Beginner venomous

All Reptiles
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I am trying very hard to not let my frustration with the blatant disregard you are showing toward so many very experienced people trying to help you. And the flippancy of many of your replies is really starting to get the better of me…

Having a tool is not the same as knowing how to use the tool!

My eight-year-old has a set of full sized tools - hammer, screwdrivers, pliers, etc. That does not make her qualified to build a six bedroom, six bathroom house.

Having a hook does not mean you are qualified to keep venomous. Frankly, the fact that you honestly seem to believe that a only single hook is all that is necessary disqualifies you in my opinion.

I have twelve hooks in my snake room (plus, I keep two in my car and my eldest has three more in her room for her animals). I can, and do, open and close tubs, as well as sliding and latching cages with them. At any given time I can reach blindly and grab a new one without having to think about where it is.

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This right here! I know that Phil (@knobtail1 ) has all of his students do this.

Can you pick up the remote for your television using just your hook? Can you transfer it from one side of the coffee table to the other, long wise? Can you walk 2m and gently deposit it into a bucket? Can you then lift the lid to the bucket and place it on top? Once you master that, then you can try doing all of it with a non-venomous snake that will try and get away the way a remote will not. Once you master that, then, maybe, you will be ready for venomous.
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Again, I am frustrated that, even after I explained above that it should not be everyone else’s job to locate a mentor for you but a job that you should be driving at yourself, you do not feel the need to accept any responsibility for your own education.
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Kukri are a good for teaching humility because they will bloody the hell out of you if they get hold of you. That said, while they can be temperamental curmudgeons, they are also pretty slow and deliberate and, at least for me, easy to dodge. The species I work with that has been best for learning how to hook properly has been Rhamphiophis. They are flighty, smart enough to out think you, hate hooks with a passion, turn on a dime, and not afraid to take a flying leap. The only thing that has saved me with them has been their extreme reluctance to bite. If they were as bite-prone as the kukri, I would be in a bad place.

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42

Find a mentor and get your handling hours in before buying a hot snake. The best beginner hot is a snake that isn’t yours.

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43

For those of you who are actually looking for legitimate info on hot keeping, there is an older (and I’m sure out-of-print) book on this subject by a guy named BW Smith. The book was released 15-20 years ago and is probably going to be expensive if you can find a copy. But it is an excellent read and well worth your time.

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44

I WILL NOT get a venomous snake until I’m at least 18 years old.

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In some states just because you are 18 doesn’t mean you can get it, some states that I’ve looked into make you have a certain amount of hours, you really need to reread all of this information that these amazing intelligent people have offered you, im only 14, on my moms account because I want to learn before I get ANYWHERE near a hot or a snake. I have learned so much from these people and this platform that I love to check it all the time and if you aren’t smart enough to realize the responsibility you need to take on a hot then you shouldn’t even think about it right now. (Sorry about the paragraph I’m just fustrated).

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46

I don’t know if it’s legal for 13 year olds to keep venomous snakes/lizards, but I can learn how. Unless if I can own venomous at the age of 13.

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You should have it in your mind that you should be at least 30 or more. You honestly need at least a decade of experience if you want to be ready, especially given your current mentality of wanting a deadly venomous animal as a pet. It is like people that try to keep tigers as pets, potentially even more deadly because you can at least survive a tiger bite to the arm.

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I said I was learning, not that I wanted to own one, once again your being ablivious to what people are trying to tell you. I like to admire from afar not get close.

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49

Nowhere in my post that you are replying to did I make a comment about your age (nor have I made any such comment in any of my previous posts). As such, I fail to understand why you are replying back to me as if I have been discussing your age.

Unless you are trying to imply that you have no obligation to begin searching out information for yourself until such time as you turn 18 and that, until that time, it is everyone else’s job to find that information for you. And if that is the case…

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50

The best venomous to start with are somebody else’s, research your state laws and do it right. People start keeping all ends of the spectrum but I believe it’s best to start with native venomous because antivenom is much easier to get ahold of when an accident occurs. I also believe it’s best to stock your own antivenom when you have exotics because if you get bit you’d exhaust your own supply instead of someone else’s (it’s not hard to get the license and it’s not super expensive and it’s shelf stable), it would be unfortunate if someone else died because their antivenom was used up by someone else.

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51

So you think at the age of 18 you’re going to be able to have a venomous snake?

I don’t know how it works where you are, but my late teens and early 20s did not overlap with living situations suitable for keeping a venomous snake.

It was a time of moving around, job hopping for better wages and going to university. It was hard enough just moving a couple of non-venomous pet snakes around. A lot of rental properties here are “no pets” but can be talked around by explaining that the snakes are small, harmless and won’t be free roaming so won’t be peeing on carpets, chewing door frames or introducing fleas like a cat or dog would. So many non-venomous reptiles are rehomed due to “going to college”.

Even if you got permission to have your venomous snake in your living situation at 18, how long are you going to be able to keep it? How long before you meet someone and want to move in together? Will they be happy letting you keep your venomous snake? Even if they are, will your landlord? Or what about a great job offer that requires a move? Even if the landlord would be willing, venomous keeping laws/licensing varies with location. In the UK, I’ve heard the local council’s fees vary from £200 to £2000+ so just moving a couple of miles into the next county can change it from financially reasonable to an unjustifiable expense.

