Venomous Training.

[Skiploder]

I wasnt trying to sound cocky.. This is the reason I hesitated to even post this, because everytime I see someone saying they are interested in getting into venomous all I see in return is "dont do it you will die" or something along the lines of the stuff you all are saying to me. I posted for answers, not warnings and people trying to get me down. The reason I said I would pass for a mentor is because I took it wrong in the first place, I was thinking more along the lines a people telling me im crazy and get a "mentor" or someone encouraging me not to do it. I am not, I repeat N-O-T, saying I will never get bitten, I also clearly stated that I probably will die from the hobby. So please everybody enough with the discouragement. Thank you all.

This isn't the first post we have seen where someone wants the short, quick and dirty guide to training with hots.

If I had a nickel for everyone of these "Where Can I Buy the Hots for Dummies" book, I'd be able to buy a doughnut.

You need to seek out someone who will mentor you for several reasons:

(1) Different hots handle differently. Some will double back lickety-split on a hook, some can be tailed, some can get a full extension strike while on a hook and some can't. Training on a cribo for example, will not help you with a boomslang. Likewise training with boiga will not help you with a crote. A mentor can not only assist you in showing to the ins and outs of handling a venomous snake, but can also help you by making you realize which hots you are most comfortable handling.

(2) Keeping a hot requires maintaining bite protocols, researching which hospitals in your area can and will administer anti-venin and researching and stocking your own anti-venin stores - which in itself can be an exhausting venture. A mentor can guide you through the process of getting the appropriate anti-venin from a non-FDA approved manufacturer.

(3) The husbandry of hots differs from other snakes and a mentor can teach you how to best clean a cage, feed, administer medicine and do other routine and not-so-routine maintenance.

This hobby is under fire from several fronts - not only on the state and locality level, but on the federal level. The last thing we need is someone who is keen to commit suicide by snake. If you feel the need to die before your time, do us the courtesy to not do it in the pursuit of this hobby.