Feelin' hot, Hot, HOT! Oh yeah! - Page 2

Will0W783 · 11-22-11, 10:49 AM

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.

Will0W783 · 11-22-11, 10:50 AM

Thanks Alessia!

stephanbakir · 11-22-11, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Will0W783

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.

No offense but he needs a huge reality check. Thinking the way he does WILL get him either maimed or killed. Hes lucky as hell that shelby is placid. If I dropped a lid in Lucifer's enclosure (one of our king cobras a few years back) he would have shot out like a bat out of hell and retaliated. Same goes for most cobras i've worked with.
It was an accident and accidents happen, but your mindset going into the incident greatly affects the outcome and weather you will walk out of the situation.

Will0W783 · 11-22-11, 11:34 AM

I agree Stephan. I am having my fiance work with my Spilotes, who is hell on wheels. She is fast, aggressive, will musk readily and is unpredictable on a hook. I want him to get comfortable with her and I will judge when and IF I feel he is skilled enough to work with the cobra.

I know that there is always a chance I could be bitten- it is a risk every hot keeper takes. You cannot, absolutely CANNOt- get complacent and comfortable. That is when mistakes happen, and you get hurt or killed.
John does take precautions, and is not without skill, but he has a tendency to want to take over to "protect" me and he needs to realize that out of the two of us, I may have been bitten more by non-hots, but I also worked with them more, and I received venomous training that he did not. I have done a lot of training with him, passing on what my mentor taught me to John, but he still has a way to go before I will be comfortable with him handling hots.

Gungirl · 11-22-11, 02:28 PM

Kim... why not get John to see your mentor. Talk about why, what and when. That might be better than coming from you.

Will0W783 · 11-22-11, 02:46 PM

Planning is in the works for John to go, if I can get him willing to.

Gungirl · 11-22-11, 03:06 PM

That would be best. make him a deal he can't refuse.

ugo · 11-22-11, 04:32 PM

Mr WilloW783 :

CONGRATS either for the snakes and for Ur responsible and wise way to see the matter !

As i'll, possibly, say in another post, snakes aren't for everyone, and venomous even less.
I recognize only less than 40 1st class venomous keepers/ breeders on Earth (i m not amongst those).
Anyway, as for motorcycling, or paragliding, or many others activities, we all know things happen, sooner or later; no matter how much skilled or experienced one can be, only some of us (and i hope U r not in this group) don't mind, above all cuz we don't like to become so old to need hospitals, needles, chateters, and similar stuff; and...sexy nurses are becoming so rare......
I suppose U keep pairs of Ur snakes.
cheers

stephanbakir · 11-22-11, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ugo

Mr WilloW783 :

CONGRATS either for the snakes and for Ur responsible and wise way to see the matter !

As i'll, possibly, say in another post, snakes aren't for everyone, and venomous even less.
I recognize only less than 40 1st class venomous keepers/ breeders on Earth (i m not amongst those).
Anyway, as for motorcycling, or paragliding, or many others activities, we all know things happen, sooner or later; no matter how much skilled or experienced one can be, only some of us (and i hope U r not in this group) don't mind, above all cuz we don't like to become so old to need hospitals, needles, chateters, and similar stuff; and...sexy nurses are becoming so rare......
I suppose U keep pairs of Ur snakes.
cheers

Willow is a she :P and I don't believe she has any shortterm breeding plans for those hots, as she doesn't own pairs.

KORBIN5895 · 11-22-11, 05:36 PM

Personally I treat all snakes as venomous in the wild. I love to catch wild snakes and have got bit twice.....totally my fault for trusting someone to help me both times. When I first moved to IL I knew nothing about what a copperhead or cottonmouth looked like so I treated all snakes like they could really mess me up

stephanbakir · 11-22-11, 05:57 PM

anyone moving to a new area should learn what the dangerous animals in that area look like.

KORBIN5895 · 11-22-11, 06:41 PM

I totally agree ...... I was 11 when I moved there from LA. I didn't think to do that the

Will0W783 · 11-23-11, 08:57 AM

KORBIN, I agree that becoming familiar with dangerous animals in one's area is very important. I can recognize the venomous and non-venomous species in my area, but I do not generally bother snakes in the wild. If I see one, I observe from a safe distance and move along. The only American species that confuses me is the coral snake- I honestly have trouble distinguishing a true coral snake from a scarlet snake or look-alike kingsnakes, so if I saw a red, yellow and black snake I would not go near it.

Ugo, yep I'm a girl.

I have been into reptiles and snakes especially for as long as I can remember. My fiance, John, also enjoys them but I am the primary herp-fanatic of the house. I do not have any plans to breed venomous- I enjoy their presence in my house and working with them, but every new hot is a risk, and babies would multiply that risk by each baby produced. It just doesn't seem worth that much risk at this point, and I also do not have much breeding experience with non-venomous. Maybe someday I'll breed some, but I don't have any plans for it in the foreseeable future.

shaunyboy · 11-23-11, 11:03 AM

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Originally Posted by Will0W783

Since I can only post a few pictures per post, each snake will be in its own "reply".

Next is "Gremlin" - female Usumbara mountain horned bush viper (Atheris ceratophora). She's a tiny thing, but has BIG attitude!

amazing collection

the horned viper is my favorite kimberly

the blue colour inside his mouth is very nice

thanks for sharing

cheers shaun

Will0W783 · 11-23-11, 12:00 PM

Thanks Shauny...she's a fun girl to have. I tried to get a better shot of her mouth- Atheris species are not shy to gape their mouths as a defensive posture...horned bush vipers have a blue to black inside lining, much like carpet pythons. It's really neat, and you can see the outline of her fangs when she gapes wide at you. Plus I think she looks like a dragon with her keeled scales.