Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I live in Connecticut, and I sometimes go to the woods of Northern Connecticut where there are tons of rattlers and copperheads. My question is, can I catch a copperhead and keep it, or is that illegal? Is there any way I can keep one?

venomous snakes are illegal to keep/sell in ohio but idk about conneticut. personally, i would never get ne where close to a venomous species since you can die from a single bite. another problem with wild-caught herps is parasites. i dont know how easily copperheads stress, but i know some snakes will kill themselves from stress, not to mention they have a hard time switching to eating in captivity. the only wild-caught snakes i have ever owned are garters and they can be picky even after being in captivity for monthes. if you dont have much experience with herps maybe go for something a little easier to care for like a kingsnake or a rat snake. if you still think you need to keep something dangerous in your home make sure to research ALOT before catching the snake. also i would make sure to contact your doctor before you get it and see if you can get anti-venom to keep with you when handling/catching the snakes just in case.

excellent suggestions, thanks. yeah, i think i'll stay away from venomous species in my home care until i get more experienced, and i know i can be safe with them. my parents probably won't even let me keep it (my mom's afraid of my 3 foot long ball python getting lose...i can't imagine her living in the same house as a copperhead! lol).

thanks again

- Mansab

good. i'm glad you changed your mind. if you want something more exotic there are alot of really nice ball pythons on the market right now(piebalds, albinos, etc.). if you have experience with ball pythons go for one of these, they are beautiful snakes without the whole risk of venom.

what does it mean when a snake is a 'venomoid'??

it means that the snake has undergone an operation to alter it's venom delevering system. These are going to cost you some money to get. Plus what is the point of getting a venomous snake with out venom??? BTW there is a great article in the aug. Reptiles mag.
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It's news to me that they're illegal to keep/sell in Ohio... Is there something that me and Don Hamper don't know about? Is this new? Was there a memo I didn't get?

I think they are. last time I read ohio's laws regarding animals(i was making sure ferrets where legal where i lived) they were. im gonna check on that. maybe im not right.

im sorry, the laws must have changed and my information was wrong. i just did some research and it is legal. soryy for the confusion

Cool... you never know in this state, eh? They ARE illegal in Franklin county.

Very true, you could die from a single bite. You could die from one single crash with a drunk too, but we dont stop drivein. The truth is that the copperhead is so mildly venomous that it is recomended for beginers getting into hots. I know people who have been bitten by the copperhead that didnt seek medical attention, not recomended, but after much swelling, fever, headaches, nausia, it passed. Im sure that if your the type that is allergic to bee stings that it would be much much more serious, but to my knowledge there has never been a death caused by a copperhead bite. But yes you do need to read up on hots, there care, and the best handling, which ironicaly is, DONT HANDLE THEM. You use tools to pick them up, not your hands. For good reference material, watch the crocodile hunter, and DONT DO ANYTHING HE DOES. When i capture a venomous snake i use a bag that is atatched to a handle, and i coax the herp into the bag and twist the bag and tie it, never touching the snake. Pinning the head and reaching for the head is stupid, ive had them thrash there head free suddenly, putting my hand within easy reach. I currently keep one western diamondback, one copperhead, and an ill tempered evil desert kingsnake. My copperhead was a wild capture, and it ate its first meel the next day without problem. They are supriseingly curious snakes that will come out of there hide box to see what your doing. Mine is acting more tame than my king, but do i beleive it, no way. You respect the snake and never forget its potential to harm. Dont count out the possability of keeping hots, but educate yourself before you take on the task, and the possible liability of keeping a hot snake. You should have posted this in venomous forum, there are alot of experienced keepers there with the right answers you need. Skinner

damn, now i REALLY REALLY REALLY want one! not until later though, maybe in a year or two when i become more experienced. thank you for the advice. haha yeah crocodile hunter, he's a psycho!! im surprised he's not in his tomb yet. cool guy though.

so the copperhead is curious? that's really cool. i like curious snakes.

yeah, im going to post more in the venomous section.

- Mansab Jafri

Well like i said, be carefull, be smart, and never show off. Venomous snakes are among some of the most beautiful in the world. There are mild snakes like the copperhead and massasaga, that although you definately dont want to get bitten by them, if you do join the brotherhood of the fat hand, its not likely to be life threatening. Most important is never mess with hots when your tired, or in a hurry. Never show off, some of the most stupid accidents start with the coment, "watch this". Keeping hots is not a game, its a great responsability. This would be a great spot to mention that in the past i had a copperhead escape its cage. Luckily i dont keep my snakes in my house, and found it under a peice of paper close to where my hand had been while i franticaly searched. I had gotten in a hurry to fill the water dish and didnt get the lid on good, plus i had dragged my feet constructing him a suitable cage and had him in a plastic tub with a snap on lid and didnt think he could reach the lid. The last thing you want is to bring a venomouse reptile of any kind into your home, and it escape and bite someone, like a small child. After your response to my post i felt that you must be thinking that copperheads are completly harmless. I have a diamondback rattler, and a copperhead, and i treat both with the same caution and respect. Ive had some close calls with the rattler, and learned valuable lessons. You need to eduacate yourself on pitvipers, practice handling with a hook with your non venomous snakes, and before you collect a snake, build a cage and make all preperations to care for it beforehand. And of coarse despite all your preperation your going to have suprises, but it keeps you awake. Skinner

In order to keep my hots from escaping, I double cage. I have my hots in their individual cages, then I have a larger cage that encloses the smaller cages.

Double caging gives me the secure feelign of knowing that my snakes will not escape.

cheers.
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Longtang. I like snakes and rats.