Got word a few months ago about this animal but only recently had time to go pick it up about a month ago.
This beautiful Northern Pacific Rattlesnake (Crotalus Oreganus Oreganus) was surrendered by a family who (legally) collected it as a neonate, but didn’t feel qualified to care for it at the size it’s reached. Being a wild caught animal it’s extremely alert and always ready to eat so if you’re not a confident safe handler, it’s a handful. If you open the enclosure, it’s right up in your face immediately, unless you manage it. I have to commend the family who had it though. Despite not having the safest enclosure they did keep it pretty well otherwise. They also had the good sense to realize when they were out of their league and get it to someone experienced.
Not currently named since I haven’t taken a close look at sex yet, but here it is.
He is beautiful! Congratulations! Rattlesnakes are some of the coolest snakes. If I ever try to get into venomous, I would love to have a rattlesnake (even though there are so many different types of rattlesnakes to chose from lol).
They’re probably my favorite snake. This particular species is my only local Rattlesnake and are usually kind of ‘boring’ as far as buzz tails go. They tend to be pretty chill and while there several color phases most of the ones you see are pretty drab. This one is one of the prettier examples of a WC NorPac for sure, but a little more keyed up than average. Last season I got a removal call from a woman who stepped on one in shorts and sandals and it just rattled and fled. Typically they’re pretty non confrontational.
I really love the natural looks but some of the morphs are pretty cool. Being in Florida and not planning on leaving, the requirements for the permits are pretty hard to obtain but I understand why of course, I wouldn’t want someone without knowledge or hours get them as a pet either. But, really, maybe I will try to get a hold of Mr. Wolf in the years to come and search out further advice, tips, and more then likely a mentorship.
Gorgeous snake! I love rattlesnakes, but have zero desire to keep them myself. When I’m dealing with feisty non-venomous snakes, I usually calm my nerves by reminding myself, “Hey, even if it bites you, it’s hardly the end of the world. It might hurt a little, but so what, you’ll survive.” That mantra doesn’t really work as well for snakes with medically significant venom, haha.
But congrats on such a beautiful animal! I’m glad it has found a good home with you.
Hard to find someone better to learn from! Have you checked out his new podcast with Nipper? It’s called Venom Exchange Radio. The second episode should drop soon if it hasn’t already!
No not quite lol. I grew up on a small farm in an area that was thick with them and my dad guided bear hunts so I was exposed to them constantly and developed a ‘comfort’ level with what they were capable of as a kid. As with many I was taught to kill them but only if they were around the kennels or the livestock. I volunteer locally and for the county doing removal/relocations to atone for the sins of my past I suppose.
No, I haven’t, but I will definitely check it out! I like his Venom Etiquette channel but I wish there was more content. It is really hard to find keepers that make YouTube/podcasts with the safety protocols that I would want to uphold, like Mr. Wolf.
You mentioned that he comes right up to you when you open his enclosure… When it happens, is he acting curious or more like he’s in feeding mode? Does he ever try to bite?
The reason I ask is because oreganus are usually pretty laid back. I had a WC pair a while ago, and they would come right up to me when I opened the enclosure… But they weren’t expecting food… They wanted attention/to be held. I still have an old video of the male coming right up to me and climbing right into my hand.
I found out they were friendly pretty early on. After I let them adjust I started spending time with them, and noticed that they were getting curious about me. After seeing how they reacted to touch, I eventually started letting them approach me, and it went from there.
Contrary to what many believe, snakes can form strong bonds with people. I don’t recommend that you try to pick yours up. I’m js that it’s possible yours is approaching you because he views you as a friend, and wants to interact with you. Again, I don’t suggest trying to find out. I just thought it might interest you to know is all.
I work extensively with venomous and am pretty anti freehandling. I relocate for DFG and several wildlife organizations as well as working with Steve Angeli on his private collection that includes a lot of elapids, bitis, protobothrops, and crotalus.
I relocate fifty to a hundred norpacs every year. They’re not usually particularly defensive, but I see plenty of really sketchy ones. Their bites are also much worse than they get press for. Someone I know took a bite a couple years ago and required 19 vials of crofab, lost a finger and part of his hand. He was in the hospital for weeks. After insurance his bill was still $345,000 and he ended up having to file bankruptcy.
There just isn’t a situation where I’ll ever feel the need free hand a front fanged venomous shake. If I were bitten while not using hooks I would lose my position with all of the organizations I relocate for, it could potentially impact my ability to get my propagation permit in my state, and obviously it’s outrageously expensive.
Outside of that, there is the media coverage that almost always comes with it, and Jeff has caused enough of a circus for a lifetime with his recent bite. The politicians are talking, the media is fanning the flames, and very soon SC will see some new venomous laws proposed. All because Jeff thought he was special. The stakes are just too high and a simple screw up and can impact all of your peers across your state and even the country.
I thought I was pretty clear that I wasn’t saying you should try to pick up a rattlesnake. I was mentioning it because it’s something interesting to think about.
As far as the “it’s ruining the hobby” mentality regarding FH that some of the more stuck-up/holier-than-thou keepers love to propagate, everyone is entitled to their opinions… But the facts are pretty clear that bites have very little to do with restrictive legislation. Escapes are what REALLY drives policy changes, and there have been some fairly high press escapes in the past decade. In cases where states are discussing law changes due to escapes - bites can exacerbate things. But bites are rarely a direct cause of significant policy changes.
That said, I have been envenomated by an oreganus, so I know full well how potent their venom is. I took a bite from a 13" baby (not FH, just not being as careful as I should have been). I purposely spread the venom out as much as possible to reduce my chances of amputations. That caused a lot of muscle death, though. Well that, and my toxicologist not listening to me about the AV dosing. It took like 2 months for my kidneys to work out all the toxic ■■■■ from the dead muscle, and like 5 years for my strength to fully return in that arm.
Again - I was just mentioning something that is interesting to think about, and sharing my own experience. That doesn’t mean I’m encouraging anyone to do what I did. In fact - I specifically said not to. More than once.
