Venomous

[Skiploder]

Balls are my only specialty. I breed boas hognoses carpets and corns. Boas and carpets can be really aggressive. Before I sell them I "break" them so they can be regularly handeled by their new owner. I take in pride the additude of my snakes. I dont want to have a parent come to me for a birthday present for their son and taking it home and the animal biting the child and ruining the fun of a reptile. I can handle animals. I have even practiced handeling my carpets and corns with a hook to get the hang of it. For they are much alike to tree vipers and pits. now If you don't mind this is a DIY forum I need some Ideas for cages. Stop questioning the health and well being of me and start throwing ideas for CAGES!

Carpets and corns are like handling pits?

Quit making comments like that and we'll quit questioning your well-being.....actually I take that back - I'm not questioning your well-being - I'm questioning the well-being of our hobby. The last thing this community needs is a 14 year old with a bad case of the "know-it-alls" becoming the poster boy for more government regulation.

If you don't want to hear a lecture - then put me on ignore - along with all the other people here who are going to try and give you some well-intentioned advice:

Getting into hots is fine - there are plenty of people who begin learning hot husbandry at a young age - nothing wrong with that. Do it in a smart way.

Apprentice under someone who is experienced in hots for a good long while before you even think of owning one. If you do that, you won't have to come here and ask for advice on how to build a hot cage or which one is the best to buy - you'll already know through experience.

[WingedWolfPsion]

Wow, I just triply agree with all this. You should really apprentice to an experienced keeper before you consider getting hots of your own.
You need experience keeping an aggressive snake--a REALLY aggressive snake--before you should even remotely consider getting anything even mildly venomous.

Get yourself an Amazon Tree Boa, or something. They're often used as 'hots trainers'. If you can't avoid being bitten by the boa, you should never keep a hot snake. Taming it doesn't count either--treat it just like a hot, and never free-handle it.

In short--please don't do this. You are not ready. Maybe you will be, eventually, but you are NOT ready NOW.

[dembonez]

Wow, I just triply agree with all this. You should really apprentice to an experienced keeper before you consider getting hots of your own.
You need experience keeping an aggressive snake--a REALLY aggressive snake--before you should even remotely consider getting anything even mildly venomous.

Get yourself an Amazon Tree Boa, or something. They're often used as 'hots trainers'. If you can't avoid being bitten by the boa, you should never keep a hot snake. Taming it doesn't count either--treat it just like a hot, and never free-handle it.

In short--please don't do this. You are not ready. Maybe you will be, eventually, but you are NOT ready NOW.

i agree i mean its pretty dangerous if you are not careful even if you are careful!

[BOWSER11788]

Skiploader hit. Tha nail on the head. Foolish mistake. Not great parents to let their kid feta hot

[BOWSER11788]

Sp is bad on my itouch

[brainman1000]

Yes. There is a reptile store here in Vegas that sells albino western diamondback rattlesnakes.

WTH?! thats insane!!!

they can kill you!!

http://market.kingsnake.com/detail.php?cat=40&de=639131

[crescend]

Yes. There is a reptile store here in Vegas that sells albino western diamondback rattlesnakes.



IMHO, hots is a step that should not be taken lightly. It is not something that you can learn as you go, like you can with other non-venomous snakes. Have you tried to find any hot owners in your locality that you can get together with and gain some experience in handling and owning hots? I would recommend doing that before you do anything. Also, have you verified if there are any laws where you live that would prohibit or regulate such ownership?

I have been looking for a while for a mentor but people think im too young to learn. And yes I am well aware of the laws and I also am working on getting a permit. well my mom is cause I'm too young.

[cinderbird]

I have been looking for a while for a mentor but people think im too young to learn. And yes I am well aware of the laws and I also am working on getting a permit. well my mom is cause I'm too young.

this should tell you something about the nature of the situation.

I don't keep Hots, but i'd take the advice people have been giving you on the thread. They're concerned for your well being, your families and that of the hobby.

I can bet that it would cause problems if the permit is in your mothers name and the snakes are yours, or someone in your house gets bitten handling the animal when she's not there or something of that nature.

Why don't you start with a known trainer species? Coachwhips, etc while you're looking for a mentor? This will show a potential mentor that you are SERIOUS about this.

Also, except for the first line, i would give this advice to ANYONE of ANY age that was looking at keeping hots.

[crescend]

Ok, so now the "Not great parent" as Bowser11788 put is going to add a little to the conversation. My son is young, he is only 14, but he is extremely passionate about these wonderful reptiles, and very impatient to grow up and be able to do what he dreams of which is becoming involved in the conservation efforts of venomous species in the US which don't seem to have much of a voice. He is interested in cage designs for "hots" because he plans to have them someday down the road. Not tomorrow as some of you seem to believe. I have taught him to plan, research, and learn all he can first hand before beginning any new project. In 7 years he has gone from owning 1 ball python to owning several species, breeding some, and spending as much time as possible taking these fantastic creatures out in public to give demonstrations, especially to younger kids, in an effort to make the next generation understand that these are not evil beings. Skiploader called him "a 14 year old with a bad case of the "know-it-alls" He is by no means a know-it-all, but occassionally comes across that way when he is once again treated like he doesn't know anything. He has been fighting for years to try to get people to take him seriously, and he had come to think that on this forum he would be. When he meets with obstacles he tends to go a bit overboard as only a teenager could, but most of that is due to the frustration he feels because of the struggles he goes through to just try to get advice from people he respects. As for hands on experience, he is constantly looking for new opportunities. He has become involved at the zoo in our area, and will be attending a rattlesnake symposium in April at the invitation of a researcher in our area. I am not a bad parent, and would never allow him to get into hots until I know he is ready (which will definitely be longer than he hopes!). But, please do not ignore his questions or requests just because of his age. I do believe he will be deep into hots at some point, and I'd like to know that he got "good" advice from those of you that are "in-the-know"
He will not be replying to this post again.

[djansen]

I am very impressed that you are able to breed snakes and know so much about them at 14 years old.
I was also really into reptiles since I was young and kept ALOT of different species lol. I am 21 now and its shocking how much I have grown mentally and physically from 14-21. You may be capable now but I just urge you to keep going with what you are doing, get into ball or boa morphs or something like that.
You also need to think about others as well if you have hots. I would never keep a hot in any house I did not own or have a shed or shop away from people. If they get out and bite somebody else, thats on you.

I know not what you wanted to hear but thats my two cents.