Steven,

Thanks for the concoction of various tidbits! All I can gather, the better!

I always thought Bothriechis schlegelii was beautiful, especially the "Golden Eyelash" variety, in which I just came to realize there are no known subspecies by Wikipedia (I thought there were). It appears as though there are just different phases like with Tropidolaemus wagleri...?

It seems as though it is unanimously voted upon that Agkistrodon contortrix sspp. aren't hook-rideable, heh. But it also seems agreed upon by most that they're still a good first hot.

I am more or less surprised no one else until now has suggested a rattler. I remember my Father picking up a Sistrurus miliarius ssp. in FL when I was 7 or 8, to hold up to my Step Grandfather's window (strapped in his car!) whom was deathly afraid of snakes and startle him. I know they stay small, and they're also on the low end for fatality--again (from earlier posts), I am to take NO hot lightly!--so I will consider them, too. (Interestingly, according to Wikipedia, antivenin for this genus is ineffective most times...?) Mojaves = evil, got it! If I could keep my native Crotalus horridus, I would, but they're "Endangered" here.

Baby Bitis gabonica sspp. needing to be led to water - heh, that's kind of cute. I hear they're actually quite placid, is this true? I think Larry was kind of leaning towards them for a first hot except for his acknowledgement of their mighty fast strike which provided me with a little caution...longest fangs, too, at ~2", this I remember learning from early years in the hobby.

I wasn't considering Elapids for a very looong time! ...although I do admit my fascination with Our one-and-only native group: the Coral Snakes, but I am faaar from ready for them, this I know!

Indeed, Steven, You helped a lot, thanks much!!

Timothy

>>My first was an eyelash viper (Bothriechis schlegelii) and it is still one of my favorites. Good feeder, rides a hook well, rarely need to clean the cage. As a baby it did need tease fed pinky parts and getting him untangled from his perch is tough, but it is the easiest of all my snakes to care for other than my daughters corns. I have a few copperheads and they are pretty easy as well. They don't ride a hook as well and get larger but are still a pretty good first. My small rattlers are a pain on a hook but some aren't too bad. The pygmies are faily easy to care for. My mohaves are evil. Stay away from the big rattlers. I have a timber that will "dash" across the cage if he thinks you are going to open the door and every time i walk by I hear a "thump" from him striking the glass. They are also harder to move around or remove from the cage due to size and weight. Gabboons are easy as baibies except that they often have to be led to water, but they quickly get so heavy that you have to use you hooks to drag them around since they are hard to lift. The fact that they are super fast will make you jump the first time it feeds, but you shouldn't be in strike range anyway. No elapids are good beginner snakes in my opinion. They are just too active and excitable.
>>Hope i helped
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T.J. Gould

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