I am interested in expanding my collection to include a hot or two. I have very little experience with hots and thought a popes viper would be a good start. Given their size, and from what I hear, the potency of their venom, I think they'd be a good start. This is my question, I have been to venomdoc.com, all over the internet, and to the library but have had no luck finding any info on the potency of their venom. There is a breeder here in town that sells a lot of them. He has said on numerous occasions that their venom is very mild, adding he has been bitten more times that he can count. I don't plan on getting bitten at all but would like to know what I'm getting into. Obviously the potency of the venom will not have any effect on the respect or level of care I use, just would like to know. Also, the wife will be much more at ease knowing that the venom is mild, or milder than some of the other viperdae. Thank you in advance for any help, Eric-
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Trimeresurus popeorum Venom...
Replies (3)
Hi Eric
Hope I don't burst your bubble, but there are reported cases of death from T. popeorum bites. The females are especially large as adults and they can deliver quite a bit of venom. I personally would be hesitant to buy from anyone who claims to have been bitten several times by the species that they profess to be an expert at handling and breeding. Being bitten many times does not prove that you are experienced..it is quite the contrary.
Derek Morgan
Anyone who was bitten three times in one day, to me, should not be trusted. Hence my question. I just wanted to know what I'm getting into. Thanks though, Eric-
Okay, well that's fair enough. I was just pointing out that being bitten by T. popeorum is not going to be a cake walk. It most likely will not lead to death if you seek medical help, but it will hurt like crazy and make you wish that you'd never been bitten. It would also be very expensive if you ended up in the E.R. And rare bites could cause death, just like any other venomous bite from supposedly mildly venomous snakes...you never know how YOUR body will react to that bite. I can give you some good husbandry tips if you do get them.
Derek
