Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am thinking about getting my first hot snake, and i'd like it to be a coral. I grew up in south florida and saw them all the time, in my opinion one of the most beautiful north american snakes bar none. can anyone give me pros and cons of a coral as a first hot?
my experience has been mostly with milks and kings if that matters. I have been doing a lot of research on the general topic of keeping hots, but haven't found much on south florida corals pre se. I'm not in a hurry to rush into anything but i would like to hear from ppl who have kept these (or other types or coral snakes)
thanks
Mike

Th most difficult part is getting small enough snakes and lizards to feed them. You must also set them up with moist areas to hide in. You will also need a Florida Venomous Permit which requires venomous experience.
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Tim Cole
www.Designeratrox.com/
www.AustinReptileService.net
www.AustinReptileExpo.com/
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Conservation through Education

i don't live in florida atm, i am in MD, so I will probably have to get a MD permit. BTW do you know of a good place to get feeder snakes and lizards for a coral?
another question. without a permit I cant get a hot snake, i cant get a hot snake without experience, how do i get experience?
thanks
Mike

Most recognized experience is with a mentor. Looks like you are heading in the right direction looking for a mentor and checking with the DNR.

Good luck.
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Tim Cole
www.Designeratrox.com/
www.AustinReptileService.net
www.AustinReptileExpo.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<
Conservation through Education

I have kept corals. I think the humidity thing might be a little exaggerated, but I keep them right here in their native habitat so it might not be a problem here. They do like to be misted and certainly like it wetter than some snakes. I find they aren’t nearly as secretive as some people say either. They can be converted to mice just like any other snake too. They are very placid and you can be easily fooled into being careless with them. The current stock of antivenin is all that is left, and it all expires in October. Not sure what will be available, probably something from South America derived from other micrurus venoms, but I’m not sure. They are beautiful, but with all the hassle of getting the permit, if you are just starting out, there are a lot of very pretty tri-color snakes out there that would make a better choice for maintenance.

yeah i've given up on corals, all venomous are illegal to possess in MD, in fact MD DNR is currently issuing eviction notices to all wild copperheads and timber rattlers, they have until the fall to leave the state. our politicians, are already bragging about how maryland will be the first venomous free state in America. "Snake control" is a hot button topic here, lots of bumper stickers and the like both pro and con.

guess for my next snake i'll probably go for a puget, or florida blue striped garter. very pretty and a nice safe snake. thank god the peoples republic of maryland is here to save me from myself.
cheers
Mike
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Jayne "The Hero of Canton", Ball Python
Edmund Slackbladder, Mexican Kingsnake
El Diablo "They haven't built a cage I can't get out of" Pueblan Milksnake
(Currently serving 25 to life in a Maryland Supermax)

>>yeah i've given up on corals, all venomous are illegal to possess in MD, in fact MD DNR is currently issuing eviction notices to all wild copperheads and timber rattlers, they have until the fall to leave the state. our politicians, are already bragging about how maryland will be the first venomous free state in America. "Snake control" is a hot button topic here, lots of bumper stickers and the like both pro and con.

Copperheads being made illegal is NOT really DNR's fault. Apparently there was a single word within one of the Annotated Code of Maryland regulations that forced DNR to finally bring their portion of the COMAR (Code of Maryland Regulation) "up to date" after all these years. DNR can be more restrictive than the state in regards to wildlife laws, but they cannot be less strict. The offending word is marked in red.

Annotated Code of Maryland
Criminal Law
TITLE 10. CRIMES AGAINST PUBLIC HEALTH, CONDUCT, AND SENSIBILITIES
Subtitle 6. Crimes Relating to Animals.
§10-621. Import, offer, or transfer of dangerous animal.

[…cut out some parts]

(b) A person may not import into the State, offer for sale, trade, barter, possess, breed, or exchange a live:
...(1) fox, skunk, raccoon, or bear;
...(2) caiman, alligator, or crocodile;
...(3) member of the cat family other than the domestic cat;
...(4) hybrid of a member of the cat family and a domestic cat if the hybrid weighs over 30 pounds;
...(5) member of the dog family other than the domestic dog;
...(6) hybrid of a member of the dog family and a domestic dog;
...(7) nonhuman primate, including a lemur, monkey, chimpanzee, gorilla, orangutan, marmoset, loris, or tamarin; or
...(8) poisonous snake in the family groups of Hydrophidae, Elapidae, Viperidae, or Crotolidae.
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DP

Hmm... If they're so picky about the wording, couldn't you stat arguing that there aren't any 'poisonous' snakes in those groups?
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0.1.0 Ball Python - Shaman
1.0.0 Green Iguana - Ike
1.0.0 Tokay Gecko - Fang
2.2.0 Cats - Pumpkin, Furball, Pixie, Stitch
1.0.0 Cockatiel - Ozzy
0.1.0 Budgie - Tweetie
1.0.0 Dwarf Rabbit - Floyd, R.I.P. Rascal
0.0.1 Rat who was too friendly to be eaten - Scabbers

>>Hmm... If they're so picky about the wording, couldn't you stat arguing that there aren't any 'poisonous' snakes in those groups?
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not likely. They can argue right back that it does not matter if they specifically state "poisonous" snakes or "venomous" snakes in that regulation.

Venom is nothing more than a biologic toxin (i.e. biotoxin). A biotoxin is a poisonous substance produced by living cells or organisms (Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary, 3 ed. © 2007 Elsevier, Inc.). So, an organism can be both venomous and poisonous. What most herpers seem to like to nitpick about is more along the lines of the delivery method of these biotoxins when explaining something as venomous vs poisionous. (i.e. venom being injected while a poison being ingested or absorbed)

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DP

You are out of luck, It's illegal to own any HOT snakes in MD
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Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

Not true!
You have to acquire a Scientific Permit to possess venomous snake in Maryland.
It may be a bit hard, but it is possible.
Randal

>>Not true!
>>You have to acquire a Scientific Permit to possess venomous snake in Maryland.
>>It may be a bit hard, but it is possible.
>>Randal

Maryland will only issue a Scientific Collectors Permit to bona fide institutions conducting research and/or educational purposes. They will not issue such a permit to someone that just wants to keep hots as pets or whatnot.
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DP

I totally agree.
However, it IS possible to get the permit, that was my point.

Randal Berry

It's also possible that Osama Bin Laden is hiding in your closet.

Al
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Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

Not possible Al. My closets are too full. However....