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What are the essential tools needed for keeping venomous snakes? I've always worked with native venomous snakes, but I've never really kept one for a long period of time. I'm going to jump in and give it a go. I have various hooks and tongs, but nothing else. I plan on getting some tubes. Anything else I need? When I say native venomous, I'm talking about those found in southern Georgia.

RP

The most important tool is the "keeper". You can have all the gadgets you need but w/out the proper maturity, experience and skills, you'll be running into trouble....this isn't necessarily directed at you but for anyone wishing to get into venomous reptiles. Assuming you do have the qualities needed to keep venomous reptiles, you will want to have the following to start:

1) Antivenin: sure, all the hospitals in your neck of the woods will carry antivenin but it is really your responsibility to keep it in stock (or, at the very least, make sure you have an agreement with your nearest hospital about getting treatment). Just realize, a hospital bill will be frightening when it comes to treating snake bites and many health insurance carriers will not cover this kind of treatment.

2) Safety protocols clearly posted

3) Each cage should have an ID card w/common and scientific name along with the kind of antivenin that should be administered. I saw Tim Cole's facility and I was real impressed with his system (he might be able to share some examples). We do something very similar at our place.

4) Venomous cages should be clearly marked "VENOMOUS REPTILE" or something similar in big bold RED letters...even a skull and cross bones would be a good idea.

5) Aside from several different sized snake hooks and appropriate tongs (I like the gentle giants), you should also have the following: 1) long hemostats for feeding, 2) various tubes in the event you have to administer meds, assist sheds, etc...don't do this until an experienced handler has demonstrated the proper techniques, 3) various shields; these can be home made but the bottom line is that you will want to use these when doing day to day maitenance w/out having to stress the snake by taking it out of its cage all of the time. But, there is a right way and wrong way to use the shields. 4) holding containers when you are doing maintenance: make sure that they can be locked and that you can see inside the box. The holding container should say t hat there is a venomous snake inside (just in case something really bad happens and someone else has to assist). 5) pro bagger or something similar (we get all of our various hooks, tongs, baggers, hemostats, etc at www.tongs.com), 6) home made shift boxes: these can be nice to have and you can even use them as hide boxes. Those are the bare essentials, there are probably more. Hope this helps.

Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center
Lake Forest, IL

>>What are the essential tools needed for keeping venomous snakes? I've always worked with native venomous snakes, but I've never really kept one for a long period of time. I'm going to jump in and give it a go. I have various hooks and tongs, but nothing else. I plan on getting some tubes. Anything else I need? When I say native venomous, I'm talking about those found in southern Georgia.
>>
>>RP
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Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL

Since the only venomous that are usually legally kept in Georgia are the indigenous venomous, the local hospitals almost always carry antivenom and if not, there certainly is another hospital in Georgia that does. Exotic venomous keeping in Georgia is limited to a relatively expensive permit and proof of exhorbitant insurance levels ($40,000 per animal up to $500,000).
I have kept all of the Georgia indigenous venomous at one time or another.
One of the best resources you can get is B.W. Smith's book on keeping venomous: Venomous Snakes in Captivity.
Here is a link to reviews of the book:
http://www.venomousreptiles.org/reviews/detail/158
I use hooks, tongs and very essential (!!!) locking cages that are snake escape proof.
Good luck,
Karl H. Betz
Buzztail1@hotmail.com

When planning please keep in mind the last time a keeper at our local zoo got tagged by a Mamba, the hospital here in Atlanta did not have the correct antivenom so they used what they had and luckly he made it. Bare in mind that that instance was several years ago, but depending on where you are at in Georgia, don't assume that they have it up here in Atlanta.

To add on to what Mr. Carmicheal said, in Georgia, it seems that you are also required to have a lot of beer (mostly consumed), a video camera, camo pants (jacket optional), and an equally inebriated friend to use the video camera, while you work with the snake(s).

Good luck and thanks for planning this through and not becoming another 'what were they thinking' story on the news. Georgia has enough of those already!
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Bryan, Atlanta GA

1-0-0 Rescued Ball Python - Apep
0-0-1 Rescued Bearded Dragon - Zeus
0-0-1 Rescued Non-Alpha Green Iguana - Bud
1-2-0 Rescued Rats... no wait... ROTTEN Little Cats - Ra, Bastet, Isis
0-0-1 Rescued Fit and Trim Panda Hamster - Mr. Fluffy
1-0-0 Horse... whoops... BIG Golden Retriever - Jake
0-1-0 Wife
2-0-0 Kids

I remember very well when the keeper in Atlanta was bitten by the mamba. Tagged on the arm while cleaning a cage, correct?

I'm not going to tout my experience with snakes as "proof" that I'm ready for hots. After all, I've had a couple of corn snakes, one of which bit me several years ago . . .
Just kidding. I've got over a dozen years in the hobby, and I've had several EDBs that I've kept for various amounts of time before returning them to the wild. I usually keep them for a few weeks, depending on how they feed (I've had some fairly big ones feed pretty well), and then turn them out. However, I've never kept one for very long, and now I'd like to. Keeping venomous snakes is sort of like the last frontier in my herping experience. After all these years, I think I'm ready to explore this area of the hobby long-term.

I've been thinking long and hard about this decision. I'm going to use a room in my garage with as the hot room. It has a lock on it, but I'm going to further secure it with a second lock. The room is escape proof, and you can't get inside the house from that room.

As far as the species I'd be keeping goes, they would all be native, and probably limited to EDBs. I think that's plenty of venomous snake. I have no problems at all with Georgia's permitting process. I've explored getting a permit in the past. In fact, I've got a copy of the regulations at my house. The permit itself isn't too expensive (or at least I don't remember it being too bad), but the insurance requirements make the permit cost prohibitive. Which is probably good for me; if I could get the permit, I'd end up with something exotic. I live in the hinterlands of south Georgia, and while we do have an excellent hospital, I don't think I'd like to take my chances in the ER if I had been bitten by a cobra or some other exotic. They can handle an EDB bite, and have plenty of Crofab on hand (I've already asked!).

RP

Best of luck, Robert. I have no doubt you'll be an excellent keeper.
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Venomous snakes---best hobby on earth!
Bill Huseth