Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi yall! let me say this first, I AM NOT GOING TO HANDLE RATTLERS. ok, with that out of the way, i have a question. are CB rattlers more 'tame' or used to humans than WC?

I'd imagine SOME are. Rattlesnake species vary widely in temperment anyway. But there's no reason why some of them wouldn't be just as used to humans being around as their non-hot counterparts. But my CB atrox couldn't be less tame if she were spawned in Hades itself. But on the other hand, my 1 year captive horned adder is pretty cool with me being around.
(My husband is disagreeing with this, because the rattler only strikes when she thinks she can hit you, and therefore COULD be less tame...)
I think this is a decent question, because even if you're not going to be touching it, a 'tame' snake is one that isn't completely stressed out by your presence, which makes working with the snake a lot easier on IT. Everyone's better off if the snake is not having a heart attack because you want to clean its waterdish.
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Peter: It's OK, I'll handle it. I read a book about something like this.
Brian: Are you sure it was a book? Are you sure it wasn't NOTHING?

I think that it just depends on the snake. My buddy has 2 northern pacifics that are way tame. I have seen him handle them many times. I used to do the same until I got my dumb@ss bit. If you treat the snake with the proper respect I think that a lot of rattlesnakes can be handlable and a lot can't, but never the less I hope people dont go running out trying to do this because even the most docile snakes will bite. For example my 10 year old ball python that is one of the most tame snakes I have seen bit me in the face for some odd reason, maybe he was hungry maybe I scared him, who knows. The only other time he did this was the first day I got him 10 years ago. Anyways a snake is an unpredictable animal and may or may not bite no matter how tame it may be.

Also I dont think CB or WC has anything to do with it beings the snakes my friend has are wild caught but mellow none the less. CB snakes still have their instincts and will follow them if needed. I have 2 CB cerastes and they are evil little guys. They strike the glass when they are in the cage and the heatlamp when they are being put back into their cage. Just my opinion and experience hope it helps.

yeah i plan on getting 2 CB baby C. Atrox (western diamonds) from a person on the classified ads. they would be my first venomous reptile. and i would like a 'caresheet' on howto put them up in a natural-like enviroment. i have had scorpions, and i like scorpions for the fact that u can tell when they are going to strike, they pull their pincers back and to the center, their tail jerks upright and the hairs on the body all move foreward.

When you're atroxes are going to strike. Whenever you're looking at them! They're just high strung animals! Seriously, the strike is too fast for you to react to any sort of precursor body language. You miss it if you blink. Beautiful animals, though. Mine will sometimes rattle just because I'm standing in the doorway.
WDB's seem to tolerate dry conditions very well, so if you want something naturalistic you could go with a desert type setup with rockpiles and such. I use aspen but I don't see why you couldn't use sand. They really appreciate tight hiding areas. Also, when they get a bit bigger they'll push cage furnishings over like bulldozers, so anchor everything well.
If you can I'd find a hook with a wide sort of hook bit instead of the thin ones you usually see. It's a bit more comfy for them, and you can use one hook instead of two. They'll take you by suprise by trying to strike while hooked, so be careful
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Peter: It's OK, I'll handle it. I read a book about something like this.
Brian: Are you sure it was a book? Are you sure it wasn't NOTHING?

Yeah deffinately be carefull. They get big and have a lot of venom. I have not owned westerns but have worked with rubers, similar snakes anyways. You will surely be able to tell when they want to strike judging by their posture but sometimes there will be no warning at all and they are lightning fast. WDB's come from a wide range of landscape so you hyave many options for your set up. Look at some pics of some areas in the south west US where they are found and make your decision. Be sure not to have too many places to hide or you might not see them and end up getting bit.

Oh man, you picked a hell of a starter snake.

But I have to say, if you do not know how to handle the snakes, and don't intend to ever. Don't get them.

i agree, what a starter hot, haha, good luck to you my friend.