Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi
A snake often seen for sale over here in the U.K. is Agkistrodon contortrix,I know a lot about this species (from books etc.)to give me a pretty good idea on its keeping requirements.
Could you guys inform me of any special precautions(other than the general venomous ones)to take?..is there a standard antivenom or treatment for a Copperhead bite?..anything I should know or get before I take the plunge with this handsome species??
Anything information I can glean from you guys who have experience with Copperheads would be greatly recieved...Many thanks in advance...

Kind regards
Paul

The polyvalent for North American Pit Vipers manufactured by Cro-Fab will cover it. Ten vials on hand should be plenty. The venom is not particularly strong, but has caused a few fatalities.

~~Greg~~

Greg is right, there have been confirmed fatalities so you want to heed that advice. Some of the worst necrotizing injuries I have seen from venomous snake bites occurred with this species. The bite will probably not kill you but you will go through incredible pain, lost limbs, etc.

Thankfully, this is a fairly placid species that is fairly easy to work with. I believe one of the keys to keeping this species successfully is hydration/humidity. Although you want to keep the substrate somewhat dry, these animals need a high humid retreat to mimic the microhabitats that they come from (woodlands). When I have caught them in the wild, they were hunkered down inside a vertical hollowed log that was relatively damp. So, I would recommend creating a humidity box with a plastic storage containter and an entry hole on top. Fill the box with a mixture of soil, forest humus, dead leaves, peat and you'll have a very happy snake.

Hope this helps,
Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center
www.thegrassisrattling.com

>>The polyvalent for North American Pit Vipers manufactured by Cro-Fab will cover it. Ten vials on hand should be plenty. The venom is not particularly strong, but has caused a few fatalities.
>>
>> ~~Greg~~
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Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL

Than again they will live 20 years in a ten gallon tank with a waterdish and a cereal box to hide in!

We had a southern that stayed under a 2X2 sheet of plywood under the porch for about 3 years so they are fairly undemanding in habitat... He sometimes motored out into the flowerbed to sun a bit and than went back to his board. I eventually evicted him after our rat terrier suffered his second bite (although I'm not really sure he was the culprit). I moved him and the board out of the yard but he never came back to the board. They also liked the monkey grass borders on the flower beds.

They do like to hide so be sure and give them a nice low, dark hiding spot. I like small cardboard boxs with a hole in the side, than you can hook out box and all when it's time for a clean. Most of them are ok but some are pretty hard to hook,

How much does Cro Fab cost nowadays? Not sure I'd make that sort of investment to keep a copperhead. Of course I have them all over the yard...

I do miss the Southerns though...The Kentucky ones are nice but not nearly as pretty as the Southerns.

Peter
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Peter and Sara
Beouf River Reptiles

Take it from someone who took a hit at 9yrs old. It is horribly painful. My left hand was almost paralized for years. I had very limited use of it and hyper sensitivity. I am 38 and still have ongoing problems with my left hand, although I have nearly full use of it.

I don't want to add more to what's been posted, the other posts are excellent and I think cover it well.
S/E Michigan Reptile Rescue

>> Anything information I can glean from you guys who have experience with Copperheads would be greatly recieved...Many thanks in advance...
>>
>> Kind regards
>> Paul

Be prepared to have this animal 20 years. We've had our wild caught male for 23 years and he was almost full grown when we got him... so add on another 3-5 years... that makes him approximately 26-28 years old right now.
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_____

PHWyvern

I second the longevity of these snakes. I have a Broad-banded Copperhead that I wild caught in 1990 as an adult. It has been used in programs several times a week since then. I keep mine on cypress mulch which gets misted occasionally. A water bowl is provided along with a hidebox/water bowl combination which helps keep up humidity like Rob mentioned.
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Tim Cole
www.Designeratrox.com/
www.AustinReptileService.net
www.AustinReptileExpo.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<
Conservation through Education

All I can say is THANK-YOU VERY MUCH guys!!

I think this kind of first-hand account information cannot be purchased in book form... I've learn't an awful lot since my original posting last night!!

One thing I'd like to throw in at this point is 'Brumation'??..
..ie. How long ,when,at what temps. etc...and does it vary from locality to locality??

Paul

I don't have anything to add. You guys pretty much covered it. But nobody added any pics. Copperheads are incredible. My favorite snakes in the world. I love the story about having one for 23 years so far. I've had my SC locale male for 5 years now, and I will definitely have him until he dies. He's also the most amazing Contorix I've ever seen. Glad I hopefully have another 20 years to look forward to with him.

The third pic is my female from VA. I've had her for a little over a year. She looks like an intergrade, but really should be 100% Mokasen. Either way, she's pretty too.

Ryan
Excellent pictures...lovely ,healthy animals!!...thanks!
They look very contented..if possible could you post a picture of your copperhead viv/keeping area.

many thanks
Paul

I've been really busy. Finally got a chance to snap a couple pics of him. I just realized I've had him for 5 years this month. And this is actually the first time I've taken any pics of him for over 2 years, so it gave me a good excuse. I love this snake.

What you see is what you get. I keep both of my copperheads in the top shelf of a rack. Sterilite box, aspen bedding and a water bowl big enough for them to hide under. Their downstairs neighbors are ball pythons and a young female het albino retic. I load their bedding in pretty thick so they have something to burrow in. They end up with a hot spot of about 85, and they thrive right along with the rest. The only other hots I've ever had were a canebrake rattlesnake and a pair of eastern cottonmouths. I've always been totally fascinated with copperheads, since I was like 4 years old. They're the only hot snake I feel the NEED to own.

I've had at least 20 different specimens over the last 7 years or so, not including a litter of baby Northerns I got in 2002. Not a single one was ever a hassle to keep. Very placid temperaments and just a pleasure to keep. They're great snakes. Babies can be a little challenging to feed properly, but adults are a breeze. Respect that they can do damage to you if you were to make a really stupid mistake, and just appreciate them for what they are.

np.

Nice pictures!!...lovely colouration!....thanks for posting them.
Can I ask a little about Brumation,do you cool for about 4-5 months??

kind regards Paul