Cobras as pets...

[harlequinnz]

I know it's not necessarily "smart" for everyone... But does anyone on here have any Elapids? It'd be interesting if so! I think I want to get one in the future. I follow a guy on instagram (@chrisweeet) and he has amazing vipers, and cobras that are so docile it's ridiculous, they don't even hood up! And a bunch of other pets! So I'm just asking for some "future" tips here, I guess. Mostly just curious to see if there's any owners on here of such beautiful animals.

[Primal Rage]

Hey harlequins! I think there may be a couple elapid keepers here however you would more likely connect with them in the venomous forums. I will ad that if you are in acworth ga the chances of you ever legally owning any non native venomous are slim to none. It can be done however it is very difficult.

[dave himself]

I don't work with them myself, but I see people dealing with them on a regular basis. I think if your not used to dealing with hots a cobra wouldn't be a good idea for you're first snake. There are a few hot keepers on here hopefully one of them will be along with better advice than I've given :)

[sattva]

I've always wanted a Albino Western Diamondback Rattlesnake every since I saw one in this guy's collection, his little tail rattling, I thought was way cool...

But lately I've Had to Nix my snakes, and I wouldn't want rangle a rattlesnake to do this, so I pretty glad I don't have one at the moment...

My wife is standing on the "snake brake" with both feet right now, so 5 may be my limit any how...

[harlequinnz]

Hey harlequins! I think there may be a couple elapid keepers here however you would more likely connect with them in the venomous forums. I will ad that if you are in acworth ga the chances of you ever legally owning any non native venomous are slim to none. It can be done however it is very difficult.

Yeah, that's why I said in the future, haha. I'd most likely have to move and stuff. But yeah I'm still trying to figure out how to work this site ya know.. Haha thanks though! :)

[BillyCostume]

I don't think chris sweet on Instagram is a good example on how to work with hots. I've seen his account before and he free handles all his snakes. I don't know how in the world he's still alive lol

[Scubadiver59]

Watch the ViperKeeper (VK) videos if you want to find out what it's like to keep Elapids, etc. He's a crusty old *******, but he's brutally honest, and has been keeping deadly snakes since he was 16 and he's now in his 60's (I think). He has over 150 snakes, all deadly, and has plenty of insight, information, etc.

Watch his FAQ videos, especially the one from 2012 (I think) where he mentions something about deadly snake handling workshops at some of the zoos. They aren't free, but it will get you basic experience before you work with someone else for further education, something he highly recommends before even thinking of getting your own. He also keeps a shotgun handy for killing snakes that get loose...imagine if someone else got bitten by a snake that got loose.

You will need vials of anti-venom, especially for the Elapids, since you will most probably get bit at some point. VK was bitten a year or two ago by a Black Mamba (I think) and he was in the hospital for two days, used his own supply of anti-venom, and still racked up a $12k hospital stay. Anti-venom goes for $6k+ per vial, and even Rattlesnake bites can consume 5-6 vials. There are plenty of stories of bite victims racking up almost $100k hospital bills during a week's stay for treatment. Can you afford that?

Good luck if you ever get one, and I hope I never read about you in the Darwin Awards news feeds.

[harlequinnz]

I don't think chris sweet on Instagram is a good example on how to work with hots. I've seen his account before and he free handles all his snakes. I don't know how in the world he's still alive lol

Yeah that's understandable. Everyone has their own opinion. He has been bitten by one before lol

[harlequinnz]

Watch the ViperKeeper (VK) videos if you want to find out what it's like to keep Elapids, etc. He's a crusty old *******, but he's brutally honest, and has been keeping deadly snakes since he was 16 and he's now in his 60's (I think). He has over 150 snakes, all deadly, and has plenty of insight, information, etc.

Watch his FAQ videos, especially the one from 2012 (I think) where he mentions something about deadly snake handling workshops at some of the zoos. They aren't free, but it will get you basic experience before you work with someone else for further education, something he highly recommends before even thinking of getting your own. He also keeps a shotgun handy for killing snakes that get loose...imagine if someone else got bitten by a snake that got loose.

You will need vials of anti-venom, especially for the Elapids, since you will most probably get bit at some point. VK was bitten a year or two ago by a Black Mamba (I think) and he was in the hospital for two days, used his own supply of anti-venom, and still racked up a $12k hospital stay. Anti-venom goes for $6k+ per vial, and even Rattlesnake bites can consume 5-6 vials. There are plenty of stories of bite victims racking up almost $100k hospital bills during a week's stay for treatment. Can you afford that?

Good luck if you ever get one, and I hope I never read about you in the Darwin Awards news feeds.

Lol, I'm subscribed to him on YouTube. I haven't seen the old videos, but will check them out

[TRD]

The amount of dedication and risks involved with venomous snakes is huge. Imagine stuck eye-cap on a 6' Forest Cobra. Good luck. Also to find a vet if you need one... and not to mention getting tagged in the face. Elapids are fantastic snakes, very alert, very fast (well, most). But you sure as hell need to know what you're doing or you're in a world of ****. The only Cobra that is somewhat calm, for as far as calm goes with that species, is the Water Cobra (N. annulata). Yet if it bites you, you need serious help.

