Beginner venomous

Read the whole post I made, slowly, and digest it. I do not feel comfortable giving you any information on permit application when you’re still going through this thread with the expectation of owning hots. You’re not thinking ahead, and didn’t even acknowledge my questions about whether or not you’re prepared for the full lives of the snakes you have now. I don’t trust that you won’t use that information to try and obtain an animal you’re 100% not capable of owning responsibly at this point in time.

You have to remember, every substantial screw up made by someone keeping reptiles they weren’t qualified to own reflects on every reptile owner. Most often, really big screw ups (escapes, serious bite incidents, etc) lead to the introduction of new laws and regulations on what can and cannot be kept as pets. Minnesota is, quite thankfully, rather relaxed on what we can and can’t keep. Your whole attitude about these animals is just very troubling. You want them but you don’t respect them. Anyone who owns a dangerous animal needs to have the right amount of respect for what that animal is capable of, and the serious ethical and legal responsibilities that come with it. At thirteen, you are not old enough for that on any level. You won’t be at eighteen, you probably won’t even be in your twenties. You are ignoring everyone here telling you how to get to where you want, you need to accept the advice you’re being given because there is experience backing it up you don’t have. Start with the species you have, learn about those you want, then find the information on how to make owning them a reality. I’m not trying to be mean, or belittle you for your age, I’m just being realistic about what is going on here.

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I haven’t experienced that so I’ll have to take your word for it. Though honestly I think the worst I’ve experienced is my bearded dragon I had as a teenager…Though working in the reptile industry when I was younger there were definitely some monitors/large iguanas that gave him a run for his money :joy:

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Jess and everyone else here is correct. You’re young, got your whole life ahead of you, take your time and do things properly. Not to mention I spent time working in an exotic animal shop as a teen/young adult and there were a lot of animals prior to working there I thought were amazing or cool or what have you, but being involved with their daily care thankfully not on an actual ownership basis I found out many of those animals, while still interesting to me were definitely something that wasn’t my cup of tea for going home and caring for myself on a daily basis or having the space and money for proper enclosures or other things that just made ownership of certain things not an ideal situation for me. Following a line of academic study or working for someone is a good way to get your feet wet without fully committing. Also even I admit after 3 decades of reptile keeping I am still learning every day and I still make mistakes and am not too proud to ask for suggestions/help where I may have gone wrong or what I can do better. Work your way up to where you want to be slowly consistently and most importantly talk to and LISTEN to others who have experience. They may not always have the answers you want but it’s better to know everything inside and out through others situations and eyes vs rushing in blind with nothing but optimism to the point of denial. Set yourself up for success and try to avoid the failures where you can.

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I could get a mildly venomous snake. Could that help me for getting venomous snakes.

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Start with a hognose…. I recently picked up a couple and I absolutely love them. Of course do your research first and get their enclosure set up and ready to go. They’re very bluffy/hissy at least at first and not very eager to bite which is good. If you are bit the venom isn’t medically significant. Usually a little upward pressure on the snoot is enough to get them to let go. (Mine latched on while she was in food mode but didn’t get a good chew in to envenomate but I did have a small rashy spot for a couple weeks) no other reactions though. But even before then make sure you got your other kiddos covered and have everything they need before you go adding more to the collection. Trust me it’s easy to pick up too much stuff too fast then you’re scrabbling to get everyone’s adult homes set up at the same time (not speaking from experience or anything) :eyes: lol.

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Also the more experience you have under your belt in general is better. Even apply at a reptile shop for a job. That was one of the best things I did as a teen (I dunno if you have to be 18 these days) but I worked with an actual herpetologist who had degrees and he was an absolute treasure trove of knowledge and caring for the animals there taught me bunches.

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I agree with this statement. I don’t have much to add to this discussion, but I will say that hognoses are a good technically venomous snake to start with. You just gotta be ok with cutting up pinkies for babies and know how to handle a squirmy snake. My baby hog is very flighty, and will sometimes will try to jump out of the cage, so you gotta have fast reflexes. You really gotta know what you’re getting into with hognoses, because they’re quite a bit less hardy than ball pythons or a lot of the other pythons. They’re known to even die randomly sometimes. If you’re prepared for all of that, then you can consider getting a hognose, but do a lot of research beforehand, and maybe reach out to a person like elemental herps or talk with Emily from snake discovery since you live in Minnesota.

