Reptile & Amphibian Forums

do you think it would be possible to house a 1.5 foot dusky pygmy with a 2.5 foot mojave rattler?? and the pygmy is a lil snappy and the mojave is very calm..would a bite from the pygmy cause swelling in the mojave and kill it??thanks

You can not house the two together first of all because they are from two totally different envronments and require totally different care...... Secondly if one was to bite the other, the other will most definately die...... This was not a stupid question but would be a very stupid idea...... Cage them sparately......
Gregg

Not only could it possibly kill the animal, the bite would result in extreme pain and local tissue damage. The animal might not die from the venom but from secondary consequences of tissue necrosis and infection. Mojaves are unlikely to have significant resistance to Sistrurus venom. Cross species envenomations are generally much more serious than self envenomations or cagemate envenomations, which can still be quite serious in and of themselves.

How would YOU like to have a snappy pygmy rattlesnake housed in YOUR bedroom? If you would not appreciate it, don't do it to your snake. Cross species housing can end in disaster, and at the least will cause significant stress to both animals.

Click below for a pretty picture of what can happen to a venomous snake that is envenomated, in this particular case by itself. Don't do this to your snake.
Debriedment of envenomation abscess

It is not so good if they bite other's of their own species. I worked for a Zoo (back in the 70's)that kept several Dusky Pygmies housed together in a 10gl aquarium. Bites were common and usually resulted in severe local swelling as well as the occasional death of the pygmy bitten.

Frank
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"The luxury of not getting involved departed with the last lifeboat Skipper..."