Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I read that mangrove snakes make good "first hots", is this true? I read Mark O' Shea mentioning that to someone on venomousreptiles.com.

He mentioned that they are fast acting snakes, but are not deadly on MOST occasions, but should still be treated with respect (of course). He says that they will teach you to watch what the hell you are doing, and if you get bit, usually the best that will happen is that you will be bleeding for awhile.

Any comments and is his description accurate?

Thanks for any info!

Best Wishes,

Chris

I'm not sure what other people might say about your question. I do not keep venomous reptiles, but I would say that regardless what type of venomous snake you choose to keep, you need to understand that safety is your number one priority. You should not purchase a venomous reptiles because someone said a bite from this type of snake is not as bad or it won't kill you.

Some people are allergic to tuna, I happen to be allergic to bees. Can you imagine if for whatever reason you are allergic to that venom? It could be possible.

example:
http://www.kingsnake.com/atheris/venom.html

Best Regards,

Christian G. Reina
DEVENOMIZED.COM

The one i have is pretty easy to work with...They are fast and have a pretty big strike range. Venom should always be respected even on snakes that are not "deadly" I would be mostly worried about an allergic reaction from the venom.
If you want to get into rattlesnakes or other similar venomous than i dont think a mangrove will teach you much...If you want to get into arboreal venomous then i think they would be good.
They wont ride a hook at all....trying to hook them without having hold of the tail is like trying to hook an ice cube...they fall right off. I got mine cause they are just so cool looking...If i wanted a first hot snake just for the sake of practice a mangrove would not be it...i'd go with somthing like a copperhead