i need venemous pointers...

[copperhead]

hey. i have been reading and rereading about poisonous snakes. i have been catching and looking for nonvenemous snakes for a long time. since i was like 7 i'm 18 know. i have a good amount of experience in handling snakes. just not venemous one. i have caught only one venemous snake. i caught a copper head about 6 days ago. he was a little thing. whatever you guys can do for me. i would love it.

I don't catch them to keep them. just to look at them for a while in a bucket then i let them go...

Thanx for any help in advance.

[BWSmith]

If you are not experienced in hooking, I would recommend an investment in a pair of Gentle Giant Tongs from www.tongs.com . Some coppers hook great, others are wet noodles. I learned tonight about one of my new coppers that the touch of a hook to her skin is like lighting a firecracker in her rear!

When hunting for hots, i know this is a cliche, but be VERY careful! Lifting that piece of tin with your fingers under it might have bad concequences.

Congrats on your find. Coppers are still one of my favorites.

[copperhead]

thanx man. i'm only have a homemade hook that i made out of a pole and nail. i'm going to make a better contraption later.

[BWSmith]

I would recommend buying one from Midwest at www.tongs.com . Best money you will ever spend. Is that money worth keeping all your fingers? ;)

[SCReptiles]

I would agree wholeheartedly with BW. Midwest is the industry standard. If you intend to buy professional hooks or tongs, make sure you use Midwest. I also understand not everyone has the money to invest, especially young herpers. You can construct useable hooks by going to Lowe’s and buying the rubber coated hooks intended to screw into garage walls for storing tools. You can then screw those hooks into a long piece of wood, such as a rake handle. I would suggest making it about 40”. You can get your self a decent set of hooks for about $6. Many snakes out of the field will run right off of the hooks. Make sure you practice with a few rat snakes and learn how to keep them away from your body. If you get in trouble, don’t be afraid to through the hooks down and step back. Better to lose the snake then a finger. Keep that screw top bucket you have and drill a few “small” air holes in it. I think they are much safer to capture, transport, and view venomous snakes. Good luck, keep us posted on how you do.

[copperhead]

yeah. i think i'll do that. i'm trying to figure out a way of making my own tongs as well... i try and make stuff before i buy it.
thanx for all your help...

[SCReptiles]

I don’t know of an inexpensive way to make tongs. I believe one could by them from Midwest for about the same price as the materials would cost to build a quality set. When I was first starting I used a 24” set of BBQ tongs to move neonates. You can manipulate the ends to make them more snake friendly, but they are still not very safe and greatly increase the chances of injuring the snake. When I look back on some of the things I did, some still make sense, others….I wonder that I was thinking. =) I got started sometime around 1988. There was no internet then, and I didn’t have access to any books on venomous herpiculture, so I pretty much learned as I went. Young herpers today defiantly have an advantage. There are tons of information resources available now. I know you will hear a lot of crap from old herpers and I am sorry for that. I wish they wouldn’t be that way, but they are. Don’t let them discourage you from asking questions and learning all you can. If you are not already using the Southeastern Hot Herp Society page, I would suggest you check it out. www.VenomousReptiles.org . Also, we are dealers for Midwest, so when you are ready to buy a tong, contact me and we will cut you a good deal. www.SCReptiles.com Till then, I would suggest sticking to the hooks and bucket.

[fatboy]

Midwest is the way to go. I gust added a pair of the cheaper hooks they offr and they are great. I got a great deal on them too thanks to SCReptiles.

[JoeBradley]

My advise:
be safe
have fun
try to find someone that enjoys the hobby too so you do not have to herp alone.

[Mike177]

I am not a venoumus keeper but i have to completly agree with getting things from Midwest. I like u probly where at some point am 14 and I LOVE to go herping with freinds in swamps for watersnakes and go out and cach ratsnakes and soon i am going out to my freinds rach where there are supposevly TONS of coachwhips. but like I was saying i have 2 midwest hooks and some gental giant snake tongs. now personaly i am not a big fan of the tongs but when you dealing with a snake that can swim away from you faster than an eye blink there nice to have around. there a little expencive if you ask me but the great servace you get from them is worth every penny!!! they have a life time warenty on ALL there produts, once i had a hook that was shipped out late and to say they where sorry they shipped me a new hook so now i have 2 and once when i had a spring break on my gental giants i called them and told them and they just said ship it them they will fix it for free and ship it back to me. NO IF, AND, OR BUTS!!! they didnt ask any questions at all. like i said some of there stuff is a bit on the steep side but there products are made to last, have a lifetime warenty, and they BY FAR have the best costomer sevace out of any company I know of so if your looking for snake stuff. You Just cant beat midwest!!!