Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my copperhead killed a adult mouse in 10 seconds flat the other day it usually takes at least 1 minuet but this time the mouse literally hopped one time and rolled over dead no twitching or anything after 30 secs i kinda squished him w/ my hook and he was a goner. any input?

I have stated a couple of times on this board that there are recorded fatalities from copperheads. No, I am not surprised. Remember also that venom potency can vary widely in the same subspecies depending upon where within its range it is found.
Venom strength may also be affected by the snake's diet & overall health.

May the rapid demise of the mouse stick in your mind..never treat your copperhead as if it were anything less than deadly.

~~Greg~~

I've had **instantaneous** death from my pigmys. By the time the snake has settled back into its coiled position, the mouse is on its back and has maybe one leg twitching, which only lasts seconds. There are times Im not even sure the snake landed a good bite, and it looks like the mouse literally got scared to death.

It all depends on different factors of the strike location and the snake and prey item.

To support whats already been mentioned, use this as a reminder that there are no varying degrees of "heat" when it comes to having these in your home. Treat them all with the same level of respect regardless of what you have.
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Tom

"The more people I meet, the more I like my snakes"

My canebrake killed one i swear in under 10 seconds when i first purchased it. Literally bite dead done. But then again rattlers have been known to have the best percentage of hitting the lumbar region of its prey than any other snake. Their accuracy is quite remarkable. So your copperhead doing so in about the same time is right on par and just as amazing.