Starter hot

What is the best starter hot in your opinion? I think that Trimeresurus albolabris is a good starter.

https://venomland.forumotion.com/atheris-f7/atheris-squamigera-t2781.htm#17990

How many threads you need??? Exclamation

Quote :: What is the best starter hot in your opinion?

None - at the age of 15!

Peter Zürcher wrote:

Quote :: What is the best starter hot in your opinion?

None - at the age of 15!

As I said I'm not trying to get a hot! I'm just gathering as much info as possible for when I get older. If I wanted a hot I could easily get one but I wont! I don't think of myself as experienced and old enough for a hot.

He remeinds me a bit of D. Mintram ...

Guenter Leitenbauer wrote:: He remeinds me a bit of D. Mintram ...

Wasn't it James Mintram or is that a diferent person Very Happy

If it''s about James then i'm nothing like him.

Guenter Leitenbauer wrote:: He remeinds me a bit of D. Mintram ...

...me too (but isn't his Names J.(ames) Mintram?.....whatever xD )

@martin: Here are many many experienced keepers, some of them nstarted very early too (maybe 18) and everyone will tell you, it's too early
and the biggest fact is, you don't have enough experience, search s.b. in Bulgaria who can show you the proper handling (and I bet he won't do that until you're 18)

Regards

Hello Martin,

have you ever kept non-venemous snakes? If yes, what species?

In my opinion, without looking at the age of a person, experience with non-hots is one of the conditions for keeping hots.

Any venemous snake may harm you seriously or even kill you under certain conditions. I would not like to rely on skills and experience in any doctors, even not with a bite from a V. ammodytes in Bulgaria where some doctors may have experience with bites of this species and antivenin may be available.

Your best start for hots would be some fast, greedy and defensive / aggressive non-venemous snakes as teachers.

Rainer

Günter: Even if Martin reminds a lot of D. Mintram, let´s give him a chance??!!

Rainer Fesser wrote:: Hello Martin,

have you ever kept non-venemous snakes? If yes, what species?

In my opinion, without looking at the age of a person, experience with non-hots is one of the conditions for keeping hots.

Any venemous snake may harm you seriously or even kill you under certain conditions. I would not like to rely on skills and experience in any doctors, even not with a bite from a V. ammodytes in Bulgaria where some doctors may have experience with bites of this species and antivenin may be available.

Your best start for hots would be some fast, greedy and defensive / aggressive non-venemous snakes as teachers.

Rainer

Günter: Even if Martin reminds a lot of D. Mintram, let´s give him a chance??!!

I have just ball pythons and a boa. I'm looking for Elaphe obsoleta and a blood python because I haven't got space for a anaconda. I was thinking of getting a baby yellow anaconda and then sell it. Some people told me that it's a good snake to get a lot of experience from.

Guys who is this D. Mintram you all talk about?

James, yes, my fault.

or james,i dont know this guy.

Hi Sascha

He was on Venomland and got deleted....very young, very unfriendly, and didn't listen to other members...(he knew it "better" you know? Laughing

)

Now i know what you all mean Wink

Hello Martin,

let´s get back to your topic.

The snakes you have are a good start. If you look at them closely, they can help you to get experience but don´t think these species (most of them slow and/or usually very calm, even the yellow anaconda) give you much training for venemous species. That might lead to a bad end. Maybe you can find some snakes that are fast, usually not calm and that have to be treated very carefully to get or keep them calm. An occasional bite from these would show you any of your mistakes in handling them and teach you about the right behaviour towards snakes that might defend themselves or bite your hand because they regard it as a food item, which is much more common than an "aggressive" or defensive bite.

I wish you much luck on your way to being an experienced snakekeeper,
Rainer

I never gave my opinion to such a thread but now I should do it once.

In my opinion there is no real starter hot snake. You have to watch the worst case. What is the worst case? To get bitten by an albolabris and loose a finger because of the necrotic parts in the venom or get bitten by some cobra spec and spend some hollidays in an artificial respiration and after that everything might be fine?
The lost finger keeps a problem for all time.

I would decide because of the behaviour of the snake. In my mind a relatively calm rattler like Cr. horridus atricaudatus that can kill you 10 times or more is better then a stupid acting trimi that jumps from the tree in you direction to get you.
I have handled a lot and I would decide this way - because the best way is not to get bitten by a snake.