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Though, if we’re going to be indulging in a bit of daydreaming…

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This little cutie is a Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake (Crotalus mitchellii pyrrhus). I’ve not looked at how available they are in captivity in Europe, but just look at it! It looks like it’s carved from pink granite! It’s so cute!

Trouble is, there are so many other species that I could have without going through the expense and hassle of getting a DWA license, it’s very, very unlikely to happen.

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53

That reminds me that my loving and wonderful wife (who has more reptiles than me) let me know right quick that even rear fanged venomous were out of the question because I have a 4 yo grandson in the house. And with me travelling for work at times, rear-fanged or front-fanged are both out of bounds for our collections.

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54

Yep, this! Everyone has their limits. Even if I found a significant other from the herp community, there is no way I’d be having one of the 3 giant snakes in the house.

Mostly because of the size of the poops. Though I’m also not built like a brick outhouse.

I’d be more open to cobras in the house than anacondas.

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OH YEAH! She said that anything bigger than my blood python is also out as she doesn’t want to handle anything big without me around. I said he isn’t even that big…

Then I got the “wife look” and decided to be quiet.

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Sounds like my husband and I. I had shown interest in blood pythons at a point and he was like “big nope… the ball pythons stink enough when they drop off their processed rats”. Too big. Also people here bring up very good points. Even if you do the research, get the licenses, do the apprenticeships, work for someone who deals in HOTS etc…. Things can and will change as time goes on. Between 18-23, 25-30, and 30-40 I had things happen (good and bad) that very much cut into my personal time/money/living situations/relationships etc. All a huge deal to everything that came along with me (pets and aquariums). Some rehomed, others downsized, and thankfully my husband loves animals as much as me if not more, because I’ve dated people in the past that didn’t want anything to do with my reptiles (they didn’t last long) not to mention the issues having difficult or dangerous (potentially) snakes may have caused me.

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As others have said, and it’s best to be blunt: You’re not ready for hots now, and you won’t be by the time you’re 18, either. You don’t know any of the basics and you’re going to need solid reptile keeping experience first. Every kid thinks they’re gonna be a great keeper, have all the experience, and be 100% ready.

You have garters and a carpet python. Your posting history suggests you have purchased animals without really understanding what type of enclosure, enrichment, and feeding they need outside of reading a basic care guide. You’ve asked for peoples’ suggestions and then repeatedly ignored them. You have a snake you were unsure of how to handle, and you think that YouTube will teach you all you need to know. I remember being your age, I remember being the same way, but you’ve got to take a step back and learn to work with and be the best keeper/owner to the animals you have now, before even considering getting such advanced level specimens. For example, are you prepared for a growing carpet python? Do you have the financial means to continue upgrading enclosure sizes, feeder sizes, equipment, and enrichment? This is not a cheap hobby, and if you’re 13, my guess is you probably aren’t the one paying for everything, so you really need to discuss all of your purchases, care requirements, and ownership aspirations with your family, because they need to be on board. You also need to remember that, if at any time you are not able to care for your animals, you need to have someone who can.

Now, I’m in Minnesota, so I understand a little more about the local laws. You say you live in Todd County, well, there you’re required to get a conditional use permit to keep venomous snakes. You also must live on specifically zoned land or no permit for you. You need a drawn site plan and septic inspection, and the property owner must be involved and approve. There’s several hundred dollars in fees just to complete the application process. That’s just at the county level, if you live in a city, you need to check whether or not they have their own requirements, as well as at the state level. If you do live in a city, you may not even be zoned to allow exotics at all.

Every kid wants to keep cool animals as pets, the reality is, some animals are just not suitable for ownership by the average person, and hots are very much under that umbrella. Take the time to get to know the species you own now, to make yourself a better keeper, and then seek out an experienced mentor to teach you how to work properly with hots. Gain some solid experience before you even consider a purchase. At your age, go to a library, look for books on reptile keeping, or ask other keepers if they have suggestions for good knowledge bases. Look for books on anything and everything related to keeping, the species you’re interested in, habits, behaviour, etc.

Right now, you’re still young and not thinking long term. You’ve got school to finish. If you go to college, that’s really going to put a damper on your ability to give attention to any animal. You will, for the entire life of any animals you own, have to plan for and work your life out around their needs. Every time you move, have someone in your home, need to be away for any period of time, the safety and needs of your animals will have to be considered (this goes for any pet, not just venomous snakes) and met. Owning hots means you basically need to own your home. Most rental properties won’t even allow snakes, let alone venomous, and you will always have to research local zoning/permit/keeping requirements before you can move the animals anywhere (including out of state, some species cannot cross certain state lines).

Perhaps consider going to college to seek an animal science degree of some sort. Biology, zoology, wildlife conservation, wildlife ecology, etc…all will help you build the knowledge base and put you in contact with people who can help guide you in your future ownership aspirations. I know you’ve mentioned Snake Discovery and Emily before. She has a Fisheries, Wildlife, & Conservation Biology degree from the University of Minnesota, which has amazing animal science programs and hands-on learning experiences. Oh, and definitely check out the Minnesota Herpetological Society and consider becoming a member, if you haven’t already.

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There is no mistaking it the moment a rattlesnake leaves a gift for you. It’s a very weird and unpleasant smell. And it will pervade the whole room in no time.

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Excellent advice!

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I live at least 8 miles away from the nearest town. I also would like to know how to get the permit but it says nothing at all about getting a permit but for the zoned land what does that mean for zoned land.

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