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Accidental find in Riverside

Lol! Yay..look at the bright side..you have ensured the survival of one little snake in this world..and in the end..doesn't that make it all worth it? lol..
 
I noticed that done is done... I will say this though.
Human beings make misjudgements, reassessments and mistakes all the time, with things both critical and non-critical. Believing to be mistake-proof will usually lead to a folly... point is... it's not a matter of whether or not you will make a mistake, but when, and how will you be able to react to it.

That is basically why, even though I LOVE Boas, I keep CA/dwarf variant Boas rather than Colombian female Boas(which aren't that big to begin with, but they can get big).

It's a matter of math- a mistake is bound to happen. I would personally never keep a venomous snake. I understand the appeal but it is not a cute pet- it's a wild animal that was born with the tools to survive an environment I personally probably wouldn't have been able to.

Having said that, I do not oppose others who do keep them... it's a matter of personal choice.

I would recommend though to narrow down the possibilities of an error by NEVER leaving the snakeroom without going to the cage for instance, making sure the cage is locked even if you didn't unlock it for the entire day. Set a strict protocol and stick by it.

Checking out ViperKeeper's youtube channel can prove beneficial... I don't like the way he handles some of his animals... he sometimes seems reckless to me... but the man has been in the hobby for ages and he knows what he is doing.
Still, I would endorse some of his caution labeling... for instance, he puts stickers on cages stating where the snake usually hides.

Best of luck with the new animal... I hope you don't get frustrated with people cautioning you... that's a living pistol you're keeping... and the trigger is not quite in your hand- all you can do is make sure that the dangerous end is always aimed at a mouse and nothing more.

He is cute though, can't argue there.
 
Nah I won't get frustrated. I invite it to be honest. I have no room for failure here and want every tid bit of info I can get. I have consulted with several venomous experts and expected them to convince me not to take this on, but I have been met with much more encouragement and support than I could have thought possible. I don't say this as big talk, but as talk of wisdom from those much more in the know than I. Again, there is no room for error here, and that ignites me to see to that, every moment of every day with this responsibility.

Funny about the checking and double checking the cage lock thing you said there. I do that religiously, even when I haven't unlocked the cage. I also get a visual on him every time I pass by him, which is quite often. I will be doing the label for his cage as well tomorrow as that has been on my to do list. And as you can see in the pic, I have him double caged. So I make sure the first cage cannot be escaped from, and just in case I miscalculate that, I also make sure the outer cage is escape proofed as well, every morning, afternoon, and evening. Plus the constant visual checks, and the non stop lock checks. There is no amount of advice that is too much, and I appreciate all you have said here Kokopelli :)
 
CONGRATULATIONS on the little buzztail! I'm looking forward to multitudes of updates!

It would probably take a lot of convincing for my better half to let me keep something like this. :grin01: I've always said, though, that the only venomous animal I will ever keep (apart from RFV) will be the one that bit me; not a representation of the species, the exact animal. Unless I can talk HWMBO into letting me get that cobra I've always wanted. :grin01:
 
Thanks Robbie :)

I had thought I would get obliterated by my other half on this as well, but she surprisingly was interested and supportive of this so long as I made all efforts to do it with safety first for us and for our fury pets running about the house too. I also think this was a perfect storm situation that would not of come to fruition had it not been. The little fellow eats for us without issue, he is docile to a surprising extent that is not seen in these often...at all, and he seemingly came to us rather than us "going to him". To clarify the last part, we are not the type who were seeking to bring in a hot. We have been completely satisfied with what we have and have been fine to admire hots from a distance. But this case has a surreal almost supernatural interference where it seems like a "meant to be" situation for us. Yeah lots of people probably say similar things like that when they get it into their heads they are beyond the average keeper and are the "cool/awesome/big time" snake whisperer now high and mighty above the rest of us, and then go seeking after dangerous animals to show everyone how great they are. I loath that immensely. That aint me, nor my wife. I need every ounce of wisdom I can soak up from the true pro's, and there is no room for a prideful attitude in this. I come to this challenge (actually responsibility) with a sense of humility and awe for the creature I am becoming a care taker for.

Anyhow, I get what ya mean there Robbie with the whole keeping of the one that actually bit you if that happened. And yeah I love me them cobra's too. Gorgeous snakes! Had a crazy FWC for a good while, never tagged by him thankfully though not a risky as a true hot if he did get me, but still woulda been a below average feeling to deal with. Maybe you could look into the Chinese False Cobras?

http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&h...w=169&start=0&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:0,i:81



They mimic cobras to the "T" and (correct me if I am wrong here) they are much more of a warm like the FWC's are, but they look and act like the real deal much more than a Hydro does :)
 

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Congrats on your new baby!! I don't think I could ever own anything hot. Not only are they illegal here I have kids to worry about lol!

The video was really cool, I have never seen a rattlesnake eat before. Is he going to stay on live? I wonder if f/t would be hard to switch them over to.
 
Congrats on your new baby!! I don't think I could ever own anything hot. Not only are they illegal here I have kids to worry about lol!

The video was really cool, I have never seen a rattlesnake eat before. Is he going to stay on live? I wonder if f/t would be hard to switch them over to.


Yeah if I had kids, I would feel the same as you :) Right now we don't have plans to go that route. And if I kept this guy and had a child, it would be kept in a locked temp controlled shed outside of the house rather than a snake room inside the house.

I do plan to switch him over to f/t, very hopeful he will! I think it may be more difficult than corns are, but most of the rattlesnake keepers I have spoken to dont think it will be an issue as they have most of theirs taking f/t as well. Plus I would much rather him be as non food crazy hunter mentality/aggressive as possible haha!
 
Didn't you guys have snakes in your wedding?? And of course your wife could not resist such a cute baby!!
 
Didn't you guys have snakes in your wedding?? And of course your wife could not resist such a cute baby!!

Well we had planned too but it didn't work out unfortunately due to the cold weather and the fact we had to leave from the wedding to our honeymoon trip and no one had the courage to take them home for me and put them away. So we had them in some of our engagement photos :)
 

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Anyhow, I get what ya mean there Robbie with the whole keeping of the one that actually bit you if that happened. And yeah I love me them cobra's too. Gorgeous snakes! Had a crazy FWC for a good while, never tagged by him thankfully though not a risky as a true hot if he did get me, but still woulda been a below average feeling to deal with. Maybe you could look into the Chinese False Cobras?

http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&h...w=169&start=0&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:0,i:81



They mimic cobras to the "T" and (correct me if I am wrong here) they are much more of a warm like the FWC's are, but they look and act like the real deal much more than a Hydro does :)

... My future husband is going to kill you. :grin01:
 
Back on the subject of the little guy here, we named him Shakes for one, and secondly...he is just now finishing up on his first f/t meal. Major milestone and I'm super stoked he switched so easily :)
 
How did his first FT feeding go? I mean, what was the process, and did he strike it, how many times, and then wait for it to die? I always thought it was interesting how my tricolor hog would envenomate a FT mouse for 20 minutes before starting to swallow.
 
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