Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Do male or female rattlesnakes strike first? Which seem to be more testy?

I'm sorry but I am going to be blunt. There are no such things as stupid questions, but I believe that if a person asks about this it shows they probably should not keep hots as pets. Have you ever worked with hots before? I honestly don't believe a person should be able to go and read a caresheet and then get a hot of their own. Because I don't know you, I can't say anything as to whether you have worked with hots and are getting into the timbers and want more info, or if you are just a novice starting up. I understand that a person has to start somewhere, but I would strongly recommend getting a lot of hands on experience with hots before taking on the responsibility of one of their own. If these are going ot be your first hots, I would recommend getting something smaller and possibly less dangerous than timbers. Dusky pygmy rattlers have low venom yields and no recorded deaths. Their small size and interesting pattern make them fun to work with. If you really want something with size then perhaps a copperhead or cottonmouth would suit you better. Good luck with your decision and I'm sorry if I have offended you, I am only trying to offer my advice.

No, i'm not offended. I was reading a rattlesnake book a while ago and the author stated that if you have a male and a female on a table, the female always strikes first. I just wanted to know if this was true or not. I might have been offended if venomous was a topic I believed I knew a lot about but I know that I don't. I just want to thank you for responding.

I don't think sex would make a difference, at least, I've never noticed anything like that. Have you ever kept hots before? Are timbers the only hot you are interested in?