Hot trainers?

[boosh96]

I'm very interested in venomous snakes, and I was wondering what kind of nonvenomous snakes would make the best "trainers" for keeping arboreal vipers and stuff? I'm thinking about getting a "training" snake, then working up to a mangrove snake, then an arboreal HOT, namely a Wagler's viper-I've heard they're pretty laid back, plus they're incredible snakes!

[alessia55]

Kim (who owns hots herself) posted this in your other thread and it answers your question pretty well...

There are various ways to go about getting experience with non-hot species, depending on what hots you intend to eventually keep. If your goal is to work with arboreal vipers, an aggressive GTP would allow to get some training....again, it's NOT the same thing, and is NOT an alternative to good mentoring, but it will help you get quicker with hooks and anticipate bites and movements.
If you wish to work with elapids, I'd recommend a red-tail green rat snake, or a tiger rat snake. Both are fast, agile, typically aggressive species, and if you can get good with one of those on a hook, you will have a much easier time getting used to working with elapids. HOwever, it's not going to prepare you anywhere near as well as a mentor would.

[boosh96]

Would an ATB make a good training snake for an arboreal viper? Or would a nasty garter/water snake make a good trainer for a rattler or copperhead?

[youngster]

A nerodia would be better than a garter for viper training.
A big nasty water snake can draw A LOT of blood :p

[boosh96]

Which hot, anyway, would make a best first hot? And which type of snake makes the best trainer for that particular hot? I'm thinking about a water snake, then working up to a pigmy rattler or copperhead, or an ATB and working up to, say, an eyelash viper or something.

[youngster]

I dunno, you're asking the wrong person :)
Maybe Kim or another venomous keeper will be able to answer your question.

[millertime89]

maybe just keep posting in your other thread instead of creating a new one?

[boosh96]

Sounds like a plan!

[stephanbakir]

Instead of a water snake.. try something like a red tailed green rat, an angry Taiwan beauty snake... any of the arboreal colubrids is fine... just try and find the most aggressive/defensive one you can and work with that...

None of the above stated information will teach you what a mentor will and that should be your first step. (most mentors won't take you till your older... maybe give it a few years?)