Reptile & Amphibian Forums

is it safe to free handle adult false water cobras? or is a hook needed?

Hook it! They have a tremendous feeding response and some people are allergic to their bite.

Better safe than sorry!

Randal Berry

Even though they have a relatively mild venom, always use appropriate tools.

is there venom more or less powerfull then a mangrove snake?

can yall post pics of the some bad bites?

I would assume their venom power is comparable, but I could be wrong. But remember, "the most venomous snake in the world is the one that just bit you".

Very Wise advisory

TnK

>>I would assume their venom power is comparable, but I could be wrong. But remember, "the most venomous snake in the world is the one that just bit you".

>>Even though they have a relatively mild venom, always use appropriate tools.

My understanding is they have a fairly potent venom, up there with rattlesnakes, but their delivery system is poor - i.e., short, rear fangs. Some have reacted badly to bites. Personally, I would not free handle them.

deg

Their venom has never caused any deaths, or even severe cases of hospitalization. Nevertheless, it does cause a lot of painful swelling and should not be free- handled. Dewittg, their venom power is not comparable to that of any dangerous rattlesnakes, but you are correct about using tools.

> Dewittg, their venom power is not comparable to that of any dangerous rattlesnakes, but you are correct about using tools.

See http://snakesnadders.tripod.com/id176.html and also the discussion at http://forum.kingsnake.com/rearfang/messages/4481.html, particularly http://forum.kingsnake.com/rearfang/messages/4484.html which says:

"Meanwhile, in the real world, there is a nice paper by Hill & Mackessy describing venom activities (and cautioning that this species is potentially dangerous), a paper by Porras et al. documenting the fact that the LD50 of its venom is about the same as that of Crotalus atrox, a paper describing a case of a petstore employee suffering repeated collapse and paralysis in the hours following a prolonged bite, a nice phot of an arm swollen to the shoulder in the London Zoo Reptile House, an account of permanent damage to an arm in a UK keeper, and plenty of further accounts of extensive swelling and pain."

deg

I am not completely familiar with the FWC, so I guess I was misinformed about their venom power. Furthering the point not to free handle them.

>>I am not completely familiar with the FWC, so I guess I was misinformed about their venom power. Furthering the point not to free handle them.

My only experience with them was reading somewhere that they were more venomous than many people thought and mentally adding them to the list of snakes I can't have - I don't do hots.

deg

Their venom is much less toxic than a mangrove's venom. Boiga possess a potent neurotoxic venom on par with death adders and such, though the venom is produced in much less volume than any elapid or viperid. The comparison of Hydrodynastes venom to atrox and such is fairly accurate, however one must take into account that Crotalus atrox does NOT possess a very potent venom at all.

Drop for drop, atrox venom is pretty weak. The sheer amount they are capable of injecting in a single bite more than makes up for this however, and thus results in rather dangerous envenomations. Hydrodynastes are not capable of producing large amounts of venom, and thus, MOST bites are fairly mild. Still, a large specimen who is allowed to chew (you may not have a choice considering their vice-like grip) may be able to produce some rather unpleasant symptoms, and the risk (as minimal as it is with rear-fangs) of allergy is also something to consider. I always use a hook with my specimens, regardless of their non-lethal nature.