All tree vipers have a cytotoxic (cell destroying) venom which can cause serious and permanent injury, and/or death. Some are more lethal than others, but all of them are capable.



The best hot snake to acquire is the one you have antivenom available for. Therefore, most exotics do not make the best hots for new keepers. To be honest, I'd suggest you get some experience under your belt with native venomous (which won't neccesarily gain you experience in arboreal viperids, but will at least get you familiar with hots), or like the other poster suggested, get an arboreal non-venomous such as an ATB, something nasty, to train you a bit.



As for species like Pope's delivering a mild bite, I suspect the "bee-sting like" bites were mild envenomations, and not a true picture of what the venom can actually do to you if delivered in a moderate dose. Don't buy into the notion that ANY viperid bite will be "mild", because they all pose the danger of at least costing you a digit or two.

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