Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Are they hard to take care of?
How toxic is ther venom?
How big do they get?
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0.1 Albino Leopard gecko
Coming Soon
1.0 ball python

Copperheads are wonderful snakes that are typically fairly hardy in captivity. They will average 2-3' in length, however, I personally have a 4.5' female that is a real whopper of a copperhead. The record lenght is probably a shade over 5'. They are typically known to not have a life threatening bite, however, an envenomation is still a medical emergency so it is not something to take lightly.

Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
City of Lake Forest Parks & Recreation (IL)

1)Any good caresheets you know of?
2)Your 4.5 foot copperhead what size rat/mouse does it take?
3)When cleaning the cage, how do you get the copperhead out of the cage?
4)What size enclosure do you keep them in?
5)Have you or someone you know ever been bit by one? what happened to the person bit? why did they get bit?
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0.1 Albino Leopard gecko
Coming Soon
1.0 ball python

1)Any good caresheets you know of? None, however, if you need detailed husbandry information email me and I will gladly give you some good info.

2)Your 4.5 foot copperhead what size rat/mouse does it take? Even though this snake can easily take a small/medium sized rat, we stick with large adult mice and she will take 2-4 every two weeks.

3)When cleaning the cage, how do you get the copperhead out of the cage? She is extremely easy to manipulate. We typically just hook/tail her and put her in a holding cage while cleaning (or, we will simply use a shield to service the cage in order to prevent from moving her around too much).

4)What size enclosure do you keep them in? Our adult copperheads live in cages that are approximately 3' x 3'.

5)Have you or someone you know ever been bit by one? what happened to the person bit? why did they get bit? I have never been bit by a venomous snake and don't plan to. I do know of someone who lost a finger; not a pleasant experience.

What is a shield?
and what temps do youu keep them at?
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0.1 Albino Leopard gecko
Coming Soon
1.0 ball python

A shield can be as simple as a wooden rod w/ a piece of rectangular plexigladd affixed to the end. I simply use it to keep between the snake and my free hand that is going into the cage. This is one of the most important pieces of equipment that I have in working with venomous snakes. Anytime we can reduce the amount of contact with the snake, lessons the chance of something bad from happening.

In terms of temps, we provide a gradient that ranges between the low to mid 70s on the cool end to the low 80's on the warm end and a basking area (small area) that reaches the upper 80's for four hours each day. Night temps drop to the upper 60's/low 70's. During the winter, if we are cycling for breeding, we follow a much different regimen. But, our display copperheads are kept at optimal temps year round and they are doing very well.