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I want to work at a reptile store (near me that isn’t PetSmart or Petco don’t like those places) but I would like to work at twin cities reptiles or snake discovery a reptile experience(where I got my carpet python.)
I hope I could work there in a few years or sooner.

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I tend to handle my baby over her tub (I’ll pull it out and set it on my bed or a table and let her roam from hand to hand exploring) that way if she does go speed racer she’s only a few inches from her house and won’t get lost or hurt. My larger one just kinda chills for the most part. And she’s actually pretty interactive. She pokes her head out and will crawl into my open hand most of the time when I pull out her tub. Probably cause she knows I’m the “mouse lady” she loves to eat.

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I would love to but 1 bad thing. They are very picky types of snake. That would be the only reason why I wouldn’t want one. But tectically my first snake was mildy venomous (common garter snake.)

Yeah, I also handle above the tub. He’s getting a lot better, he just has that baby hog personality.

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Honesty yeah a mom and pop/someplace that knows their stuff is better. I did some time for PetSupermarket as well. By some amazing luck I actually had one coworker (older gentleman) who was extremely knowledgeable in fish that I learned some from and another who was very into reptiles like myself. Hate to say but for the most part the large chains don’t really promote much other than the basic basics (if even that) of animal care. Most of the employees (not saying all there’s always exceptions to the rule) don’t know much more beyond dogs and cats and even that is limited.

It’s an awesome way to learn and experience animals without having to actually own them. (There’s even a shop near me that carries hots) but those are under lock and key and you need to be 18+ to work there. But that wouldn’t be a bad idea either. Working with people like that when you’re old enough.

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If you decide to follow this statement, then I can suggest twin cities reptiles, since it’s in Minnesota.

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You need to stop thinking of everything as being a step towards venomous snakes. If you do, you won’t truly enjoy the snakes and their husbandry will suffer. Keep snakes for a while now, if, in 30 years, you decide you want to keep hot snakes, then it could be worth considering. Until then, enjoy the reptile hobby as it is without spending all of your time looking ahead instead of enjoying the present.

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I want to work at twin cities reptiles I’ve been there 2 and I liked being there

If you get from a decent breeder and they have 10-12 meals under their belt they shouldn’t be a problem. Just make sure you get from someone reputable and willing to discuss the ins and outs and answer questions if you have any. One of mine inhales anything not nailed down. My other has a habit of hissing at his food and head butting it (I leave it on a bowl in his enclosure overnight and it’s always gone in the morning) my little baby she takes hers no problem but she always tries to eat them backwards and it takes her forever to sort out the front from the back (but my male ball python is “special” too that way). Hahah

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Just a heads up, you’re going to need a lot more experience to work at either of those places, and the responsibilities are no joke. You have to be okay with being bitten, doing the backbreaking work, dealing with feeders, etc. I’d very much doubt you’d be able to get any sort of entry-level position at either of those stores because they’re the big names with a lot of interest/competition for positions. I’d say try somewhere smaller or a volunteer position, first.

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Very true statement. I got into the hobby wanting to have like 100 reptiles, and wanting to keep giant monitors and snakes and all that, and thinking I could accomplish that in a couple years, but I soon realized that I was much happier with a small collection of the reptiles that I really love, and that for now, those are good goals, but I should really just keep what I’m comfortable with and what I can take care of.

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I love my carpet python and all reptiles except sand boas.

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Can’t remember where I heard the phrase but it’s something along the lines of “it isn’t about the destination it’s about the journey” and I agree. Try to make an effort to learn something new every day. Enjoy your pets that you have. Take time attending to them and their care. Observe interact and build trust. Take time with yourself learning and bettering yourself. When you look back you’ll be much happier and more fulfilled than just rushing along to the “final goal”. And as you journey you may even discover you want to take another path. Peoples minds and interests can and do change.

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