Quote:
Yeh, but the way i look at it is, most of the crotalus will just ride the hook, when peaved they will ride the hook and rattle, rarely striking but even then... just stay out of range.Most of the elapids will slither right up the hook, and the cobras will not only climb the hook, but do it shockingly fast. The likelyhood of getting hit by a cobra is way higher then a rattler.
|
I agree with you, Stephan. I think my fiance is at ease around Shelby because of his apparent good nature. However, he IS a Naja and unpredictable. He flails around like a nut on the hook, and has tried to double-back to climb it several times. He's only about a foot and a half long right now, but he'll get bigger. Also, the cobras I worked with at my mentor's facility all tried to climb the hook- they are very fast and while they generally do not double back with the intent to bite, they could and you have to be constantly on your toes to keep the head down at the end of the hook. I do not let my fiance handle the cobra AT ALL. He refused training and seems to think he won't get bitten. Therefore, he does not get to work with the cobra.
The rattlesnake will strike at the hook and tongs repeatedly when you are trying to catch her, but once she is on the hook or tongs, she mostly just rattles and flails a bit. She does strike the tongs sometimes as she is being moved, which is why I think my fiance is nervous around her. She is a WDB, and they are known for being particularly nasty. It was not my intention to get a rattlesnake right now, let alone a WDB as my first, but after I saw the condition she was in, I could not bear to let my cousin take her back home. He brought her and several others to Hamburg to try to trade or sell.