Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Dear all:

I currently have a copperhead and a pigmy. Both are very interesting snakes each with its own personality. I really enjoy having the variety in the two different hots.

I am looking into getting my next hot. It may be a sidewinder. How has your experience in the Sidewinder been? Do they eat well? Is husbandry fairly straight forward? I am thinking about this one because it has a small size (esp the mojave species, which is a smaller species of sidewinder). I like the size. Have you ever been bitten by one?

How is the venom compared to pigmy or copperhead? I don't have all that much experience in hots and I can only say that i am still a beginner in hots. Therefore, I am looking for a beginner hot. Here is what I look for in a hot: 1. small and manageable size. 2. venom that is less than lethal. 3. good eaters.

(There was another small snake looked at, but I think is too hot (and therefore I have eliminated from my choice): the massaguaua. That snake is, I think, hotter than the copperhead or the pigmy. I am staying away from it for now.)

When I have finished deciding which snake fits my bill, I plan to go to the Aug Hamburg show to pick one out.

Thanks in advance!

By the way, am I correct in my thinking: Mojave sidewinders are not much bigger than pigmies, right? I think they might even be the same size.

happy hotings.

I caught a sidewinder last year near Palm Springs,CA. I never could get it to eat anything; fuzzies,scented fuzzies, even geckos. So after about a month I returned it to the place I caught it. I keept it on the sand it came from and was kept around 85'. I also have a copperhead, a real joy to keep. Good Luck

I've had nothing but great success with Sidewinders. I currently have a gravid female Colorado Desert, and I'd be happy to give you one of the babies when she pops if you are interested. I warn you now though, babies and juvies will only take lizards. I've never seen a baby or a juvie take anything but a lizard...even scenting pinks doesnt work. So if you have access to lizards, then you are welcome to a baby. If not, go with an adult.

I keep mine at a daytime temp between 90 and 100 and then at night I let it drop to room temp (usually low 70's) and they seem to thrive like this. They take mice and rat pups like there is no tomorrow. They can be a pain to get to eat if you don't get them HOT, but once you up the temp, they usually eat like champs.

Venom wise they are definately hotter than a Copperhead for sure and comparable to a pygmy. They can deliver a pretty potent bite, but because of the relatively small size, bites are seldom life threatening.

One thing to know about them is they are VERY grumpy snakes. Even long term captives never really calm down and stop rattling. They tend to stress easy and when they stress, they won't eat. So keep that in mind as well.

But I have to say, in my 15 years of keeping Rattlesnakes, Sidewinders are by FAR my favorite.

If I can help out any other way, feel free to email me at
crotalusdude@earthlink.net.

Good luck and keep rattling!

Venom is of moderate toxicity. Human lethal dose is 40 mg and people have died from envenomation. Average venom delivered per bite is 20-63 mg. Venom is still lethal to mice and cats after 27 years of storage. Venom causes deep tissue necrosis at site of bite.

Clinical effects - The venom is about twice as strong as that of the eastern diamondback (Crotalus adamanteus), however this specie is not believed capable of delivering a lethal dose due to small venom yield. The venom contains mytoxins similar to those found in other species of rattlesnake.