Tom

what are the smaller vipers that would be ideal to learn, research on, and learn about..

i ask, as i want to spend a year or 2 learning about eyelash vipers (Bothriechis schlegelii)..

these are my dream snake, and one, id love to one day own..
i have no intention of owning one untill i have watched, and learnt enough, but the eyelash viper is my dream snake, and one snake i want to work towards owning.
im more inlove with the yellow eyelash viper, and golden, but where, and how can i watch, and learn about these snakes, i want to really work towards owning one one day, and so i have decided i should start learning now...

is asking a zoo a good idea?.

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Tom

i mean, look at these..

when i say look, i mean, really look at how amazingly stunning they are, and the body shape, and head size etc..
they are just the most amazing snake ever..

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myball123

They are my favourite hot.

The piccies you have posted are gorgeous.

I'd love to know a lot more about them as well.

Tom

i agree mate, i learn from watching, and being told, i cant learn through written ways, like hooking, i could do it, if i watched, but reading about it, i cant put it into practice.

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TyMilsom

I posted a thread a while back on how to get started in hots, but basically it boils down to getting experience. First and foremost you should get to grips with as many snakes as you can; big, small, fast, slow, terrestrial, arboreal, and if some are aggressive; all the better. One must set out to learn how to "read" snakes. If you have kept 4 snakes for 10 years, I would say your inexperienced, if you have worked in a place like mine for a year; you would be much more experienced, due to the volume of diffrent snakes you would encounter.

You can have the best guy in the World tell you how to hook an Egyptian Cobra, but if it decides to do something wierd, it's down to your own experience to pre-empt and deal with it. You cant teach anyone that!

Tom

i agree milson...

ive kept Alot of snakes, mainly rats snakes, and royals, a few hognose, milks, kings, boas, corns garters, house etc...
and i have also worked in 2 reptile shops, and loved it..


but even i know im not ready for a year or 2, if i was to be around them 24/7..

so i want to spend time, and learn about these, would a zoo be a good place to ask, if i said i could come in on such a day during the week, and just watch?..

also, would would be a good snake to practice with?..
maybe a mangrove snake?..

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TomCharlton

Hey Tom, there are many different snakes ideal to 'practice' with, but it depends on what you want to keep. Theres no point keeping a false water cobra to practice with if you want to keep small arboreal vipers.....

I would suggest something like this:

Arboreal vipers - get experience with amazon tree boas
Terrestrial vipers like Bitis sp. - Get experience hooking aggresive blood pythons!
Elapids - False water cobras

Obvisously this will only give you the most basic of experience, and would only count as a first step towards obtaining the experience you need to keep venomous species. The next step is to start working with a licensed keeper. But at least it will get you in the right frame of mind!

bomb

Would quick aggresive animals be better than a False Water for Elapids i.e White Lipped Pythons. They are extremely quick, strike like lightning and are willing to let you know when they're not happy.

Tom

thanks everyone..

il hgave a look around, ive also been told to take in a few moody " rescues " as some of these are very aggressive, and so il have a look around, and see what i can find with the above..

i dont know any DWA holders in Kent though, il have to go and have a look around...lol

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dunny1

Thats one of the lovliest snakes in the world.hope u get 1 some day good luck.ive done the whole moody rescue thing.i had an aggresive bull snake and king.soon as i get them they chill right out weird.every agresive animal ive had ive held.they all been kewl from baboon spiders 2 scorpions to mangroves and fwc. Maybe its my vibe man must give off a calming energy or something.

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1 Common boa (Boa constrictor) 1 Western diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) 1 Red spitting cobra (Naja pallida) 1 Monocled cobra (Naja kaouthia)