Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have had a number of years experience with vipers in the field and in captivity. I recently purchased a pair of well started 2003 Naja kaouthia. As expected, they will not stay on stick at all and do not behave like any of the other hots that I have kept. I would be grateful if I could get some husbandry, handling, caging and ,especially, SAFETY tips from some of the elapid experts. Thanks.

TW

>>I have had a number of years experience with vipers in the field and in captivity. I recently purchased a pair of well started 2003 Naja kaouthia. As expected, they will not stay on stick at all and do not behave like any of the other hots that I have kept. I would be grateful if I could get some husbandry, handling, caging and ,especially, SAFETY tips from some of the elapid experts. Thanks.

Wellllll..... the obvious tip is, get experience with someone else's snake before buying your own.

However, since we are where we are...

- Get a lockable hide box - that way, you can have the snakes safely out of the way for cage cleaning etc.

- Have a top-opening cage - cobras strike downwards and forwards, not upwards, so having a fairly high, top-opening cage will prevent them from shooting out or nailing you with quite the same ease as a front-opening cage.

- Do you know where the enarest supply of antivenom for cobras is? If not, consider getting some Thai Red Cross cobra antivenom.

- Do your doctor and your hospital know that you have them, and what to expect if you get nailed? They probably should.

- If you feel you can't handle them, don't be proud - get rid of them *before* they cause an accident.

Cheers,

Wolfgang
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WW

WW Home

Well, as WW mentioned, getting cobras and then asking how to care for them isnt the best idea but since you have them, heres the best way to keep and handle them that I have found.

First, as WW mentioned, a locking cage is a must!!! He is also dead on about a Monacleds strike. They dont do the up thing very well. For a new keeper, a fashioned, lockable, deep top opening cage is probally the safest bet but once you have more experince as to how they act, getting a front opening Neodesha is probally the best. WWith my two specimens it seems the typical glass top opening cages lleave then too exposed and they usaly stay kinda pi$$y. Giveing then a secure wall, which dosent show a refelection like glass would really has seemed to mellow mine out a bit (though not much!! Hissy little ingratesThis way, if they start getting stressed you can simply cover the front with news paper and they wont be temped to strike your reflection thats sneaking through the areas not covered. Trust me on this one

Ok, as for typical Naja kaouthia husbandry, it is a must that they get the proper humidity!!! Monacled are renouned for haveing bad sheds if they dont have proper mositure and there have been many a session when I had to tube my pi$$y 5 ft male inorder to remove retained skin. Not fun! To counter this, give them a very mositure retaining substrate like some sort of moss (peat works good)or cypress mulch and provide a large water bowl that they can soak in if they so choose. My female monacled spends days in her water bowl and really seems to enojoy it. Beacuse of this, she has never had a bad shed!! (Thank god, shes worse then the darn male!)You can use newspaper as well but in that case, definately make sure the water bowl is large enough for the snake to soak in and keep a close eye on how dirty the newspaper gets. Monacleds poop ALOT and you will need to clean the cage atleast weekly if not a few times a week (depending on how much you feed them). With substarte,, you can go alittle longer but you must still spot clean. Also, mist maybe once a week to make sure the humidity is up.

Ok, on to feeding. This is far and away the most dangerous part of keeping Naja. Cobras get so worked up when they smell food that any movment is considered prey and THEY WILL try to chew on you!!! There are a few ways to get around this. One of the best ways is to utilize a trap box and before feeding, make sure they snake is in the box! Shut the box, place the food on the box or infront of the opening, carefully use a hook to reopen the box and close the cage.

Another good method is to use a transfer bin. Place the food items in a trash can or large, lockable rubbermaid type containor, then hook out the snake and place them in the containor as well. Let them do their thing and then transfer them back to their cage. Make sure to watch it though when you reopen the feeding bin!! They will stiill associate movement with food and may try comoing after you. Usualy if you can get a hook under them, they relize din din is over and turn back into their normal selfs, usualy!!

Ther transfer method has been claimed to help in sort of trainig cobras in that they wont associate you opening their cage with feeding time. Personaly I think they will associate any movment with food, especially when your talking about some of the larger African sp (Blk necks and Eygptians are real bad!!!)However, you kinda of throw themn off their game by removeing them from their normal element, I.E their cage and when out of their element, they usaly act more defensive then offensive. For me, a hooded cobra is a good cobra. Its the times that they dont hood that I worry!! (like when feeding!!!)

As for how often to feed, for neonates and juvis I recomend every 3-5 days. Cobras have very high metabolisims abd sometimes poop the next day after a feed!! For sub adults to adults, once every 7 days is good and for large adults, dependng on their weight, every 2 weeks can work. Monacleds get pretty chunky for cobras and you dont want them to get obese. Just moniter their weight and take the appropriate action when they get that large. BTW, getting a baby moncled up to 4 ft in their first year isnt that suppriseing at all so make sure you are ready to transfer them to larger houseing!!

Handleing cobras is much different then handleing vipers/pitvipers and you should be ready to use the hook and tail method once the get about 3 ft. They sometimes stay on one hook but the only way to really keep control of them in to grab their tail and keep them in place. The two hook method dosent work at all and kinda makes you clumsey since you have to hold another tool. The best way to go about hooking and tailing is to hook the tail up to your hand and then hook them about a third of the way down their body, from their head. Try not to allow them to sit any further down the hook then that for if you give then enough slack, they can hop back up to your hand and then you will be doing the fabled Cobra waltz!!!! For really high strung or aggresive specimens, useing a trap box is the ideal way.

Now since you said you have kep[t vipers and pitvipers I wont mentioned tubeing and other basic hot hunbandry techniques.

Be very carefull and try to located or better yet obtain you own AV incase the worst should happen. Monacleds bites are VERY BAD and you get a full punch of both hemos and neuros!!! Make sure to have atleast an epipen and presure badage on hand at all times.It also wont hurt to have some Benidryl incase of an allergic reaction(though that the reason you want an epipen in the first place)

Welp, I hope this helps ya. Off for my morning coffe now. Please excuse the many typos im sure ive missed.

Good luck and be safe,
Jeremy

Wow. What an excellent post on the care of monocles. I am saving this post for future references. Thanks for taking the time to share your experience with us all.

Your efforts are much appreciated.

Also: MsTT, I like your suggestion about the partitioned and dual transfer boxes. Once he is in one transfer box, you can take him out if you need to clean the entire cage. it is a great idea!

thx.

If you take the time to build either a good trap box or a good dual compartment cage, you can keep these animals perfectly healthy for many years without ever having to lay a finger (or a hook) on them. Routine cage maintenance can be done easily while the animals are in a trap box or in the second compartment. With two trap boxes, you can remove one for a thorough cleaning while the animals are in another.

Wearing sturdy Midwest snake handling gloves can help protect your hands while you are working with the snakes on a hook. Do not rely on gloves as your only method of protection (eg, no freehandling with just the gloves) as they are not 100% puncture proof. They are an excellent additional layer of protection and may well give you a crucial second chance if a snake does get a strike in. But it would be better not to hook or tail these animals at all if you think you will have difficulty controlling them.

I agree with Dr. Wuster's advice about getting rid of them if you really aren't confident. The consequences of a kaouthia bite are pretty hairy.

Thanks to everyone for your most excellent advice. Your posts have helped tremendously. From the first moment that I saw these baby cobras hood I new that I was in love.... I look forward to caring for these awesome animals with safety and the respect that they deserve. Thanks again.