VenomousReptiles.org Survey

Survey Question	Current Survey Question Should hobbyists ever free handle venomous reptiles with their hands? Recent Surveys Most venomous/toxic Naja species in the world? I have read that the Philippine cobra is the most venomous (mice, 0.2 mg/kg SC with the lowest reported value being 0.14 mg/kg SC) (Brown, 1973). I have recently, come across something in the Indian Journal of Experimental Biology (Vol. 30, (issue 12), pages: 1158-1162, 1992) which stated that the LD50 for Naja oxiana was the most toxic/venomous (mice, 0.18 mg/kg SC and lowest reported value was 0.10 mg/kg). Along with that, the mortality rate for untreated Naja oxiana bites are the highest among all Naja species (70-80%). N.oxiana also produced the lowest known lethal dose (LCLo) of 0.005 mg/kg, the lowest among all cobra species ever recorded, derived from an individual case of poisoning by intracerebroventricular injection. Following N. oxiana and N. philippinensis are N. melanoleuca at 0.225 mg/kg SC and then N. samarensis at 0.23 mg/kg. The water cobras (N. annulata and N. christyi also have very toxic venoms, but no SC values are listed. Only intraperitoneal (IP) values of 0.143 mg/kg for N. annulata and 0.12 mg/kg for N. christyi. IP values tend to be generally lower (more toxic than subcutaneous values, so it would be unfair to compare their IP results to the subcutaneous (SC) results of other Naja species. Then I have heard that (without solid evidence) that Naja nivea is the most venomous, although their murine SC LD50 range anywhere from 0.4 mg/kg (Toxicon, Vol. 5, issue 1, page 47, 1967) to 0.72 mg/kg (Australian venoms and toxins Databse). So which is the most venomous? To me it seems obvious that it is the Caspian or Oxus cobra (Naja oxiana), followed by the Philippine cobra (Naja philippinensis). What do you think or know? I've noticed that the Australian venom and toxin Database seems to have higher LD50 values for all snakes across the board. For example, for the black mamba IP value of 0.01 mg/kg is listed (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/004101018890219X) and Ernst and Zug et al 1996, list a SC value of 0.05 mg/kg for the black mamba. While the Australian venom and toxin Database listed much less toxic LD50's. So there seems to be a lot of variation. 2014-01-23 What's Your Favorite Venomous Snake? 2013-11-13 Deadliest Bite? 2013-09-16 IF the science of self-immunization for a snake envenomation was proven/perfected what is the least benefit(percentage) you would accept before practicing it on yourself? 2013-06-06 how did you learn to keep venomous reptiles? 2013-03-02 View All Survey Questions Have a good idea for a VenomousReptiles.org Survey question? Enter your idea!
How much experience with keeping non-venomous snakes did you have before you began keeping venomous reptiles?   Posted: Jul 20, 2005   (189 votes, 9 comments) by Nightflight99   Less than one year   1-2 years   3-5 years   6-8 years   9-11 years   12 years or more   I never kept non-venomous reptiles.     (189 votes, 9 comments)
Survey Results
Less than one year 6% (11) 1-2 years 11% (21) 3-5 years 25% (48) 6-8 years 17% (32) 9-11 years 11% (21) 12 years or more 20% (37) I never kept non-venomous reptiles. 10% (19)
Survey Comments
Plainblain You sound like me. Except for the fact that I gew up in Connecticut, our experiences are very similar -- including the first wife who HATED snakes. I told her I'd buy her a 1974 Monte Carlo if I could have a baby Burmese. She got the car and I got the python, but after hearing about "that awful snake" for six months I gave up the snake. A few years later I gave up the real "snake"! I also dealt with Wild Cargo, Ray Singleton, Tarpon Zoo, Thompson Zoo, Charles Chase, and more recently, Ray Van Nostrand of Strictly Reptiles and Rian Gitman of Underground Reptiles. Wild Cargo had great prices, but its snakes were not always the best. Ray was a great guy, but I heard some years ago that he went to jail for selling protected animals. Tarpon Zoo always had top quality snakes. Fred Penman was the Sales Manager and was very helpful. I heard Mike Tsalikis, the co-owner with Trudy Jerkins, went to prison for shipping a boatload of drugs, and Trudy underwent a "religious conversion" and dropped out of sight. Fred (?) Thompson was, according to many, the meanest SOB in the business, and he would sell anything that moved. Charles Chase was a true class act, as is Ray Van Nostrand and his son. Rian Gitman is the best. He's in Deerfield Beach and sells nothing but top quality animals -- and he guarantees them. Collecting snakes (and some lizards, particularly gila monsters) has been a true joy for me. I have always been careful and have never been bitten. That's a record I intend to keep! Email me. We can exchange stories! Scott7590@aol.com Posted by Scott7590 on August 13, 2005 kind of crazy I grew-up in Northern New Jersey and my friends and I would collect indigeniuos every weekend from 5th. grade till highschool. When we wanted Yellow rats and Kings not from our area, we would buy them mail-order from Wild Casrgo, or Ray Sington in Florida, or a bunch of other places that I can't remenber. That was in the late 50's. As elemtary and junior high kids, we would go off by ourselves to collect, basically unsupervised by adults. I guess our parents thought it was great, we'd stay out of trouble. None of us got in trouble in the woods, but as I reflect back, we sure could have. Occassionally we would catch some huge Northern Copperheads. We'd pin them with sticks, pick them up and bag them, then hitch-hike home over 20 miles. We all had homemade snake cages in the basements that were not really escape proof. We'd put what we caught in the cages, both hots and not, then invite all our snake hunting buds over to check the stuff out. We would think nothing of repeatedly handling the copperheads, taking them out to the sidewalk or the basement floor to