Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ok iam not new to reptiles but iam to hots. I have delt with snakes for 11 years now and caimans for 5 years so iam not just some newbe to everything or someone that got one and dont know what to do I see that alot LOL
what do everyone think about what type of hot sould be good for the first hot? and why? and any other tips would be great not to many people in my area deal with snakes and no one deals with hot I have spent manny nights of reading late at night like tonight and just thought I get on here to get word of mouth
thanks

You may want to begin with one that is found in your area...but not wild caught. That way matching climatic conditions is the least of your worries. If you insist upon an exotic, I would recommend that you buy the antivenin first. Really. Yeah, it may well cost more than the snake, especially if you get ten or twenty vials, but that way if something bad happens, it doesn't have to turn into something really bad.

~~Greg~~

I'm with Greg on this. Most of the Eastern Half of the United States has Copperheads in one form or another. Those are good beginner snakes. Not likely to be a lethal bite but definitely hot. The ER's stock antivenin to cover it, but usually antivenin isn't used in copperhead bites.

I also agree that unless you live near Miami or Orlando Fla., (where the exotic AV supplies are kept), you should secure your own AV if you decide to go with an exotic.