Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am thinking of getting into keeping hots, but I wanted to find out a little more information first. I've been keeping nonvenomous and rear-fanged for a while now. I have had a corn snake for about nine years and a western hognose for a while. Haven't had any experience keeping "true" hots, but there is a guy I know well in the area that has extensive experience and would be willing to show me the ropes.

My biggest questions are what is a good starter species? I have looked into Copperheads and Eyelash vipers as possibilities. Neither get very large and both are relatively inexpensive compared to most other species of hots. I've read a lot of info about the copperheads and the eyelash vipers, and both seem like good prospects for a first hot species. The only reservation I really have about the eyelashes are the fact that their venom is considerably more potent than the copperhead's (if the info I've been reading is true) and they have somewhat more complicated housing requirements (high humidity and climbing room).

If anyone could give me some info about what they started on with hots, I'd really appreciate it. I'm not looking to ever get deep into the venomous side of herps (no cobras or boons for me...) but I have developed an interest in the smaller vipers. I just want to get as much educated information as possible before making a decision and I definitely do NOT want to rush into this. Thanks ahead of time for all the help and I look forward to reading the posts.

David McAliley

While they are not as colorful as adults as are the copperheads, the cottonmouths are probably even easier to maintain. Their venom is a little stronger, but the bite is, with prompt, proper treatment, survivable. Another option might be a cantil..either A. bilineatus or A. taylori. Neither get quite as large as the cottonmouth, & both are "prettier".

~~Greg~~

My first "Hot" was a Pope's Tree viper. Pretty-not too big and not that bad a bite. The one I use to train for vipers is our own Dusky Pygmy rattler. Pygmies can be quite aggressive but the small size and lesser venom yield makes them a more "safe" learning viper.

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

As I think back to when I first started keeping venomous herps, a few come to mind that are typically fairly hardy, easy to read, easy to manage and don't quite have the potential for harm as, say, the elapids (but realize, ANY venomous snake bite could potentially be lethal....never let that out of your sights and mind).

- Copperhead: I have a southern copperhead that is 18 years old and perhaps my favorite venomous snake; very placid personality, hardy and beautiful

- Cottonmouth: I agree with Greg in that these are pretty rugged animals but they are also a tad bit more on the "short tempered" side than copperheads. But, they are fairly easy to work with and I enjoy working with mine

- pygmy rattlesnake: a great little rattler that isn't very demanding and comes in a beautiful red phase that is quite stunning.

- banded rock rattler: although their venom is fairly potent, this is a very small rattlesnake and their venom yield is fairly low. They are beautiful snakes, hardy and easy to keep.

you mentioned eyelash vipers and while they are indeed beautiful snakes, I would recommend a temperate species to start off with; they are generally more forgiving when it comes to temp/humidity variations.

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