And since you follow VK on YT, here;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5VMAz57KSs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UM8QLanfzvc

[Scubadiver59]

ViperKeeper pulled off two 6-layer eye-caps off of a Cobra he received...just watched the video the other day. He went about it like it was nothing...ViperKeeper has some "big ones", that's for sure! :rolleyes:

The amount of dedication and risks involved with venomous snakes is huge. Imagine stuck eye-cap on a 6' Forest Cobra. Good luck. Also to find a vet if you need one... and not to mention getting tagged in the face. Elapids are fantastic snakes, very alert, very fast (well, most). But you sure as hell need to know what you're doing or you're in a world of ****. The only Cobra that is somewhat calm, for as far as calm goes with that species, is the Water Cobra (N. annulata). Yet if it bites you, you need serious help.

And since you follow VK on YT, here;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5VMAz57KSs

[trailblazer295]

From what I've seen you need stones like boulders or no fear of death. Doesn't seem to be a middle ground.

[dave himself]

I see three cobras delt with on a regular basis, each one has a different personalities. The spitter is quite calm, hoods up now again and very rarely spits. The Naja Naja is a bit more defensive hoods and strikes most of the time. And the albino is a nut job she just wants to bite anything that's near her all the time. I stay well clear of them all, now don't get me wrong they're awesome snakes and I could watch them all day from behind glass. But when it's time for to deep clean the vivs I stay well clear and leave it to guy's who've worked with them for a long time. Watching videos is fine but when it comes to the real thing it's a completely different matter, please don't think I'm being cheeky or attacking you in anyway. But has stated above at sometime you're going to have to get up close and personal with them such as, remove eyecaps, retained shed. I've watched this being done, and I was sweating bullets, never mind having to do it myself. Once again I'm not being cheeky, just merely telling you from what I've seen and trying to be helpful :)

[Scubadiver59]

I just watched a VK vid where he had a stuck shed on one of his vipers...I liked the clear tube he used to keep the "pointy end" encased and controlled while he pulled off the stuck shed from its tail. Nice touch that.

I see three cobras delt with on a regular basis, each one has a different personalities. The spitter is quite calm, hoods up now again and very rarely spits. The Naja Naja is a bit more defensive hoods and strikes most of the time. And the albino is a nut job she just wants to bite anything that's near her all the time. I stay well clear of them all, now don't get me wrong they're awesome snakes and I could watch them all day from behind glass. But when it's time for to deep clean the vivs I stay well clear and leave it to guy's who've worked with them for a long time. Watching videos is fine but when it comes to the real thing it's a completely different matter, please don't think I'm being cheeky or attacking you in anyway. But has stated above at sometime you're going to have to get up close and personal with them such as, remove eyecaps, retained shed. I've watched this being done, and I was sweating bullets, never mind having to do it myself. Once again I'm not being cheeky, just merely telling you from what I've seen and trying to be helpful :)

[dave himself]

I just watched a VK vid where he had a stuck shed on one of his vipers...I liked the clear tube he used to keep the "pointy end" encased and controlled while he pulled off the stuck shed from its tail. Nice touch that.


Once again mate I don't mean to be cheeky, but as I said videos are all well and good. But when you're actually there with the snake in front of you it's a different matter, and things don't always go according to plan. I love watching VKs videos to :), but even he has some scary moments. Look for the one where he's trying to box black mambas and ends up getting charged by one of them :eek:. It's one of the older videos and I can't remember the title but well worth a watch

[TRD]

That guy makes it look easy, but he has like 40+ years experience working with hots and he knows his snakes very very well. But even if you know your snakes, you still work as securely as you can, because of crap like this;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVy_kW44bV0

Now getting a bite from a Gaboon, you have a real big problem. TBH I would rather have a Mamba bite, then one of those snakes which will rot a limb off with cytotoxins.

[Bandit]

I've only minimally worked with Cobras. While I enjoy doing it occasionally (while in the company of very experienced people), I can say with certainty that I'll never keep them. My suggestion would be before even really considering getting one, find some person or people who are willing to show you how to work with them. I'm sure there has to be at least one person within driving distance of you who is willing to do it. I say this because getting a snake you don't know how to handle is fine...when it's nonvenomous. This isn't the sort of snake you want to just buy one day and experiment and "learn" on your own.

On a side note, check into local laws and any permits you may need. I know this is a future consideration, but it's something to keep in mind.

And on one last note after all of the precautionary stuff...they are very cool snakes. The cobra keepers I know absolutely love them. And I really like them as well, they just aren't a snake I'd want to keep. So if you're really serious about this, definitely do research, get some handling time in before buying, and good luck!