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Old 11-20-14, 10:04 PM   #16
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Re: First hot???

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Where have you read about the musking? I haven't seen much on that and typically musking from most snakes happens when you handle them right?>
Another person on here was talking about it in another thread. She said her babies liked to musk a lot until they got used to human interaction.
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Old 11-20-14, 10:45 PM   #17
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Re: First hot???

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Where have you read about the musking? I haven't seen much on that and typically musking from most snakes happens when you handle them right?>

Anything that stresses/scares them can make them musk.
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Old 11-20-14, 10:55 PM   #18
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Re: First hot???

one of mine will musk on extremely rare occasions
and even when she dose its not a barn burner, it just stinks when your next to it but when you turn away it doesn't smell any more, like someone with bad breath lol..it shouldn't be enough to turn you off the entire species.
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Old 11-21-14, 12:31 PM   #19
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Re: First hot???

There is no good first hot really. That's like asking what is the best gun to buy first. It comes down to personal taste, skill level, and what other non-venomous species you have experience with.

For me, I had kept a lot of arboreal boas and pythons, so arboreal vipers were the logical progression. They hook easily, stay fairly small, and don't need to be cleaned as often as some terrestrial species. I only got into terrestrial vipers after I'd had training in using two hooks, tailing, working with them, etc.

I personally do not think that copperheads make great beginner hots. They are very fast, skittish and musk A LOT. They also tend not to ride hooks well until they are older and used to being handled. My yearling pair was a massive pain in the *** every time I had to clean their cages. They smelled like butt all the time because they musked when I gave them water, when I fed them, when I walked by the cage, etc. They were very nervous and struck at me all the time.
In addition, while their bites are not often fatal, they can cause lasting nerve damage, necrosis, impaired joint mobility, etc. They have a fairly nasty venom and since they tend to not kill people,a lot of hospitals don't bother with antivenin until you get really bad.

In my personal opinion, a better first terrestrial hot would be something like a coral cobra or a night adder. Arboreal species would include eyelash viper, white-lipped viper, horned bush viper (ceratophora- not as bad venom and stay really small).

Stay away from Bitis (Gaboons, rhinos, puffs), rattlesnakes and true Naja cobras. These all pack nasty venoms and are not easy to work with.
Gabbys are slow, docile snakes until you hurt/frighten/trigger their feeding response. Then they are capable of amazing acrobatics at almost unbelievable speeds. If a Gabby strikes at you, you will not be able to get out of the way. Rattlers are fast, and have very bad venom. Cobras tend to be aggressive, can be difficult to work on a hook and can put you down in 10-15 minutes. So none of those make good beginner hots.

The most important thing is to make sure that, whatever species you decide to get, you do plenty of research beforehand, have a nice cage all set up and ready, and get some training with that species or similar ones with your mentor before you bring yours home.

Best of luck, it's a great hobby!
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Old 11-22-14, 02:09 PM   #20
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Re: First hot???

I would love a bush viper! I think theyre one of the coolest looking species of any snake. Anyone have one that could give pros and cons of this species?
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Old 11-22-14, 07:34 PM   #21
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Re: First hot???

You people are a bad influence on me lol
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Old 11-23-14, 04:31 PM   #22
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Re: First hot???

Cant be that bad of an influence if you already have a nile monitor. From personal expierence I know what a handfull they can be lol
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Old 11-23-14, 05:59 PM   #23
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Re: First hot???

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Cant be that bad of an influence if you already have a nile monitor. From personal expierence I know what a handfull they can be lol
He isn't a nile He's only a 4ft Varanus rudicolus!
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Old 11-23-14, 09:19 PM   #24
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Re: First hot???

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I would love a bush viper! I think theyre one of the coolest looking species of any snake. Anyone have one that could give pros and cons of this species?
Cons
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Old 11-23-14, 09:48 PM   #25
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Re: First hot???

Wow! How were you able to get that shot?
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Old 11-24-14, 01:22 AM   #26
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Re: First hot???

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Wow! How were you able to get that shot?
Digital cameras are great. 1000 shots and you 999 bad pics and 1 good.
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Old 11-24-14, 11:35 AM   #27
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Re: First hot???

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Cons
Epic shot but this a potential con of any hot. Is it not?
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Old 11-24-14, 04:19 PM   #28
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Re: First hot???

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I've been keeping reptiles of all sorts for over 10 years but ahve never had anything venomous. I'm interested in trying my hand at getting one but am unsure as to what would be a good species to start with. I do have a close friend with several venomous species who is willing to mentor and teach me what I will need to know. I'm just looking for some thoughts on what the community here think would be a good starting point?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
It's illegal to own them in Kitchener. Who's your friend? Do they live in Kitchener or somewhere else? You can PM me if you prefer. I know many of those keepers so was curious.
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