How many HOT herp keepers out there?
- Thread starter loganh83
- Start date
As much as i love the look of snakes, especially some of the hot ones, its just seems way too risky to house one at home on the off chance it gets out in the middle of the night and you awake to a nasty bite...
i started out with a southern copperhead then moved on to 2 cottonmouths and then a panamit rattler..as long as your not stupid and nvr put yourself in a dangerous situation you should be ok..snake hooks and tongs are a must have..also i use a 55 gallon garbage can to put the hots in when i clean thier cages..goodluck
I voted for bacon, because there wasn't really an option for my opinion. I believe that in order to take the risk of keeping and caring for something as dangerous as a venomous animal, you have to be completely devoted to and passionate about the idea of keeping it. For me, there is no snake that I'm devoted to enough in order to take that risk. I would and am, however, consider keeping a gila monster. I have been fascinated with them from the first time I learned about them, and can honestly say that I would be more than willing to devote the time and effort into properly keeping one, including all of preperations and learning required. So, if the question is would I consider keeping a HOT snake, absolutely not. Would I consider, though, keeping a HOT gila monster? Absolutely.
I would seriously recommend that you find someone near you that has hots and work with them for at least 6 months (I would recommend up to 2 years though) before you take the plunge and bring home a venomous snake. There is a lot more to it than just using hooks and tongs to move a relatively predictable snake... it is knowing the individual and its strike range and caging requirements and much much more. For me, I have a no touch policy (I do not allow myself to touch any of my hots unless they are tubed and only for an important medical reason) and a double screen policy (all cages have 2 layers of screening so that if I accidentally brush the top of an enclosure the snake is unable to bite through it). These have proved to keep me safe this far and I hope for a good deal longer too.
As far as antivenin goes, I would locate a supply of it that is near you (ie a zoo or hospital) but do not buy it. It can cost upwards of $5000 PER VIAL and it will expire within a year. furthermore, you need a prescription to get it and most doctors will not give it to you since it has come from outside the hospital so you would have wasted your money.
Find out about the laws in your area and be responsible. do not let your snakes escape because if you do, the media will have a field day as soon as the little girl next door to you is bit which could very well represent the end of ME keeping hots along with everyone else...
Keeping hots is not a death sentence. most people think that a part of it is getting bit (and it can be if not you are not extremely careful) but as I said earlier today in another thread, I know people who have been keeping hots for over 30 years without an incident of a bite or escape. It is all up to you on how safe you make your experience.
Be safe and keep us posted on what you decide.
As far as antivenin goes, I would locate a supply of it that is near you (ie a zoo or hospital) but do not buy it. It can cost upwards of $5000 PER VIAL and it will expire within a year. furthermore, you need a prescription to get it and most doctors will not give it to you since it has come from outside the hospital so you would have wasted your money.
Find out about the laws in your area and be responsible. do not let your snakes escape because if you do, the media will have a field day as soon as the little girl next door to you is bit which could very well represent the end of ME keeping hots along with everyone else...
Keeping hots is not a death sentence. most people think that a part of it is getting bit (and it can be if not you are not extremely careful) but as I said earlier today in another thread, I know people who have been keeping hots for over 30 years without an incident of a bite or escape. It is all up to you on how safe you make your experience.
Be safe and keep us posted on what you decide.
That pretty much says it all and I will ad some of my presonal toughs. First of I will like to say that I can not see me keeping something like a cobra or a taipan, even to terrestrial vipers and crotalids are my coup of tea regarding venomous snakes, and gaboon vipers really give me head eggssnakeguy101;4097140; said:
. But as far as my planing and putting apart reality and fantasy I dont plan on realisticaly having anything worse then a false water cobra, if I ever endup having a snake for myself at all, maybe I will get into bullsnakes and milk snakes and endup enjoying it so much that I dont move on to other species.Now you should really reflect on the reason why you want that animal in the first place, I mean there are thousads of snakes species, most of which are practically harmless. I can think of MANY snakes as or more beautifull then most hot snakes. You trully have to be commited and completly devoted to that animal, any thing less then that and your not anywere ready to have such animal. And if you ask me 3 years having a non venomous one, its very litle experience. I also completly agree with Snakeguy´s policys of no touch and safety measures, if you want something you can handle or even remotely interact with then venemous snakes are not for you. Consider things such as: will I ever get tyerd of this animal, ho will care for it during vacations, its the instalation completly safe and escape proof,etc. And if it gets sick ho will handle it, are there vets near that would acept treating it?
I too have a soft spot for gila mosters and I think they are more suitable for domestic keeping then some hot snakes. However be aware that all the safety measures considered with hot snakes sould be applyed to them as well and that they are hands of animals, any mistake will give you one of the most escrussiating pains you will ever sence in your life and make you wonder why the heck you even got them in the first place! These animals are not for everyone.rudukai13;4097109; said:
I will have to somehow disagree with you V, if you have children around or even another adult person in the house, leaving a loaded gun on the top of the table is just as dangerous as a roaming venomous snake, both dont belong in such a unconfined situation and both in a moment of sher stupidity can severely injure a person or even worse. However I have to agree that guns wont try to go away from their confinementVicious_Fish;4096885; said:
In that matter, thats what I dont like about elapids, all the elusiveness of a rat snake but with a deadly arsenal.