Venomous Training.

[Austin236]

I'm currently going through 1000hrs of training with licensed venomous keepers to get my permit to keep them privately. To be honest, even if the law didn't require it, I would still go through a bare minimum of 1 year of mentored training with HOT's. I thought I was going to be a smart little [person] and know everything when I went into it, and I learned 5x the info I thought I knew before I even got to handle one snake. It's better to go the smartest, safest route when it comes to working with venomous snakes and large constrictor's. I know first hand because I have worked with large constrictors for 7 years and venomous for the last year or so and I can tell you neither are to be underestimated. So my word of advice along with many others is to change your attitude a bit and definitely search around your area for someone who has lot's of experience with HOT's that is willing to mentor you for a year or so, and bud... have a very safe and smart journey into the world of venomous snakes.

[wolfy-hound]

The thread is FULL of super helpful information and advice on how to think about getting into keeping hots.

But myself, if you "expect to die in the hobby", then don't ever get a hot. If you truly think you'll end up getting bit and dying, where is the snake? Who comes in to a loose snake, unprepared?

If you get bit, you've GOT to have prodicals in place for what to do. This isn't to discourage you, it's telling you more prep work to think about. The talk about all the securing of housing isn't saying "don't get hots", it's telling you more stuff to prep for, to research into, to think about.

*I* am being more discouraging than almost every poster... and even I won't say "Don't ever get hots". But the idea of not getting a mentor because they MIGHT discourage you from the idea is a poor one. You should WANT to hear every single reason people have against keeping venomous animals... so you KNOW that you are prepared for all of those scenarios.

If you want to die, then go die. If you want to keep some magnificent animals that happen to be venomous, then learn all about it... ask every question... find mentors... research about what you need, how each species is different, etc. If you just want to go "Hey look how cool I am, I got a cobra and I'm free-handling it!", please reconsider. If you want to own gorgeous deadly creatures that demand a level of respect in ownership that doesn't exist in any other type of creature... learn more, take all the knowledge and advice in the thread and file it away and pick more questions to ask!

[Slim]

Two quick points:

1) The average venomous bite cost $400,000 in medical costs (Based on rates in Florida)

2) If your insurance company can prove that you knew the animal you were handling was venomous, they don't pay a dime...

Things are rarely as simple as they seem at first blush.

[wilomn]

Ahhhhh, I see that you're ready to listen a bit now. Good. It's a habit you should nurture.

Saying things, in jest, to be funny, things that you don't really even mean, is a fantastic way of giving a great misrepresentation of yourself. I honestly doubt that you're just some dumb kid who's looking for attention. I do think you're a young person who got excited and who occasionally still speaks before thinking. The fact that you repeated the forecast of your death at least twice should be a good indication that you need to seriously think before speaking or writing., o

Whether or not you get a mentor, talk to people. Keep it short and simple with no "I'm sure I'll die," crap. You should, however, TOTALLY ignore anything and everything joe, goes by venomkeeper, says and does. He WILL die of a snake bite one day. Not soon enough, but eventually.

Try to handle a redtailed green ratsnake or a large hondo or indigo or coachwhip using only tongs and hooks. When you're good at that you'll have a small idea what a real venomous snake is like. Go check out the thread at GBU Enterprises in Lodi Ca. That guy just got nailed by a baby atrox in his shop. That's nothing compared to what can happen to you NOT including death.

I actually know what I'm talking about. I don't keep any now, but I have kept several species of snakes that could have killed me pretty quick.

As far as the big snake, they're great. Learn the protocols, follow them, and you should have a great time. Go for it.

If you check the attitude at the door you'll find this to be quite the helpful place.

[gsarchie]

If you want to own gorgeous deadly creatures that demand a level of respect in ownership that doesn't exist in any other type of creature... learn more, take all the knowledge and advice in the thread and file it away and pick more questions to ask!

You couldn't have summed up my reasons for wanting to own a Crotalus horridus someday any better, and this is exactly what I've tred to explain to my wife every time she asks why I would want one. I would love to have an Agkistorodon contortix someday as well.

To the OP - I didn't get the feeling that anyone was trying to discourage you from keeping hots at all, just that they wanted to see you do it properly. The comment about knowing that you will die from the hobby someday was a huge flag for me and it is all about how you come across and present yourself. This forum is an extremely open minded place (doesn't apply to everyone, that's for sure, but to most people), and I have even posted on here about raising alligators to eventually butcher and eat, and I received nothing but positive feedback! Everything else aside, I strongly encourage you to strive keep HOTs if it is what you truly want and if it is for the reason that I quoted wolfy-hound saying. GO FOR IT!! More importantly, do it properly.

As to your aspirations in college - When I was in college I worked with some Crotalus horridus but they were wild animals that were radio-tagged and what we did was take GPS data of their location to track their movements from their den in the summer and establish home ranges for the species. The reason that I now want one to call my own is because never before had I been so close to an animal that was that deadly, that beautiful and that commanded that much respect from me; they did all three at the same time. You seem a lot like me in your enthusiasm for these animals. I would have loved to have gotten a degree in herpetology and thought about it many times, but if you can even find an undergrad program for herpetology I would avoid it - you will be making your skill set too narrow too soon in your career. I majored in ecology but volunteered in the herp lab, tagged along on the TR study that I mentioned above, and comptely took over a snake population survey on Fort Leavenworth my senior year at KU. This helped me get to know researchers that focused on herp research and would have had me an "in" had I stayed at KU and started a masters in herpetology. One of the guys that I knew well, in fact, ended up identifying a new species of arboreal, fruit eating monitor lizard in the Phillipines while he was working on his doctoral research. The field can be very rewarding and I encourage you to pursue it, but I will warn you that harldy anyone in the scientific community keeps herps as pets, they simply study them.

Best of luck and I hope the advice here has put you on the right road to keeping HOTs someday.

[Navy]

Considering every snake is different, you need to be prepared for anything and everything.
You can't do that by doing research online, you need hands on experience with someone who knows exactly what they're doing.
Hot snakes are not something to underestimate.