Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm looing for someone who is experienced with keeping Mojave Rattler (crotalus mitchelli), Speckled rattler (crotalus scutulatus), Sidewinder (crotalus ceratses). Those are the species i'm allowed to own in Ca. (and few diamond backs) that i want to gain experience with. If you own any of these and live near Salinas, Ca. feel free to call or email.
If not, any suggestions on how else to accomplish this? I don't live anywhere near a zoo or university so that's not a possibility.
Thanx
Joel
jzyyakii@aol.com
831 594-9326

You asked in an earlier thread if you could buy any of these animals in CA. The answer is no, you would have to be 'given' the snake or catch it yourself, it is illegal to sell CA wildlife without a permit.

Ps. the Mojave rattlesnake is C. scutellatus and the speckled rattlesnake is C. mitchelli. You also overlooked the fact that you can keep 3 sub species of Crotalus viridis.

So let me get this straight. Can a CA resident purchase a CB "CA-legal" pit from outside the state? Like a CB WDB...?

Thanks

I have no idea what your asking or saying..
If my post was confusing let me know.
Joel

you should get a sidewinder.they look cool and with the righte habatat it would make great wounders.but wild cought specimens are prone to be problem feeders so i herd go to http://www.venomousreptiles.org they have care sheets on keeping crotalis cerestis I would sugest nite cruising in death valley.

hi-
directed the earlier post someone recommended to get a sidewinder, i have 1.2 adults and .1 juvinile c/b 03' by me!!! Now that you have an idea that I know what I am doing, here it goes. Since i have benn an avid herper, (98') I have caught a total of 9 adults sidewinders within both ocotillo wells and anza borreggo state parks. Keep in mind though it is illegal to take out of parks, anything I havetaken have been outside boundaries. Now, of the 9 adults(sexes unknown) I haveyet to have one feed, I brought ome the best looking of the 9, to my knowledge the total of adults I have brought home is 5. That is also the number of adult sidewinder rattlesnakes that have NOT eaten fo me. I waited in increments of weeks to(for one beautiful male) 9 months to get to eat and absolutely no interest and al had to be re released back into the wild. Keeping this in mind I said I caught 9 adults, I have also caught 11 babies and kept 3 of the 11, my favorites out of all of them and remarkabley, every single one ate a pinky/ fuzzy or hopper the first time I tried!!!! I have never heard of anyone that has gotten an adult to eat but I fee if you did, it would take years of knowledge and experience to do so, in which you stated you lacked. I would definatly reccomend a sidewinder as your first rattlesnake though because after they eat, they never stop, ha ha!! Also, to my knowledge, the toxity of venom is much less than the speckled or mojave venom in which both contain neurotoxins(the venom the cobras, corals and various elapids). The peckleds are the most beautiful in my opinion but they are the kind of snake that the habitat provided makes the snake so you would hve to have a great cage set up (lrg!!) w/ many granite rocks the animal could 'blend' in with. The sidewinders on the other hand, put them in a semi lrg. cage( my 1.2 adults are in a 60 gall.) with a lrg sand doon and a few rocks a branch and a basking spot and your set!!! Well, hope this info was meaningful and be careful w/ your journeys as these animals you speek of are no joking matter, I am sure you knew that or you wouldn't be asking questions about them. Please email me for ny other info, I live in san diego so that is why i am so fam. w/ san diego species anything else is a mystery! JAH LOVE AND RESPECT EVERYTIME, From Jon Tuffsouljah

.1 speckled rattlesnake
1. so. pacific
1.3 sidewinders

and 30 or so rosys but they are all 'asleep' for the time being

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Now, I really don't make a point of keeping up to date on the latest venom research, I just don't plan on being bitten by anything, be it a scut, pricei or pictigaster. Everyone keeps mentioning speckleds as being very hot. I always understood some of the Baja populations(nominate and muertensis) had neurotoxic components and that stephansi is very bad news, but I always thought that the Az. and Ca. populations of pyhrrus were only considered to be of "moderate toxicity". Have I missed something?

I don't think C m pyrrhus is considered "highly venomous" on the LD50 scale but I can say I would not want to take a hit from one either. They can do as much hemolysis as an atrox and make you one unhappy campers for a while.
Out of all the southwestern crotalids, I think a sidewinder would be the least "potentially fatal" but of course if you get tagged intravenously, even a sidewinder could pose a problem.
I guess the main point is like you said, "don't get bit at all."

BTW...Happy Holidays to you as well

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