IT is Illegal to own and easter Garter in GA

[C.Phillips]

I reallly would like to have one but eastern garters or any kind of garters requir special permits in GA to have

[Nafun]

Eastern garters require a permit in Ohio as well, because they're native wildlife. Permit is probably pretty cheap though, it's only $20/year here.

[C.Phillips]

yeah I want a copperhead and a rattlesnake as well i have caught them both in the wild befor but not sure how to house them

[Nafun]

Do you have:

Access to antivenom?
Tens of thousands of dollars of disposable income?
Experience keeping hot (venomous) snakes?
Appropriate gear, including a snake hook and glove?

If you answered no to any of those questions, a hot snake is not for you.

Snake bites can be lethal, and WILL require hospitalization. Antivenom is ~$1000 per vial, and it can take 7+ vials to treat a single bite. In addition, no insurance will cover any costs related to a bite from a captive hot. Thinking about claiming it was a wild snake? They will investigate, and they only have to think it was from a captive snake to refuse coverage, they don't need proof.

Hots tend to be vicious little bastards, because they know they can defend themselves. Even if you exercise extreme caution, there is a very real chance that you will get bitten. I won't say "it only takes a single lapse of concentration to get bitten" because it doesn't. You can do everything right and still get bitten.

If you really are intent on getting a hot, I recommend doing the following.

1> Volunteer at the nearest zoo or animal park that keeps hot snakes, you want hands on experience under the wing of an experienced herpetologist before you put your life in your own hands.

2> Get a very aggressive non venomous snake, like a lake erie watersnake. Practice your husbandry on that for at least a year. Every time it bites you, remember that if it was a hot, you would now be facing a hospital stay, a painful recovery, and a 6 figure hospital bill. Assuming it didn't kill you.

If, after getting the requisite hot experience, and mastering the husbandry with a "practice" snake, you still want to keep a hot, knock yourself out. Just be careful, because if you get bitten it hurts everyone, not just you.

[C.Phillips]

Im not talking about right now but later in life I have read all the venomus debates and yes theres a guy 20 miles up the road who has antivenome for every snake in my region and keeps them all aswell so i am going to see about him mentoring me befor i even think bout getting a hot

[Lankyrob]

Fair play - no one is saying that you shouldn't do it but it is something that needs doing right - we don't want to read about ANYONE having been hospitalised due to a snake attack (hot or not!) partly because we like our fellow forum members and consider them as friends and also because of the damage it does to our hobby to have bad snake stories in the news.

Good luck with it (and of course lets have some photo's down the line when you are ready!!!)

[percey39]

This debate always makes me shiver as it always gets heated and tempers flare. Nafun has given some good sound advice. There is no better experience than persnoal experience, but you need to start off with a mentor. Learn the tricks of the trade first. Also practice hooking some of your faster and smaller colubrids or pythons if you dont own any colubridae. Hots are extremely quick and dont like to stay still for too long, this makes them quite intimidating when starting out. It only gets better when they are older and able to go from one end of the tank to the other with their mouth open in the blink of an eye.

[shaunyboy]

This debate always makes me shiver as it always gets heated and tempers flare. Nafun has given some good sound advice. There is no better experience than persnoal experience, but you need to start off with a mentor. Learn the tricks of the trade first. Also practice hooking some of your faster and smaller colubrids or pythons if you dont own any colubridae. Hots are extremely quick and dont like to stay still for too long, this makes them quite intimidating when starting out. It only gets better when they are older and able to go from one end of the tank to the other with their mouth open in the blink of an eye.


i would take on board what perceys saying as after all at the end of the day its your life that your taking in your own hands.a good mentor is what you need to track down.
cheers shaun

[infernalis]

seems we are deviating from legal garters in Georgia.

[percey39]

haha yes we are wayne, sorry. Im sure wayne will be able to help you with garter situation. I would assume permits would be pretty cheap. Also wayne is your man for some pretty sweet garters aswell