watch them. And we were in 5th, 6th, 7th grade. Absolutely nuts. We would keep the hots secret, then after a few weeks, bag them up again and hitch-hike back and let them go. After highschool and college, I got married and she HATED snakes. To the point of insanity. So I didn't collect anything other then 5 children. The kids are grown now and she finally ran off so now I can collect what I want. It was been 40 years since I had a snake in the house. So I collect copperheads. I guess the ones we caught as kids made a big impression on me. I love thier colors and patterns. The only one I don't have yet is the trans pecos copperhead. I'll find one sooner or later. But I don't handle my hots like we did as kids. I use hooks and I don't pick them up behind the head unless I absolutely have to. Posted by plainblain on August 11, 2005 how long before it got hot I caught my first rattlesnake in grade school, which grade I don't remember. What I do remember was the janitor killing the poor thing,(what a piece of crap) I was only like 9 or 10 years old, I caught it on the way to school,I was going to keep it, someone told on me, and the poor snake got killed,I have kept hundreds of venomous snakes since. But I still feel bad about that little guy.I started with no experience ,only with respect. I HAVE been bitten, but it was my fault,due to overconfidence, not inexperience. Posted by xvenomx on August 9, 2005 I caught my first snake at around 15 years of age as either a ringneck, dekays, or a an adult black rat, I forget which came first. Soon after were a few store bought ones, and only until 2 years ago (10 years later) did I feel like I "deserve the priveledge" of owning something venomous. I started out with a NC Copperhead who is a sweetheart and relatively laid back, did that for a year before moving on to pigmys and massasaugas now. Thats about as far as I feel comfortable going, and self restraint is whats gonna keep me level headed thruout my hobbying years. Posted by guttersnacks on August 8, 2005 It is blood inside my body ... I had my first rattlesnake when I were 29 years old ... It was ... It was ... It was it !!! I come from Poland and it was unlegal but what could I do ? About my hobby have been knew just few people they was my very good friends ... Now I living 8 months in beautyful country - England and I can keep here this snakes legally ];o) See you later ... Brave Crow Posted by BraveCrow on August 7, 2005 Big Heart Well, I know most people look down on me for jumping into hots like I did but what could I do? We had just begun our journey into the snake hobby 3 months prior. A friend called and said he had found a snake at his work and wanted to know if we would like it. We were in the area so we stopped by. My husband, Ben, brought to our truck a 5 gallon bucket with this beautiful light blueish/gray snake with dark bands(Crotalus l. lepidus) inside. I had never seen any other type of rattler besides an atrox before . We agreed that it would be in our best interest not to take it home so Ben took it back to our friend. When Ben returned he told me that our friend was going to see how long it took propane to freeze the snake. WELL, I just could not let this take place! I convinced him that we could take it and give it to someone we knew who had venomous. So, it got taped up (very well) in a cardboard box and traveled home with us in the bed of the truck. We just so happen to have a live mouse at home for our other snakes(this is before we found the benifits of feeding F/T). We placed the snake in a cage in an outside shed and put the mouse in w/it. It went after the mouse immediatly. Needless to say she, Motley, never made it to our other friends home. And here we are now! Happier than ever with our 87 "kids" Responsibility is the key! Cayla SnakeBit Inkorporated Posted by vemon on July 31, 2005 Over 25 years I have been catching and keeping reptiles and amphibians from the time I was 2 years old. My first snakes were Heterodon platyrhinos that I caught behind my grandmothers pool at about 3 or 4 years old. I finally started keeping venomous species in my early twenties when I had the proper knowledge, experience and means to provide safe enclosures and rooms for my specimens. Posted by Crotalus75 on July 24, 2005 Hmmm... I'm not sure I can put a useful number to this. It's been 30 years since I got my first corn snake. For most of that time I kept one or two snakes (sometimes none) at a time, and frankly didn't know that much or do that good of a job of it. It's really only been in the last 7-8 years that I realized how little I knew and decided to do something about it, and the last three years (when I started putting in the hours for my hot permit) that I've kept a signinficant collection. I sure could have used the internet when I was 7! Posted by LarryDFishel on July 22, 2005 Well... I have loved herps in general my whole life.When I When I reached the age of 10 I moved with my father who also loves herps.My Mother had a deep hatered for them..lol. I guess losing a 3 ft black rat in the house....(which she found one night) ...hehe was a bad idea.My Father tought me alot and was very supportive of my interests.I always had the deepest interest in hots but never thought I would ever keep them.Well things change over the years.I feel hot keeping is the pinnacle of the hobby,As is base jumping to sky diving.It should be treated as so and it's definetly not for everyone.I have always thought.... will there ever be a day when I lose my passion and interest in hot or herps in general. Maybe when im 80?....I THINK NOT!! I will be chasing around Atrox in wheelchair if I have to..lol.I might have to have someone push me around and flip rocks for me though....T.C., J.Q ,...any takers??? LOL Al in those sweet socks would be awesome too..lol. Be safe Trey Posted by live4hots on July 20, 2005 To post a comment, you must be logged in. If you are not a member, become one now!