closest antivenin bank?

[Reticsrule]

i live in PA and the only AV bank i know of on the east coast is the one in Florida? does anyone know if there are any AV banks closer to me? and if there isn't could i join the one in Florida or is that too far away? im planning on keeping exotic hots when i get older and im planning on doing it as safely as i can. i would stock my own AV but from what ive heard and read so far it seems to be very difficult to obtain.

[joeysgreen]

Go to kingsnake.com, venomous reptiles forum, and specifically ask this to Al (phobos). He runs the antivenom bank.

[Reticsrule]

thanks for replying. ive seen him post on kingsnake and he seems like a very knowlegable person so ill be sure to ask him.

[psilocybe]

Al Coritz (phobos) and Matt Harris are the two founders of the NEAVB (North Eastern Antivenin Bank). As of now, there is no antivenom stocked, as they are still going through the buearocratic red tape to get the bank up and running...however, they would be based in your neck of the woods (New York I believe). Cheapest insurance policy anyone could buy.

EDIT: Just saw you are only 14...so by the time you are ready to keep hots, the NEAVB should be running in full order (hopefully!) :)

[Reticsrule]

thanks for the info. it really helped. im glad to see that there will hopefully be an AV bank up here soon. however, i made a post about this on kingsnake and was told by Al that by the time i am able to keep hots they will probably be illegal everywhere. im really hoping this doesnt happen:(

[cottonmouth89]

I know Al personally and he is a very good guy. The NEAVB is stationed in PA. Last thing I heard the have been able to get everything in order and will be starting to get memberships up too. Psilocybe why do you always bring in age to everthing. I know 14 years which are very capable and do keep venomous snakes.

[psilocybe]

I know Al personally and he is a very good guy. The NEAVB is stationed in PA. Last thing I heard the have been able to get everything in order and will be starting to get memberships up too. Psilocybe why do you always bring in age to everthing. I know 14 years which are very capable and do keep venomous snakes.

I think if you go and ask most venomous keepers, as well as non-venomous keepers, most will agree that one should wait AT LEAST until they are 18 before they start keeping venomous. Al Coritz is definitely one of the people with this opinion as well, if you know him personally, you should know this. The reason is that 99.99% of 14 year olds are simply too immature to be keeping an animal that poses the risks of a venomous snake. I'm sure there are some very responsible 14 year olds out there, but the vast majority of them lack the responsibility to safely and properly keep venomous.

Please don't act ignorant and act like I am the only hardass who thinks kids shouldn't keep hots. Almost all responsible keepers would agree. If you want proof, go look up threads on KS, TRR, etc. and look at the names of people stating the same things I do.

[kronic2005]

I think if you go and ask most venomous keepers, as well as non-venomous keepers, most will agree that one should wait AT LEAST until they are 18 before they start keeping venomous. Al Coritz is definitely one of the people with this opinion as well, if you know him personally, you should know this. The reason is that 99.99% of 14 year olds are simply too immature to be keeping an animal that poses the risks of a venomous snake. I'm sure there are some very responsible 14 year olds out there, but the vast majority of them lack the responsibility to safely and properly keep venomous.

Please don't act ignorant and act like I am the only hardass who thinks kids shouldn't keep hots. Almost all responsible keepers would agree. If you want proof, go look up threads on KS, TRR, etc. and look at the names of people stating the same things I do.

Most of the 14 year olds i know in canada that keep boas and other snakes are very well capable of handling hots. I myself feel i would be able to handle hots. So i geuss whereever your from the children around there dont mature very quick. But here, Ive met 14 year olds that seem more mature then yourself. To base someones capabilities on their age is wrong to a certain degree. But thats just how you were raised i geuss. Everyone is different and people are going to have to accept that, If a 14 year old feels hes ready for hots, and his guardians do to. then so be it. And hes 14 right now, he doesnt plan to get hots for a few years. SO i dont see why your complaining.

[psilocybe]

Most of the 14 year olds i know in canada that keep boas and other snakes are very well capable of handling hots. I myself feel i would be able to handle hots. So i geuss whereever your from the children around there dont mature very quick. But here, Ive met 14 year olds that seem more mature then yourself. To base someones capabilities on their age is wrong to a certain degree. But thats just how you were raised i geuss. Everyone is different and people are going to have to accept that, If a 14 year old feels hes ready for hots, and his guardians do to. then so be it. And hes 14 right now, he doesnt plan to get hots for a few years. SO i dont see why your complaining.

Okay, let's apply your logic to other areas and see how much sense it makes:

1. No driving age...hell, if you are 11 and responsible, you must be able to command 2000 lbs of steel, so lets give you a license.

2. No drinking age...you guys are responsible enough, let's just let you buy all the alcohol you want.

3. No voting age. I suppose most 14 year olds are politically aware enough to decide who runs our country...funny, considering most adults aren't aware enough to make that decision (but you have to allow them at some point), but I guess kids are.

4. No gambling age. Hell, you kids are so smart, let's let you gamble away your piggy-bank savings.

Does any of that make sense? Hell no. Should 14 year olds be allowed to drive? Probably not. Why? Because MOST of them are not mature enough to safely do so. Should 14 year olds be allowed to drink? No. Why? Because MOST of them are not mature enough to safely do so. Should 14 year olds be allowed to vote? No. Why? Because most of them think they are smarter than they really are. Should 14 year olds be allowed to gamble? No. Why? For the same reasons I've detailed for everything else. So...

