Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was browsing the classifieds and saw a Pseustes for sale. In the add they said not as nippy as Spilotes. My Pseustes are worse than water snakes their teeth are longer and they are smarter so they look to see where to bite to inflict the most damage. Why to people feel compelled to downplay the facts to sell something, heck there are people out there who want a snake that will draw blood without the venomous effects, a few. Pseustes will never be a cute cuddly snake. It would be a good reptile for the movie industry to make horror flicks! LOL Seriously call it what it is a bity cool looking large hyper colubrid that could learn to display well, maybe. A hatchling might learn to accept it’s circumstances and not bite, as my coachwhip’s have learned but from what I can tell they will be more of a challenge. But I might however hire the guy that placed the add as my marketing director if I make some!
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"Life without risk is to merely exist."

Your pseustes are agressive Bill? Hehehehe!
In fact the only snake bite i saw with as much tenacity as pseustes until today is my cribo... But at least my cribo don't bite everytime they get the chance and don't moove as fast.
Taking them out of the enclosure for cleaning is quite simple, he? I had never used welding gloves for any snake before...
In a few weeks, i'm suppose to get something else with a little more challenge...
I will post pics for you
Take care!
Justin

Tell me they are Ptyas. I will be your best friend. All my Pseustes bite. I will get pics for you..........Bill
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"Life without risk is to merely exist."

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"Life without risk is to merely exist."

>>.

HE HELD ON OVER A MINUTE. PAIN IS HIS GAME.

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"Life without risk is to merely exist."

Hahahaha!
Never had this pleasure yet, i'm too much chicken.
Yes Bill, i really like my pseustes.
I will contact you soon Bill, prepare your biggest enclosure.
Justin

You the man I'm ready. Ptyas? Bring um on. Do they have nice teeth?
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"Life without risk is to merely exist."

>>You the man I'm ready. Ptyas? Bring um on. Do they have nice teeth?
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>>"Life without risk is to merely exist."

If it IS a Ptyas I hope you give us lots of pics. Never seen anyone take them on
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Thane

That should read:

>>If it IS a Ptyas I hope HE gives us lots of pics. Never seen anyone take them on. But, whoever has it Wouldn't these be perfect training before getting into venomous ? That's my understanding LOL
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>>Thane
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Thane

Hi Thane!
Even if it would be the perfect venomous trainig snake, venoumous are not allowed where i live. So i have to deal with available non venomous species.
You can be sure i will post pics...in a few weeks
Take care!
Justin

Training for venomous should go something like this. Let a large snake with large teeth bite you. Rub something into the wound that will not kill you but simulate pain say Habenero Pepper Juice. The pain level should be a solid 8 light headedness should occur. Next you should drink epicak so you projectile vomit again not life threttening next have someone smak you on the head with a rubber mallet because there is nothing that can prepair someone for the effects of venom. It is not learning how th handle them it is the are of keeping them without handling them or minimal handling. There are some Elapids that are as mellow as the mellowest Indigo let your guard down once and you die. Ask all the dead expert handlers.
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"Life without risk is to merely exist."

Great post and right on the money.

That sounds like a hell of a training program LOL.

My friends and I ate some habaneros one evening (young men trying to be macho). Ended up with three guys hanging their heads off the edge of the deck groaning and drooling for about a half hour. Ahhhh the good ol' days

Even a "mellow" indigo can nail you at times. Don't ask me how I know that

I won't keep hots MYSELF. I'd maintain them if I was getting PAID for it or something. That's unlikely though LOL

>>Training for venomous should go something like this. Let a large snake with large teeth bite you. Rub something into the wound that will not kill you but simulate pain say Habenero Pepper Juice. The pain level should be a solid 8 light headedness should occur. Next you should drink epicak so you projectile vomit again not life threttening next have someone smak you on the head with a rubber mallet because there is nothing that can prepair someone for the effects of venom. It is not learning how th handle them it is the are of keeping them without handling them or minimal handling. There are some Elapids that are as mellow as the mellowest Indigo let your guard down once and you die. Ask all the dead expert handlers.
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>>"Life without risk is to merely exist."
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Thane

If someone is going to keep or breed hots it is MY opinion that you have to have the attitude that you or someone you know will be bitten. There are many ways to become invenomated a bite through a bag or from under a hide. Dry or wet venom on tongs or snake hook possibly sprayed from snake onto your skin without your knowledge. I have found venom on my skin more than once!. I keep hots from time to time and my real concern is having access to antivenin and a physician that has enough smarts to save your life. What will a doctor do if you have an allergic reaction to the antivenin? What doctor will you use and will he be working when you need him. How long will it take you to reach a hospital? Where were you bitten a vein or artery? There are so many variables that being able to handle a hyper snake plays a very small part of the whole picture. Most hot keepers use hot tubes clear plastic hollow tubes. The snake is put into a tall trash can and when the snake tries to crawl out of it the tube is offered and they crawl up into it and are secured mid-body. I know of people who have been bitten even doing this! I am in no way against the keeping of hots but I will in no way encourage anyone to do it. My main concern in not that I will offend you it is that you be here to reply the next time I want to talk with you on this forum…………Bill
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"Life without risk is to merely exist."

