Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi Guys
This is me with Mikes male WC around my neck!!...he was happy there for an hour or more!!
Paul (from wet & windy U.K.)
ps.
I'm not sweating with fear ..lol !!...it was very hot in the shop.

Will it take a frozen thawed mouse from your teeth? Nice pic.
-----
"Life without risk is to merely exist."

Haha!!...He may do that Bill !!...He's a really tame lad ...maybe like your pinkish /red one.
If you try a stunt like that with mine!!!...start looking for plastic surgeon!!...LOL !!

Paul

is that a eastern or western?

Its a Western...I don't know of a single Eastern coachwhip in the U.K.!!!...My friend is trying to import some though via 'Glade Herps'.

That is one cool coachwhip. You got more ba**s than me. Even though I think mine are "tame", I'm not sure I would try that. You know, when the bite, they jerk back with their mouth closed. The lacerations scarr your hand, imagine the face!

Just don't give the snake to a kid! UK would ban coachwhips if you did.

Hi Vidusa
Good comments and thread!...I'm not sure if tame is the correct word to apply to Coachwhips,but in my experiance they can.. shall we say.. 'settle down somewhat' after a perod of captivity and handling.Like all species there are exceptions to the rule!
I have gained alot of my knowledge from this forum from long time keepers like Bill and William Huntsman for example...they both own coachwhips that are very handleable,but may own others that are NOT!!
The male Western CW around my neck is extremely placid unlike any I have ever seen ( be that limited here..in the U.K.)... YOU ARE RIGHT!! there is a chance of a facial bite but with this particular snake I would say that the chance is about 1 in a million!!..and I was comfortable with those odds!
kind regards Paul

As far as the safety of this particular snake goes then i would trust him more than any other snake i have handled.
Admittedly when in the viv he will have a pop at me but once I can get a hand on him the feed response is gone, once he settles you can actually stroke him anywhere on the face without him being restrained in any way and he will sit there and let you. He's had me a couple of times but only in the viv because i wasn't watching his body language.
The smaller male however, while not nasty does certainly have a habit of staring into your eyes then launching at your face, even when he's been grabbed he is still eyeing up the face for a little while.

Two of mine.

Mike