Best place to buy a hot...

[jason_ladouceur]

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.

I couldn't have put it better myself. Experience with any given species is IMHO the number one most important tool any keeper can have. I had a very close call with an Atheris because I wasn't aware that they had a strike range that was basically the entire length of their body.

I cant thank you enough for your insight on my delema. I will take your suggestion to heart and apply it accordingly. Like I said, I am in no rush. So maybe by next year I will be a proud and confident owner of W.A. Gaboon.

Good for you for taking this step in a responsible manner. Bitis are one of my favorite of all species that I've ever worked with. I've kept all of the big Bitis, except Parviocula over the years and they are very rewarding. They are also very unpredictable and difficult to read. Every intent they have is signaled in the most subtle ways and they are capable of the most explosive speeds. Be safe. And I look forward to seeing pictures of the new beasties one day.