Best place to buy a hot...

[Wizard]

I'm looking to get a W.A. Gaboon in the up coming year and was wondering what breeders you guys would recommend.

Thanks!

[bigt0006]

Dont have any hots but take a look on kingsnake or check out underground reptiles not sure about them never done bussiness with them i just know they carry hots

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[jason_ladouceur]

You should probably just ask who ever mentored you to keep hots. Hopefully you have some experience with them already because the 5 large Bitis can be some of the most difficult hots to manage. And B. Rhinoceros are on average the largest of them.

[MrLang]

If you have to ask, you are not prepared.

Harsh truths.

[Crotalids]

If you have to ask, you are not prepared.

Harsh truths.

What a load of rubbish!

I wouldn't have enough fingers to count the amount of times i have asked people "who breeds this?", "who breeds that?", not just that i want to know who produce top quality animals. A lot of breeders will just sell animals when they're not feeding and they won't inform you of this, or they will not inform you it is a live feeder (which may not be something you're willing to do). Then there are others who will not sell an animal until it is feeding for itself - the best type of breeder.

I have a lot of friends that keep venomous, and I am looking to get some Forest Cobras, but none of them knew anyone who bred them, so i had to ask others in Europe - am i not ready to keep them?

[jason_ladouceur]

What a load of rubbish!

I wouldn't have enough fingers to count the amount of times i have asked people "who breeds this?", "who breeds that?", not just that i want to know who produce top quality animals. A lot of breeders will just sell animals when they're not feeding and they won't inform you of this, or they will not inform you it is a live feeder (which may not be something you're willing to do). Then there are others who will not sell an animal until it is feeding for itself - the best type of breeder.

I have a lot of friends that keep venomous, and I am looking to get some Forest Cobras, but none of them knew anyone who bred them, so i had to ask others in Europe - am i not ready to keep them?

This is an excellent point. I have 17 years of experience with hots and there are plenty of animals that I don't know people working with. Besides the OP from this thread lives in Florida so by law if he wants to keep Hot's he needs a license. And the only way to get that license would have been to have a mentor for I believe 1000 hours of Hot experience. The other side of that though is that someone living in Florida with that much hot experience really wouldn't need to go on a forum and ask where to find a western gaboon. I can think of 4 or 5 places there to find them off the top of my head and I live more then 24hours drive away. Does raise some alarm bells to me.

On a side not to the OP. It is my understanding that the Miami antivenom bank has either closed or is closing. Do you have a source for S.A.M.I.R? If you don't you may want to find one before you worry about finding a gaboon. Could mean the difference between life and death.

[Skiploder]

You should probably just ask who ever mentored you to keep hots. Hopefully you have some experience with them already because the 5 large Bitis can be some of the most difficult hots to manage. And B. Rhinoceros are on average the largest of them.

Yes Jason - hopefully the OP's mentor will be able to help him with this question

[Crotalids]

This is an excellent point. I have 17 years of experience with hots and there are plenty of animals that I don't know people working with. Besides the OP from this thread lives in Florida so by law if he wants to keep Hot's he needs a license. And the only way to get that license would have been to have a mentor for I believe 1000 hours of Hot experience. The other side of that though is that someone living in Florida with that much hot experience really wouldn't need to go on a forum and ask where to find a western gaboon. I can think of 4 or 5 places there to find them off the top of my head and I live more then 24hours drive away. Does raise some alarm bells to me.

On a side not to the OP. It is my understanding that the Miami antivenom bank has either closed or is closing. Do you have a source for S.A.M.I.R? If you don't you may want to find one before you worry about finding a gaboon. Could mean the difference between life and death.

Indeed, my response was just directed at that statement. As it sounds like something he heard someone else say, and regurgitated it.

But definitely, seems dodgy. Even I know where you can get a gaboon in FL, and I live in Europe haha. They aren't exactly the hardest snakes to come by!

[Wizard]

I truly appreciate all your input.

In April I will be working with a local guy with 30 years of experience who primarily deals with indigenous N. American crotalus and elapids.

I asked him about Bitis but he wanted to wait until we finished the apprenticeship. While I understand his apprehension, I just wanted to do some research. Owning a hot is not something I take lightly. I just wanted to see what suggestions you all had to share.
FWIW, Most of my BP's were acquired after doing extensive research on the breeders.

I just wanted as much time as possible to do the same for the gaboon, I thought this forum would be a reliable place to turn to.

[Skiploder]

I truly appreciate all your input.

In April I will be working with a local guy with 30 years of experience who primarily deals with indigenous N. American crotalus and elapids.

I asked him about Bitis but he wanted to wait until we finished the apprenticeship. While I understand his apprehension, I just wanted to do some research. Owning a hot is not something I take lightly. I just wanted to see what suggestions you all had to share.
FWIW, Most of my BP's were acquired after doing extensive research on the breeders.

I just wanted as much time as possible to do the same for the gaboon, I thought this forum would be a reliable place to turn to.

I think your mentor is the best person to talk to........this is mainly a ball python forum, and while people here always strive to be helpful, much of the hot information you receive will be based not on experience, but on Google searches and such. I have experience with some hots - heloderma, crotalus, cerastes and dispholidus - but little with elapids or other crotalids.

Again, it's done in the spirit of being helpful.........

Working under a mentor will accomplish several things - first and foremost is of course experience - all of the little tricks and the establishment of habits which will mitigate the risks involved in dealing with these animals. Second (and just as important) is setting up your protocols - obtaining antivenin, finding a doctor to administer it, etc.

Even though your mentor may not work directly with bitis, the community is small and he probably knows someone who does. One of the things I discovered working with native rattlers is that years of experience working with them did not prepare me for arboreal hots. My first time working with a boomslang was a rude awakening.

Every species has their little quirks - some can surprise you with their lack of strike range, others with their ability to strike over seemingly impossible distances, some species are prone to passively riding a hook, and others will double back on it quicker than you can possibly be prepared for. The beauty of the mentorship programs is that one mentor can often hook you up with someone who has a long tenure with whatever species you wish to keep.