Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok,i am no expert by any means with venomous.I am an experienced keeper,but not with hots yet.Im in the process of obtaining my FL venomous license now...but anyway,I was just thinking,everyone likes the question.."what is a good first venomous snake".And as I was thinking of this question,most people answer back..Copperheads mainly,along with others like pygmys and tree vipers.My point is,I think a lot of people say this due to 'mild' venom and odds of fatality,however,venom toxicity aside,I think Copperheads and pygmys are indeed NOT a good first venomous.They are very jumpy and alert,and not good with hooks at all.Do you want your first Hot to be all over the place when trying to take it out for cleaning,maintenance,etc?Same goes for some tree vipers,very hard to manuver in the cage,esp. when on a branch.And when hooked,love to crawl up the hook.Venom aside,wouldn't certain species of rattlesnakes,cottonmouths and ground dwelling pits be better for a first hot?Just bored and thought of this..just my .02 from some experience
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3 American Alligators
1.0 Albino Burm
1.0 Green Tree Python
0.1 Veild Chameleon
1.0 Red Eyed Tree Frog
1.0 Bearded Dragon

"Never insult an Alligator until you have crossed the river"-oriental proverb

I agree

Copperheads and pygmys are small enough that they should be able to be contained relatively easily despite their jumpiness. That combined with relatively weak venom still makes them a good first hot I would think.

Sometimes...

I don't know that I've worked with enough of either to say what their "average" temperment is like, but I've worked with a number of pigmys that were very easy to handle and our copperheads have now calmed down to the same point.

I've also worked with pigmys that were so fast and active and so dead set against going where you wanted them to go, I sometimes just gave up and put their cages down inside a holding container, chased them out of the cage and removed the cage with tongs to clean. They would crawl off the hook so fast you couldn't lift them from the floor (where they always ended up) over the edge of a 16" high container before they were off.

I had one trainee almost quit on the spot after trying unsuccessfully to deal with a pigmy. He figured if he couldn't handle that little thing, how the heck was he going to manage a cottonmouth...

It's late, I'm babbling. My point is, a calm pigmy or copper can be a great first hot, a spastic one can be a nightmare. Getting an established snake from someone who will at least let you see him handle it first might be the way to go...

And in case no one's mentioned it in the last 10 minutes, if you can put in some serious time with a mentor, working with his snakes it won't be an issue because by the time you're ready for YOUR first hot you'll be prepared to handle a little opposiion.

Well ,I throw my hat into the ring.I have a W.Massasauga that won't hook for squat.He's very "runny" on a hook and I have to use 2, he's 18" or so. On the other hand I've worked with 4 Naja pallida one is corn snake tame and they rachetup the scale to demonic at the other end.I've worked with Bothrops atrox ,asper. et al. The temperments vary from one extreme to the other.One "doh !" that you may want to consider is when using hooks made of metal make sure there the approx temperature of the snake .A cold hook will send them into orbit.

There is nothing weak about Sisturus venom! The saving grace is that it's usually delivered in small quantities.

Al
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Law of Logical Argument: Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.

Since you are in Florida, a moccasin would be a great choice. I use to have a few, one I kept for years and grew as tame as any boa. I always treated it just like any other, but that thing was tame. I grew to be quite fond of it. I had a very aggressive cribo that was the most difficult snake I have ever had, I dreaded normal cage cleaning chores. That thing prepared me to deal with just about anything! I never felt that dread dealing with any venomous snake! I think you should have gone through those experiences before you jump to any venomous snake.

I agree that pygmies can be difficult to hook with a single hook. Copperheads can be the pits to get to feed the second or third time. Cottonmouths for the most part do well in captivity & ride a hook like a viper is supposed to. The bite is more dangerous than that of the two aforementioned animals, but I agree that they would be a good first hot, especially for someone who lives within their range.

~~Greg~~
Florida's Venomous Snakes

My vote goes for a massasauga...My western has the best temperament of any rattler I've handled so far. She's very easy to tail and hook. The only problem with the mild temperament is you can get lazy if you're not constantly reminding yourself that it is a venomous snake and potentially dangerous.
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Snakes to the Max

I agree this is a very common question but I don't consider the premise that there is a "good beginner venomous snake" a valid one. Other replies have given many good opinions based on their experience. Get someone to mentor you and get trained correctly. This will give you the experience to deal with many of the "difficult" characters discribed by others. One thing for sure no snake behaves the same way time after time. Always hope for cooperation but expect chaos!

Al

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Law of Logical Argument: Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.

I fail to see why a "calm" snake makes for a good first hot. Such a snake may tend to lower your defenses by being Too Manageable. The last thing you want is to be complacent with hots.

I have always recommended pygmies is that they can be little hellions that keep you on your toes. You learn to deal with less than optimal situations which you will need if you pursue it with more dangerous species later on. Plus the consequences of an error are less.

A big Moc can be a nice pet, but to learn properly, work with a small nasty under proper supervision.

Frank
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"The luxury of not getting involved departed with the last lifeboat Skipper..."

I think I agree with Frank (previous reply) regarding little nasties. I would much rather deal with my Rhino on any given day than my Taylor's Cantil, which is a spawn of Satan!
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