dwa start.

[kenchenzo]

hi everyone what is the best dwa snake to start with out of these three.

cobra.
tiger snake.
rattle snake

thanks everyone.

[gonesnakee]

None of the above LOL
Best bet is to go with the suggestion of the Hot Keeper that you have been training under for the last year or more.
If you have not been training under an experienced Hot keeper as stated NONE of the above, Mark

[shaunyboy]

mark above has pretty much already said what i was thinking mate

you really should get a mentor who has dealt with hots for a long period of time

then learn all you can from them and they will tell you when your ready to go it alone

hots can kill after all...!!


also theres only one place in the whole of the uk that carries anti venom that being the tropical medicine university in liverpool

cheers shaun

[gonesnakee]

On that note if you cannot stock your own antivenom or have direct access to a supply of it no Hots should be kept.
A proper ERP (Emergency Response Plan) is a MUST when keeping venomous, if not all you are is a liability to responsible keepers & society. Mark

[Lankyrob]

Just to add there is anti venin kept at Filton Hospital in Bristol too, there are a number of private keepers and breeders in the bristol area and Frenchay hospital is their medical station.

[TylerWortman]

what does DWA stand for, Deathly With Attitude haha

[Reptile_Reptile]

i think either way someone should answer him because despite your flaming (i'm pretty sure everyone needs a seminar for this) he still might go get one so maybe you should impart wisdom and possible save a live he didnt ask wether he should get one or not he asked which is best so instead of calling a bluff just help out is that so hard?

[gonesnakee]

i think either way someone should answer him because despite your flaming (i'm pretty sure everyone needs a seminar for this) he still might go get one so maybe you should impart wisdom and possible save a live he didnt ask wether he should get one or not he asked which is best so instead of calling a bluff just help out is that so hard?

If a person has to ask on an open forum they likely are no where near ready.
I would think a small rattler species would be best though, Mark

[Reptile_Reptile]

It does not matter what if he goes out and gets a cobra when the more placid snake is the tiger snake or whatever(i have no idea) and he gets tagged. When if he get a tiger snake he never gets tagged. Just answer the question and if you dont have anything nice to say find another thread where you do---- fyi this was all in caps

[gonesnakee]

It does not matter what if he goes out and gets a cobra when the more placid snake is the tiger snake or whatever(i have no idea) and he gets tagged. When if he get a tiger snake he never gets tagged. Just answer the question and if you dont have anything nice to say find another thread where you do---- fyi this was all in caps

You need to relax & get a grip.
What you call "flaming" those with a grip call solid advice, we are talking about venomous here ;) Nuff Said Mark

[Reptile_Reptile]

solid advice yea but then answer his question or even be like this one is best and then go to say but they will all try to bite you. if you give information your advice is more likely to be taken positively

[Freebody]

solid advice yea but then answer his question or even be like this one is best and then go to say but they will all try to bite you. if you give information your advice is more likely to be taken positively
Um because this is not a dumb question that is for the snakes well being, This question is Life or Death situation of human life, and it should be answered properly, not Hey yeah feel good, heres your answere! alow us to support you potensially killing yourself or worst case sinerio the snake is mishandled tags him gets away and kills some child as well. As for the original question, Please dont get a Hot until you get yourself a mentor and can see first hand by a Profesional hots keeper proper practice, and then get yourself one, and then pass on your wisdom to the next up and coming hots keeper, this is the way it is done, and for good reason. :) GL i hope you make the right choice and find yourself a mentor and get the hot you want and be safe and happy with your new found knoledge. i love hots myself and i would Love to get one, but for these reasons i will not. maybe one day ill choose im going to and then i will find a good mentor and start the long road it takes before i get one.

[DeesBalls]

hi everyone what is the best dwa snake to start with out of these three.

cobra.
tiger snake.
rattle snake

thanks everyone.

None, I think you should get some experience with them (if you dont have any) IF YOU DO HAVE experience, i always like cobras...

[Freebody]

i forgot to say that as well, if you have already done as we sugested, This is my all time favorite snake, The luecistic king cobra!!! Droooooool..... :)

[kenchenzo]

well that got a little carried away.
i won't be getting one any time soon.
i will be trained by a pro who works in the rspca & rescues hots all the time.
he currently has three cobras two rattles a gaboon viper & an eyelash viper.