Should 14 year olds be allowed to keep hots? Well, in most instances, no, IMO at least. I'm not saying there aren't 14 year olds that are responsible enough to safely do so, just as there are 14 year olds responsible enough to drive, and drink, etc...but the fact that MOST of them aren't is the basis for my opinion.

Don't like my opinion? Great. I never asked you to agree with me. Phillip made a flipant comment about me "bringing age into everything", when I never made a comment antagonizing reticsrule, simply stating that the AV bank should be fully up and running by the time he's 18 (which is what MOST hot keepers would recommend the minimum age to begin keeping hots to be).

[cottonmouth89]

I am sorry but I personally can not really respect anyones opinon when their screen name is named after the magic mushroom family . Does Psilocybe cubenis ring any bells? Now really the only reason the Alcohol age limit is so high is because people in general are stupid and drink and drive. And yes I agree that most teenagers are not responsible enough. But last time I checked most people are not either. A majority of people that drink and drive are over the Drinking Age. I personally think that anyone keeping a Black Mamba in a personal collection is just ludacris. But people do it. Their is so many arguments. Really I think the number one reason that hot keepers state that 18 is the age, is because of legality. Not as much as responsibility. I know many people that are in their 20s and 30s and deffinately not responsible. Al knows that I keep venomous and is fine with it. Just everytime I talk to him he says be careful but I am. I have seen grown men put copperheads in there mouth to show off. I have never gotten out one of my snakes to show off to anybody. I only get them out to clean their cages and thats it.

[psilocybe]

I am sorry but I personally can not really respect anyones opinon when their screen name is named after the magic mushroom family . Does Psilocybe cubenis ring any bells? Now really the only reason the Alcohol age limit is so high is because people in general are stupid and drink and drive. And yes I agree that most teenagers are not responsible enough. But last time I checked most people are not either. A majority of people that drink and drive are over the Drinking Age. I personally think that anyone keeping a Black Mamba in a personal collection is just ludacris. But people do it. Their is so many arguments. Really I think the number one reason that hot keepers state that 18 is the age, is because of legality. Not as much as responsibility. I know many people that are in their 20s and 30s and deffinately not responsible. Al knows that I keep venomous and is fine with it. Just everytime I talk to him he says be careful but I am. I have seen grown men put copperheads in there mouth to show off. I have never gotten out one of my snakes to show off to anybody. I only get them out to clean their cages and thats it.


I'm certainly not begging for your respect, Phillip. Yes, you are correct that my username psilocybe refers to a genus of mushrooms known and used for their "hallucinogenic" effect...hallucinogenic not entirely being an accurate word for the state that they induce. You are obviously making some grave assumptions based solely on my username. For one, while I do infrequently use certain natural substances for personal and spiritual enlightenment, this in NO way impairs my ability to safely work with venomous reptiles. The reason for this is simple: I NEVER attempt to work with my animals when under the influence of ANYTHING, including things like lack of sleep. If and when I choose to engage in activities that would hinder my ability to perform certain tasks, I make sure those tasks are taken care of WELL before I proceed on to any activity. I am a full time student, and I work fulltime as well. In other words, I am a productive member of society, as well as a responsible herp keeper. I have NEVER been envenomated by a reptile before, and I think I owe it mainly to the fact that I am ultra-careful when working with them. So...your attempt to discredit me based on my username is fruitless. I don't suppose you target responsible users of alcohol in the same way, do you? I know MANY well respected hot keepers who definitely enjoy drinking...they just don't mix alcohol and reptiles. I don't see how me using other substances in a responsible manner would be any different.

Do some research Phillip (besides the DEA's website), and you will see that various cultures have used psychoactive plants for millenia in search of spiritual enlightenment. It is only in the last 60 years that our government has sought to control what people can and cannot put in their own bodies. I am not one of those guys that just want's to "see funny colors" or "trip out". I do not expect you to understand, but my intentions with certain compounds are PURELY noble. You make think I am crazy, but I assure you that if you spent 5 minutes talking to me in person you would see that I am a completely sane and rational person. So please save your snap-judgements for another person.

I do not condone or encourage ANYONE to use mind-altering chemicals. If one is not mentally ready for the experience, there can be serious negative consequences. However, I do sincerely believe that people are the sole sovereign rulers of their own bodies, and that, as long as it does not interfere or infringe with anyone else's rights, the government should NOT be allowed to tell me what I can or cannot put into my own body.

Enough of that soapbox. I implore you to do some research on the subject before you start slamming it Phillip. You may still not agree, but at least you'll have a more balanced view.

[psilocybe]

thanks for the info. it really helped. im glad to see that there will hopefully be an AV bank up here soon. however, i made a post about this on kingsnake and was told by Al that by the time i am able to keep hots they will probably be illegal everywhere. im really hoping this doesnt happen:(

Oh, and Phillip...as you can see by the text I highlighted in bold, apparently Al told reticsrule something along the same lines as I did...so I don't know why you got your panties in a wad about my comment made to someone else entirely...the sad part is, he appreciated my reply to HIM, while you took offense to a post not even concerning you.