sidewinder help

[skrillex]

does anybody know if a sidewinder is a good starter hot for a beigginer or can u give me any suggestions thanks

[youngster]

I don't think it is. Feisty little vipers. Do you mean the Sidewinder of America or the Peringuey's Adder? Eyelash Vipers are pretty good starter hot from what I've seen. I don't really know though.

[skrillex]

the american sidewinder what would you suggest i get

[Uncle_Rev]

Talk to your folks, find a mentor, and really do some research on the particular type of snake you want.

[skrillex]

i found what i want a false water cobra i heard those are good begginer hots. ima get more experience before i get a really dangerous hot

[stephanbakir]

All hots are dangerous.
My advice is find a mentor and train under him for at least a year, once you have done that you should have a base understanding which will help you decide when the time eventually comes.

[takagari]

And stop opening a new thread because you question changes a little bit.

[Will0W783]

There are NO "starter hots." No venomous snake comes with training wheels. That being said, there are hots that are less likely to kill you than others, but as was pointed out in your false water cobra thread, no one knows how they will react to venom until they are bitten. I personally know two people who were bitten by Atheris ceratophora (horned bush viper)- one didn't need antivenin, had no necrosis and only suffered mild swelling and a blood blister. The other person had moderate necrosis, needed antivenin, and spent 6 months recovering. He still does not have proper feeling in the bitten finger.
Toxinology.com lists that species are a mild viper; however, even a mild hot can kill the person unlucky enough to be allergic. In addition, many people are allergic to antivenin and suffer anaphylactic shock.

I cannot stress enough that you should not rush into hots. Get a mentor, do research, think long and hard about the decision. By owning a venomous reptile, you are putting your life and the lives of everyone in your house at risk...every single day. It is not a decision to be taken lightly.
If you do decide to go ahead, I strongly advise you to work with angry, aggressive non-vens first. Red tail green ratsnakes make excellent practice, as do Spilotes, green tree pythons and emerald tree boas. All of these will pack a rough bite, but have no venom. Once you are comfortable with those species, and can work without being bitten, move on to "warm" snakes, like false water cobra, mangrove snakes and cat-eyed snakes.

[youngster]

No venomous snake comes with training wheels.

Haha, did you steal that from viperkeeper or is it just a coincidence? :P

[BlindOne]

There are NO "starter hots." No venomous snake comes with training wheels. That being said, there are hots that are less likely to kill you than others, but as was pointed out in your false water cobra thread, no one knows how they will react to venom until they are bitten. I personally know two people who were bitten by Atheris ceratophora (horned bush viper)- one didn't need antivenin, had no necrosis and only suffered mild swelling and a blood blister. The other person had moderate necrosis, needed antivenin, and spent 6 months recovering. He still does not have proper feeling in the bitten finger.

As far as I know, there is no antivenin for any of the Atheris species. I wonder what they gave your friend? Hemotoxic polyvalent?

[KD35WIN.AS.ONE]

As far as I know, there is no antivenin for any of the Atheris species. I wonder what they gave your friend? Hemotoxic polyvalent?


South African polyvalent will reverse the effects of venom for all most all species of Atheris.


And to the OP:

Why do you want to keep venomous snakes?

[takagari]

Cause it's cool!

[youngster]

Cause it's cool!

Yeah unfortunately that's the case most of the time :no:

[ilovemypets1988]

also another thing that should be noted here:

even if the bite doesnt kill you, getting the wrong antivenin will kill you - allergic or not.

in my personal opinion, if you want to get into hots, i would firstly get the hognose as it bluffs alot of aggression and will help you get used to the more stronger and faster species, also even though its classed as venomous, the fangs are so far down its throat that it will be hard to sink them in and your more likely to get a `fake` bite than a real 1.

but that is my personal opinion and no doubt that alot of people will disagree with me on that.

[takagari]

I'll be getting an eyelash once my room is done. But I also did a lot of research, have hook handled everything I own. And never once been tagged :) I'm cautious even with balls

[Will0W783]

I did use that training wheels line from viperkeeper- I follow his videos closely, and that saying really hits home I think. I think he takes a lot of unnecessary risks with the hots, but he's been keeping for years and has a lot of experience. I still feel that the day you get comfortable and relax is the day you're going to get hit. There is no species of venomous that is "good" for beginners- or anyone for that matter. It's just a choice. And there is nothing wrong with the choice- as long as proper research and training has been done. Skrillex, please do more research and get a venomous mentor- I'd hate to see you end up a statistic.

[SkYyaMe1623]

And to the OP:

Why do you want to keep venomous snakes?

Why do you?