Advice and opinions wanted (long) - experts Forum at VenomousReptiles.org

Advice and opinions wanted (long)	Reply
by herpgirl on October 10, 2002	Mail this to a friend!
Hi everyone, My name is Rebecca Henry and I'm a 17 year old herp fanatic. I have kept herps privately for three years and have worked at a zoo in the herp department for two and a half years. I have a little bit of experiance with rear fang venomous (False Water Cobra, Tentacled Snakes and Madagascan Cat-eyed Snakes) and have been thinking about keeping a Copperhead for awhile now. I'm not a crazy kid looking for a thrill. I'm truly interested in the herp field and plan on working at a zoo (in the herp dept.) after collage. I have watched and worked with professional herpetologists for over two years so I have a pretty good idea of safe handling procedures. I also realize what the consequences of being envenomated are. Well today I caught my first Southern Copperhead. It's a pretty little thing! Nice bands, about 1 1/2 feet long and looks pretty healthy. If any of you have any husbandry or handling tips or just want to tell me I'm a crazy kid, I'd really appreciate any feedback. Thanks for reading the whole thing, Rebecca : )

RE: Advice and opinions wanted (long)	Reply
by sierra on October 11, 2002	Mail this to a friend!
Look under articles here at this site, I believe Mardi Snipes wrote on the captive care...Welcome aboard!!!Be safe and enjoy..feel free to ask as many ? as you want... Sierra

RE: Advice and opinions wanted (long)	Reply
by TomT on October 11, 2002	Mail this to a friend!
Congratulations on finding the copperhead. I'm sure you'll do fine with him or her. As Sierra has already said, there is a nice article on copperhead captive care on this site. If you have any specific questions, I'd be happy to try to answer them for you. Tom

RE: Advice and opinions wanted (long)	Reply
by casabela28 on October 11, 2002	Mail this to a friend!
Hi , My name is Andy Vanover, first I want to welcom you to the hot herp community. I Am 30 years old and have over 15 years of experience with reptiles including hots. I have an 3 ft. Eastern diamondback Rattlesnake I have had for almost two years. Now - My advise is your only 17 you are going to get alot of bad input from the other people.I still do. Don't let them discourage you from your passion about these wonderful animals teach them. Education about these animals is there key to survival. I can tell you; read about your copperhead , buy your tools (tongs ,hooks, tubes,and lots books ,ect.. )unless you already have them. Be careful and be safe ,and good luck.. Andy Vanover

RE: Advice and opinions wanted (long)	Reply
by casabela28 on October 11, 2002	Mail this to a friend!
sorry that line is key to their survival. Cheers Andy

RE: Advice and opinions wanted (long)	Reply
by Brick on October 12, 2002	Mail this to a friend!
Hey Rebecca, If you caught that copper in E Texas, than it is a Broadbanded Copper, which is the coolest in my opinion. The Southerns stop around E Lousianna and upward.

Thanks everyone!	Reply
by herpgirl on October 14, 2002	Mail this to a friend!
Hi everyone, Thanks for all the advice and support! Its really great when there are people willing to help you! Also, I'm not trying to start an argument but I'm positive I have a Southern Copperhead (Unless my Peterson Field Guide is wrong!). Thanks again everyone, Rebecca : ) P.S. Forgot to mention that I have four hooks of different lengths and I'm about to order a pair of 24" hemostats.

RE: Thanks everyone!	Reply
by Snakeman1982 on October 18, 2002	Mail this to a friend!
Hello Rebecca, Your Peterson's field guide is correct. East Texas has southern copperheads. I caught one at the old sabine river last semester while herping with Dr. Neil Ford from University of Texas at Tyler. Trust your instincts and definitely trust photos, plates, and maps from your field guides. Peterson's field guide is probably the best field guide for herpers however it is always wise to use more than one resource. I have found some mistakes on it for a few herps like the Southern Redback Salamander. I am doing herpetology collections for the Nature Conservancy in Northeastern Oklahoma and have found many of them and according to the Peterson's Field guide they only barely enter into the Southeastern Part of Oklahoma, where I have caught them with Dr. Vince Cobb in the Kiamichi Mountains. But if you look at other field guides you find that they are found up north so don't just trust one source. Some field guides you could use would be the Audubon Field Guide to Reptiles and amphibians (for the photos), A field guide to Texas Snakes by Alan Tennant, Snakes of North America:Central and Eastern Region by Alan Tennant and Richard Bartlett. Good Luck herping!

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