[percey39]

DO NOT GET A TIGER SNAKE, i have heard there is little known about these guy's over there and im sure they would be extremely hard to get. I have not spoke to or seen anyone with one outside australia in a private collection. They are very unpredictable in their nature and readily strike without warning when they have a off day. Some of these guy's can be very placid and turn at flick of a switch. Cobra's are very similar i have been told and can be very aggressive if they are in a fould mood. None of these species are local to you country and would be a wise idea to keep a local species as the anti venom will be more readily available. Remember its not if you get bitten its when!
I have been told by my local hospital ( 5 mins away from my house ) that they only have anti venom for very few of the species i keep and that i would have to taken by ambulance to hospital 2 hours away that might have anti venom for my bite depending on species. This is not a major concern as i keep native animals and anti venom will only be a short flight away and will cost me nothing, but this will be very different in your case if you were to get foreign species.

[Reptile_Reptile]

solid reply

[BlindOne]

hi everyone what is the best dwa snake to start with out of these three.

cobra.
tiger snake.
rattle snake

thanks everyone.

Of those three, for a beginner, I'd say one of the smaller species of rattlesnake. If you do get bitten, it's less likely to be life threatening than a cobra or tiger snake.

It's hard to quantify the difference between a cobra and a rattlesnake LOL. It's a little easier to predict where a cobra is aimed at, they have to get their mouth on you and they strike slower. They also usually give you a warning with the threat display before they'll strike. A rattlesnake, man, they can aim anywhere and strike before you have a chance to react. I think the rattlesnakes are a little easier to hook and move around, they don't squirm as much IME.

Obviously, every snake is different, some are chill and some will try to tag you every chance they get. I almost prefer the angry ones because you are never tempted to get complacent with them.

Good luck on your training!

[shaunyboy]

You need to relax & get a grip.
What you call "flaming" those with a grip call solid advice, we are talking about venomous here ;) Nuff Said Mark


have to agree with mark mate

the op has in no way been flamed

mark is imo one of the most respected snake keepers on here.

once you've been on here a while you tend to get to know how people put themselves across

mark is always direct and informative and a very helpfull guy with years of hands on experience

im not flaming you but try to read through some of the old posts it may help you understand how a few of us are

imo this is one of the most informative and polite forums out there.

im sure once you settle in you'll see what i mean

cheers shaun

[shaunyboy]

to the op

please dont take anything said in the wrong way

what you have to understand is when someone comes on and posts about what hot should i get when they have no experience with hots it makes us all sit up and take notice

it as after all like mark said a human life we are concerned with saving

im 100% sure no malice was intened

cheers shaun

[SnakeyJay]

The fact that the guy doesnt know himself which is best to get shows that they shouldnt own a hot... it doesnt matter if a bite will put you in bed for a week n only might kill you, or if it will kill yopu in 10 minutes... its a risk that can and should be avoided.
Imagine getting tagged by a small rattler that wouldnt usually be life threatening, and then you drop dead because of an underlieing condition, or your body reacts bad to it...
Dude you will know the answer to your own question when your ready to make that step. I dnt mean to sound horrible btw, just opinions x

[gonesnakee]

well that got a little carried away.
i won't be getting one any time soon.
i will be trained by a pro who works in the rspca & rescues hots all the time.
he currently has three cobras two rattles a gaboon viper & an eyelash viper.

Sounds like you are going about things properly then as I had orginally suggested, good to hear you have a proper mentor to train under first.
I'm sure he will provide you with all the info you need to keep yourself, the snake(s) & the public safe.
Good points also mentioned on the native species part as that is quite often a big issue when folks get tagged.
Hospitals are pretty limited in what they have available to them & are more likely to stock antivenom for local species than foreign ones.
Good Luck with your training, Mark

[kenchenzo]

i asked which is best because keith has does get in all three & the idea was he would train me more with the snake i would be keeping myself eventually.
just wanted to know what everyone's own op was.
i think i should have put more info in the first post.

[Freebody]

let me know what you choose, i would love to hear some progress on the matter, hots are pretty damn sweet. i dont trust my self tho , even with training lol

[kenchenzo]

i will do that mate cheers.

[gonesnakee]

Important thing is you are going about it correctly & not rushing into anything.
You have your mentor who sounds like he has the required experience to properly train you.
You are researching things far in advance & asking others their thoughts & opinions in reguards to the whole thing as well.
Guys like yourself are not the problem when it comes to hots, its those that see how cheap they are & easy to obtain & go out & grab _______ that are the problem.
Kudos to you for doing things the right way, Mark

[kenchenzo]

thanks mate.
just take my time with it.
i still need to get the license all sorted as well.

[gonesnakee]

Where they are legal over here in Canada its as simple as buying one off of a wholesaler for a couple hundred bucks.
They are not regulated federally but rather provincially & then by the local areas bylaws.
If you live in an area with no bylaws & within a province with no provincial laws in regaurds to them its pretty much a freeforall thus why the wrong folks can easily get their hands on them unfortunately.
I live in Alberta in which all venomous are regulated & by permit only & the province does not issue them to private keepers only licensed facilities can keep them, Mark