Reptile & Amphibian Forums

im 14 and realy realy realy interested in a hot snake such as a pygmy rattle snake or copperhead.I want to make it clear im not and idiot who is going to go around tailing it and braging to my friends i have a dangerous snake .My intensions are to never tuch the snake before getting a hot i would find a vet who would take care of my snake if it had a problem and i had it in restraning tube and i would find local hospitals that stocked antivenom even though probaly not needed i aslo have a shed that i keep my herps in and would entireley make it escape proof and have a lockable cage so what are your opinions on me owning a snake and dont just call me crazy and get mad at me and also does anyone know what liscense is needed to legaly keep hots because i could convinec my parents to get a permint

o and somtime this month im going to oklahoma academy of science and my freind is sure will find tons of copperheads and i have handeld(let it set on a hook)a hot recentley and if a fill comfortalbe or not around it will greatley impact my desicion

A 14yr old shouldn't have a hot snake.
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Jason

Blake, take your time, you have your whole life ahead of you.
Study, study, study, and when the appropriate age hits, get a mentor. You'll be hard pressed to find someone that will take on the liability of letting you handle their venomous at such a young age. And, if you do go out and get a snake now, your parents will be the one's responsible if something happens.
I researched for quite a few years before making the jump, and had a mentor before doing so. You can learn alot by watching someone, and by handling their snakes. Start off slow, and then progress, without taking on more than you can chew. No need to rush things, the snakes will be there in years to come.....laws pending. I'll always say that the best first hot is someone else's, given that that person is a competent and responsible keeper, and can safely teach you.
Good luck and be safe.

Well, at least you have the right ideas on species and handling rules. Too often I see posts from younger herpers who want mambas or gaboons . . . the species you have chosen are unlikely to kill you, though you could end up missing a finger or having some skin grafts. However, if you proceed I would strongly urge you to find an older mentor to assist and guide you. So I'm not going to say "don't!" since you are pretty intent on getting into hots. Just think before you act, every time you deal with your snakes, and follow the rules without exception. It's the one time you let down that can hurt big time.

ok thanks for the advice and i have somone who can teach me about hots he has pigs coppers and tons of rattlers

Ok... If they CAN teach you, then learn first. Work with him for a while before getting it yourself.

You may also want to tell your parents that they could possibly lose their home owners insurance over your decision.

Finally, please spend more time on your posts. Your grammar is ok. Take the time to capitalize and spell check and you'll sound more intelligent.

There is a great article on snakegetters.com about what you need to do before even thinking about getting a hot. I suggest you read it, wait at LEAST 4 years and then make your decision from there.

http://www.snakegetters.com/hk/handling1.html

What do you guys think about me getting a baby false water cobra? Ive heard about some bad bites so I would definetley keep it like a hot.

FWCs are one of the least dangerous venomous snakes, but that is almost splitting hairs. They still have venom and can inflict very painful bites.

In your opinions does age play a factor in hot keeping?

It tends to, but no, not necessarily.

Age is not a factor in ability,in legality tho the law is quite clear.At 14 you do not possess the proper place or facility to take on such an endever. Good luck the laws have changed so much that soon no one will be able to own a hot. Do not give up your passion.hognoses fwc or a mangrove would be a good first choice.NOT A COPPERHEAD!Wich I seem to have read on another thread is not that bad.

not really AGE but where you are in life. at 14, i was mostly focused on school and sports and chasing girls.

it's almost impossible to commit to an animal and a dangerous animal needs commitment. if you're not totally focused, you'll get lazy and/or neglectful and then accidents happen. also, you're not calling the shots, your parents are (or should be), and if you don't have a parent who is as committed and passionate as one needs to be to keep venomous snakes right there helping you, then that's not a good scenario.

and don't get a "kinda venomous" snake and think that will be a substitute. if you are into HOTS, then only a HOT will make you happy, so just help a mentor care for his. you'll only like FWC if you like FWC. they don't act like a hot snake, i personally don't find them that pretty, and they aren't a substitute.

you sound like you may just "want something" and that's a really bad thing when it comes to hots.

if you are truly into hots, you'll ALWAYS be that way no matter what life throws at you.

i was 20 before i got my first hot. i was on my own, paying my own bills, living my own life and mentally and physically capable.

good luck with your decision.