Newbie Number of posts : 34 Points : 5280 Registration date : 2010-08-09

Martin, ball pythons and boa are very nice snakes to keep!
Why does it have to be Hot?

Best starter Hot in any case is the one that interests you.
Snake does not have to be insanely venomous to be cool.
Breeding snakes, documenting them, perhaps observing in the wild...
These are all aspects of the hobby, not just the fact that your pet can kill you.

Try heterodon or some other fiesty specie; they rule!
Slightly venomous, might cost a little, could be a beginning of a great hobby.
I mean f%&k the Black Mamba if you can witness those hognosed- buggers to roll over and play dead.

Janne Penttinen wrote:: Martin, ball pythons and boa are very nice snakes to keep!
Why does it have to be Hot?

Best starter Hot in any case is the one that interests you.
Snake does not have to be insanely venomous to be cool.
Breeding snakes, documenting them, perhaps observing in the wild...
These are all aspects of the hobby, not just the fact that your pet can kill you.

Try heterodon or some other fiesty specie; they rule!
Slightly venomous, might cost a little, could be a beginning of a great hobby.
I mean f%&k the Black Mamba if you can witness those hognosed- buggers to roll over and play dead.

Thanks for the replies!
I like all snakes but the hots have been my favorite since I was 4-5 years old. I don't like them because they are venomous. Georgi I can always buy a snake from another country.

Newbie Number of posts : 34 Points : 5280 Registration date : 2010-08-09

i have seen this subject in so many forums allready and it never gets old it seems .
well to me it is getting old but i ll give my two cents anyway .
i ll have to agree with jörg to a point there is no beginners hot snake , only hots that will hurt you , some more some less

as most of the others said get a non venemous snake wich is fast , aggresive but also esay in keeping , best owuld be to find some aboreal colubride like a gonyosoma species or a beauty snake .
other then that try to find osme rear fanged süecies or aspidelaps , there bite will hurt you but you wont necessarly die or lose limps

martin , just wait osm more years read and learn bout hots and then you can still decide if thats something oyu think you can handle

I am learning a lot from my Epicrates cenchria c. - especially the female tries to bite me every time I handle her. And those boas are rather fast as I learned Wink

Well, I guess it is my special appeal to women Very Happy

Newbie Number of posts : 34 Points : 5280 Registration date : 2010-08-09

A nonvenomous snake can never fully prepare you for a viper or elapid but there are non venomous snakes that will teach you a lesson i have yet to find any species of trimerusurus that are harder yo handle with a hook than C. Hortulanus, maybe thats because of size?
C. Hortulanus also make great practice snakes from the bite perspective since getting bit by a larger one really hurts.

But once you decide to go forthat first hot its the one that intrests you the most that is the best (Within certain limitations of course!) if you like arboreals almost any of the more commonly kept trimerusurus like Albolabris, Puniceus or Purpereomaculatus (Which is perhaps the best?)
wouls do or if your interested in american pitvipers maybe Agkistrodon Contortrix, Crotalus Cerastes Cercobombus or any of the Sistrurus would make a nice choice?

Ive always liked the Old world vipers like Daboia, Macrovipera and Montivipera and my first snakes were Montivipera raddei raddei which made great captives provided you take time to understand the particular species.
My pair never posed any husbandry issues and although they are aggressive, fast, large and have a quite nasty venom i have grown in skill as the snakes grew in size which makes all the difference.

Make sure to get well working Captive born juveniles of whatever snake you decide to get and youre on the right track Very Happy

Since this topic appears consistently on ALL venomous forums repeatedly, I think we should turn this around and list the characteristics that are desireable in the first venomous snake kept. Here are a few requirements that I think are important and I am sure other members can add to the list.
1. Small adult size, under 1M.
2. Easily hookable, normally non-aggressive (eliminating those species that strike evertime you open the cage).
3. Readilly feeds in captivity and rarely have shedding problems.
4. Antivenom should be readilly available.
5. Captive born well started juvenile- to allow the snake and keeper to grow up together.
6. Since we all know that each snake is an individual, knowledge gained from the producer/seller about that particular snake should be important.

What are other desireable characteristics?