Quote:
Originally Posted by Herpo
Do/can you handle these guys? Are they aggressive? How venomous? What do you feed? Sorry, so many questions, so little time lol!
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I generally handle all of my animals, but only when needed. I kept just about exclusively venomous species for many years, and so it became natural to me to avoid any unnecessary risks. You thus won't find me watching TV with my
Heloderma...
As for the necessary handling for maintenance, weighing, or veterinary purposes, I have developed certain protocols that I stick to. The goal is always to minimize both the risk to me and the stress to the animal, while getting the goal accomplished.
Like 99% of all reptiles, they are not aggressive at all. However, as neonates and juveniles they tend to be a bit defensive, which usually manifests in huffing & puffing, bluff strikes, and gaping. Once they reach maturity, they tend to calm down a fair bit.
The bite of any helodermatid lizard is certainly a potential medical emergency, but bites are generally not considered to be potentially fatal. Nonetheless, there have been plenty of cases where the bite victims reported extreme amounts of pain, so envenomations should be avoided at all cost!
I raise my
Heloderma pretty much exclusively on a rodent diet. Neonates feed on fuzzy or hopper mice, whereas my adult
H. horridum feed on medium to large rats.
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