Well Said. And to add my experience. I to was like you blakemolone. When I was young (7 or 8) I first got into herps. I had herps off and on for a few years (mostly turtles that I caught). Then took a break of about a year or so. Then when I got back into it I started being drawn more towards snakes. At first it was milks and kings I wanted, then balls, then burms, and so on and so forth. Then I picked up the Reptiles 2000 annual edition. Right there on page 13 was Bob Clarks ad and it had a picture of his albino Reticulated python. I was hooked. I wanted a retic so bad but everyone told me I was to young yada yada yada. I didn’t think they were right; I was responsible I could handle them, I knew what I was getting into. I didn’t have any money and my mom was dead set against it (guess I shouldn’t have mentioned the 33 feet long part, oh well) so I didn’t get one. Long story short, I grew up, bounced around living with different family members, in an apartment, and finally into my house. All the time snake less. Well now that I’m settled I have 7 Retics.

I guess my point to all this is this.
1.)you are young, you have just started HS or will start in a year or so, then probably college. You are going to be moving around and once out on your own will have to get use to paying bills and things like that. Its one thing to have a "harmless" snake and potentially live with roommates or other family. It’s another thing to have a "dangerous" one. Wait till you’re in your own place.
2.) I’m sure this is true with others here to, when your young you want everything, and it changes daily, weekly, monthly. I just found a list that I made when I was 10 of all the animals I wanted, it looked like the species list from a large zoo. It was 7 years from the time I first really got siked about retics till I got my first one. During those 7 yrs the desire, love, whatever you want to call it for those animals never faded. This has happen with other species I like to and now that huge list has only like 6 or 7 species that I am really passionate about and will focus on. The longer you wait the more you will know weather or not the species interests you or if it’s just the next cool thing you want.

I’m not going to tell you what to do, but if you want my opinion, wait. Wait but still frequent these forums and others and suck some info out of these old fogies. Read every book and paper you can about the animals you like, and watch every documentary about them. Try and get as much info about them as you can so when you do get one you know most everything about them. I did this and couldn’t have been happier.

Just incase you think I’m some 30 or 40 something person telling you this, I should tell you that I’m 19 and know where your coming from, you are me 5 years ago. And before you ask, no I do not keep any hots. I would like to someday but not yet...still sucking up the info from these guys.

Regardless of what you do, Good luck. And I hope this helped.

I'm surprised that no one has asked this question before (or I missed it), but what kind of snake keeping experience do you have? When I was 14 (I'm 39 now) I had only kept garters, northern waters, and had just purchased my first burm. I was in no way ready to keep any kind of hot. Like I said, I'm 39 now and I'm the accident-prone type and so even though I find them fascinating and beautiful, I would never keep a hot. I do enjoy keeping, breeding and handling some of the more fiesty snakes like amazon tree boas and spilotes, but after keeping snakes for over 30 years, I still find myself getting bitten on a regular basis (even though I try not to - haha!). But back to the point about your general experience level - I think most here would agree that you should really have a certain level of successfully keeping some of the more difficult to keep species than CAN'T kill/disfigure you before moving on to animals that have that capability. You need to know how to read snakes and understand what they are telling you and that only comes with years of experience and/or a general "snake sense". I believe at 14, unless you have been mentored by someone and been around snakes for a long time, you are in no way ready for a hot. I believe it is a disaster waiting to happen. Also, when you say you could convince your parents to get a permit, do you mean your parents actually getting the permit so you could keep hots, or do you mean you could convince your parents into letting YOU get a permit?

Billy

>>im 14 and realy realy realy interested in a hot snake such as a pygmy rattle snake or copperhead.I want to make it clear im not and idiot who is going to go around tailing it and braging to my friends i have a dangerous snake .My intensions are to never tuch the snake before getting a hot i would find a vet who would take care of my snake if it had a problem and i had it in restraning tube and i would find local hospitals that stocked antivenom even though probaly not needed i aslo have a shed that i keep my herps in and would entireley make it escape proof and have a lockable cage so what are your opinions on me owning a snake and dont just call me crazy and get mad at me and also does anyone know what liscense is needed to legaly keep hots because i could convinec my parents to get a permint

Coming from a bit different perspective, at 14, genetically you're not especially prepared for dealing with the actions/reactions of a hot, physically or mentally. Keep in mind that even most (informed) people who get into hots debate it for years before making the decision themselves. My suggestion would be towards a hognose snake; too many people underestimate how interesting they can be, and you have to remember that they keep themselves alive by mimicking the behavior of rattlers, so they create a very intriguing display that I imagine you would greatly enjoy.

