there regular jobs in the field of herpetology.First venomous snake is up for debate by many collectors.Keep in mind that you take on a lot of resposibilty keeping venomous snakes,for everyone around you and yourself.If a mentor is around take advantage of it.
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RE: Acquiring Education,Knowledge,and Experience
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by Agkistrodon555 on February 23, 2014
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I've invested in a front loading,lockable setup,decent tools, and a very nasty female Northern Pine. I'm just going to get used to using the tools(and not getting tagged) and start building some confidence I suppose.
Cheers,
Nathan
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