Totally agree. That's one of my main reasons for not bothering with venomous. I admit it, I'm a cheapskate. No dang way do I want to make the investment in all the antivenin and all the other safety measures needed for such an under taking when done correctly.

If I win the lottery, don't need to work but need some kinds of snakes to care for, for "thrillseeking", I'll start with the ptyas I'm very curious to see how they feed and if someone can actually handle them. Posting videos of that would be VERY cool I understand they're spastic demons

>>If someone is going to keep or breed hots it is MY opinion that you have to have the attitude that you or someone you know will be bitten. There are many ways to become invenomated a bite through a bag or from under a hide. Dry or wet venom on tongs or snake hook possibly sprayed from snake onto your skin without your knowledge. I have found venom on my skin more than once!. I keep hots from time to time and my real concern is having access to antivenin and a physician that has enough smarts to save your life. What will a doctor do if you have an allergic reaction to the antivenin? What doctor will you use and will he be working when you need him. How long will it take you to reach a hospital? Where were you bitten a vein or artery? There are so many variables that being able to handle a hyper snake plays a very small part of the whole picture. Most hot keepers use hot tubes clear plastic hollow tubes. The snake is put into a tall trash can and when the snake tries to crawl out of it the tube is offered and they crawl up into it and are secured mid-body. I know of people who have been bitten even doing this! I am in no way against the keeping of hots but I will in no way encourage anyone to do it. My main concern in not that I will offend you it is that you be here to reply the next time I want to talk with you on this forum…………Bill
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>>"Life without risk is to merely exist."
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Thane

The interesting about Pseustes is that they bite more and worse as time goes on. Spilotes seem to turn into bluffers and they will actually calm down not so with MY Pseustes once they adjust, mine bite. Personalities are variable and I am sure there is a mellow one or two out there. If you get your hands on Ptyas you will be one of very few who has them in the States. You may think I am sadistic by allowing a Pseustes to bite me but let me put it into perspective for you. I work with MANY falcons. In an average year in the process training, breeding shipping I get grabbed by them no less then 50 or so times a year. The big Gyrs go through gloves. Imagine taking vise pliers and welding four to eight nails an inch and a half to two inches long onto them. Now apply vise pliers to your hand and adjust them so that the nails stop at the bone. The Falcon decides when it will let go. A Pseustes bite does not even register on the scale I have become de-sensitized to being bitten. Kinda gross when you actually look at it from the outside though .
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"Life without risk is to merely exist."

Yeah, I know. You kinda get used to it. My tolerance for it grew thin with my cave ratsnake though. Still, it's not TOO terrible when you know that what's chomping on you or MIGHT be chomping on you won't kill you with an injection of deadly toxins Doubt I'd tolerate the falcon manglings LOL

I can't wait to see the ptyas though. Hopefully we can see some video of it even. Always interested in the rarely seens.

>>The interesting about Pseustes is that they bite more and worse as time goes on. Spilotes seem to turn into bluffers and they will actually calm down not so with MY Pseustes once they adjust, mine bite. Personalities are variable and I am sure there is a mellow one or two out there. If you get your hands on Ptyas you will be one of very few who has them in the States. You may think I am sadistic by allowing a Pseustes to bite me but let me put it into perspective for you. I work with MANY falcons. In an average year in the process training, breeding shipping I get grabbed by them no less then 50 or so times a year. The big Gyrs go through gloves. Imagine taking vise pliers and welding four to eight nails an inch and a half to two inches long onto them. Now apply vise pliers to your hand and adjust them so that the nails stop at the bone. The Falcon decides when it will let go. A Pseustes bite does not even register on the scale I have become de-sensitized to being bitten. Kinda gross when you actually look at it from the outside though .
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>>"Life without risk is to merely exist."
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Thane

>> You may think I am sadistic by allowing a Pseustes to bite me but let me put it into perspective for you. I work with MANY falcons. In an average year in the process training, breeding shipping I get grabbed by them no less then 50 or so times a year. The big Gyrs go through gloves. Imagine taking vise pliers and welding four to eight nails an inch and a half to two inches long onto them. Now apply vise pliers to your hand and adjust them so that the nails stop at the bone. The Falcon decides when it will let go. A Pseustes bite does not even register on the scale I have become de-sensitized to being bitten. Kinda gross when you actually look at it from the outside though .
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>>"Life without risk is to merely exist."

psssh. that's nothing. a coworker had a bald eagle go through his arm without a glove in the way. Their talons are much bigger and thicker than a gyr. Even funnier is him trying to explain to the people in the ER that an 'eagle' is not some obscure hardware tool but a live animal.
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PHWyvern