Well i have a eatern hog already and he is so cool! Ive been keeping snakes all my life and ive owned coacwhips burms balls kings lots of boas you name it lol. But i think im going to get a mentor and wait 1 or 2 years and its not just like a sudden thing that i want ive wanted a hot all my life. What about a mangrove snake those are deinatley more interesting then a pig or copperhead but they tend to be agressive and there hard to get feeding so ive head.But i think i might really look into a mangrove because ive researched them for probaly six plus months. Thanks for the responses!

This entire thread is what this forum should be about. this young man got the advice he needed, and hopefully, Blakemolone, you will listen. You are not ready for a venomous snake - not at 14 - not in this day and age. If you are fortunate enough to have someone mentor you, and if he (or she!) knows what they are doing, you will gain valuable knowledge and experience in the next 7 years or so. There are sites on the web that give basic info on the handling of venomous snakes - not for you to read and then go out and load up on hots, but rather to give some idea of what your mentor will be teaching you. And if what they are doing is radically different from what you read on here, if they want to be the next Steve Austin, run like hell! If you truely are bitten by the "hot bug", there is no cure for it. You can have a lifetime of owning some of the most beautiful creatures God has ever made if you are ready for the responsibility. Make no mistake, having been a healthcare professional for the last 20 years I have seen and treated the after effects of many copperhead bites. They are seriously venomous snakes, and while they won't kill you like an Elapid will, they can cost you a finger and worse. Ever seen a fasciotomy done by an ER doc who has never treated a snakebite before? Gruesome. I wish that I had a resource such as this when I started out. I am proud to be associated with the fine group of people on this forum (especially you, R.B..)
Marty

It's really cool that you have this interest at 14. Don't lose it. It sounds like you are going about it academically, but reading isn't everything. Get a racer and a mean bull for now if you want that thrill.

My suggestion would be to get your education on. Get in touch with some really informed people (someone with a real passion about it normally would love to teach you about it) and allow them to mentor you in, what could possibly become, your life pursuit. Your interest is probably more precocious than some folks here will give you credit for, but all in all they are looking out for you. When I was 14 all I wanted to do was skateboard and talk to girls.

The venomous "bug" bit me when I was about 20, but since I live in New Jersey I can't act on it. Really, at 24 I'm not sure that I am ready.

Take into acccount that ALL venomous snakes can hurt you bad. All it takes is one allergic reaction and you are in some serious trouble.

Please be careful. Your actions impact your family, your friends and the venomous community as a whole. Hope this doesn't sound like chewing, but I'm impressed by your enthusiasm.

Rich D

Thanks guys so much now i think i am going to wait a few years.
But im still going to be learning and trying to get hot experience the whole time so when i know im colpletley ready il get a hot then! And hopefully this month ill be posting lots of copperhead pictures on this fourm because my friend is taking me to a great spot!

I really don't mean to harp, but please be careful in the field too. That is where a lot of "hot" keepers actually get their bites. I'm glad you've decided to "hold your horses." I would be more than glad to see some safely taken pics.

By the way, copperheads are my favorites. Other hots may fascinate me more scientifically, but copperheads are the most beautiful snake. Autumnal little beasts. They are one of two venomous snakes in my state, but I've never had the chance to see one in the wild.

Anyone from Jersey that wants to help in the search, shout it out.

Thanks, RD

Yes ill be very carefull in the field.

I certainly hope that this goes without saying, but use appropriate tools, would ya.

Lol yes ill use hooks mom.

Just kidding man

At least your not just using sticks or your HANDS.

I would suggest a good book on teh sunject.
Try this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Grammar-Punctuation-Grade-2-Evan-Moor/dp/1557998469/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/102-5914819-5066549?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190072167&sr=8-2

n/p.