# Experience



## WhiteRabbit (Apr 6, 2010)

Ok how do you get the experience to deal with DWA listed animals? 
Iv read some keepers use rat snakes to help, but i have ratsnakes (radiated and black) And i dont think there that bad... On the other hand i looked after a friends mangroves while he was away on holiday, they move like poop off a shovel and i wasn't really prepared! Have been looking after boas and large pythons for years, but they took me by surprise! so how do you get prepared for the likes of a monicaled cobra? 

Also any death adder keepers on here there the only dwa snake i have an interest in, Was shown one in Australia and it did take me back to being 2 shouting i want one in a pet shop! Would love some pic's : victory:


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## wildlifewarrior (Jun 26, 2008)

all i will say is you certainly arent ready if a mangroves crap you up.

ive got 11 mangroves and there a doddle to work with.....they stand up,then they puff up,then they gap and then they hiss....4 signs they dont like you before they bite...


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## STReptiles (Feb 6, 2009)

I dont think any non venomous snake is going to prepare you for handling venomous snakes tbh, if anything id say get an EVIL blood python, they have a very fast strike and are fairly unpredictable imo: victory:


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## WhiteRabbit (Apr 6, 2010)

wildlifewarrior said:


> all i will say is you certainly arent ready if a mangroves crap you up.
> 
> ive got 11 mangroves and there a doddle to work with.....they stand up,then they puff up,then they gap and then they hiss....4 signs they dont like you before they bite...


Was my first experience with a venomoid, and one of them was an evil B! None of the hissing and puffing it just went for me, i was warned about that one but still wasn't ready! But still changed water and sprayed them down every day. 
Saying that im still not keeping one! 

I just want to know how do you get ready for keeping something that can potentially do you harm? i know housing and the general environment is something you have in place before the animal is there and there are contingency plans if something go's wrong, but how do you train, for lack of a better word, to deal with a retained eye cap etc... 

Would like to add i have no intention of getting a dwa unless large boids go on them (unlikely i know) Just death adders are an amazing little critter. still wouldn't keep one. I take reactions to hognose bites so im sticking to constrictors, just curious how you get ready for say a mamba, cobra... do you get one young and learn with that animal? or start on a less dangerous snake and work up to the desired snake?


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## kieran8143 (Mar 10, 2008)

WhiteRabbit said:


> _*Was my first experience with a venomoid*_, and one of them was an evil B! None of the hissing and puffing it just went for me, i was warned about that one but still wasn't ready! But still changed water and sprayed them down every day.
> Saying that im still not keeping one!
> 
> I just want to know how do you get ready for keeping something that can potentially do you harm? i know housing and the general environment is something you have in place before the animal is there and there are contingency plans if something go's wrong, but how do you train, for lack of a better word, to deal with a retained eye cap etc...
> ...



a mangrove is not a venomoid. they can give you one hell of a nasty bite and have some pretty potent venom to go with it! 

i think you were lucky not to have got bitten tbh.


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## Owzy (Jan 19, 2009)

kieran8143 said:


> a mangrove is not a venomoid. they can give you one hell of a nasty bite and have some pretty potent venom to go with it!
> *
> i think you were lucky not to have got bitten tbh*.


I think you should keep opinions like that to yourself, were you there? Um no.

Whiterabbit WLW has a point though mangroves give you a warning, you may not have thought it but they do, especially compared to Death Adders.

I am in OZ at the moment & run into a Common Death Adder the other day, I have never seen a strike like it. Saying that I never saw the strike really, unbelievably fast things! Maybe take your time before cracking on with one of them, get some experience in & the confidence up.


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## leecb0 (Apr 14, 2009)

Owzy said:


> I think you should keep opinions like that to yourself, were you there? Um no. agreed
> 
> 
> 
> I am in OZ at the moment ooooo get you:lol2:& run into a Common Death Adder the other day, how common? was it wearing a shell suit and a base ball cap innit .


As for a reply to the OP you just do:lol2:. 
i would say most people who have been around the reptile hobby for a length of time end up knowing someone who has venomous they express an interest then help out now and then and gradually get experience that way. its not unherd of but its not something you can just say im getting a DWAL and start keeping venomous without any previous contact with them. help from someone who has them or interaction of anykind. You hear people say that FWC or mangroves are a good snake to have before you get the real deal so to speak. But trust me NOTHING compares to the first time you deal with the real thing, falsies will hone your reactions but they wont get your heart pumping and the adrenalin going like the first time you hook an atrox or copperhead


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

kieran8143 said:


> a mangrove is not a venomoid. they can give you one hell of a nasty bite and have some pretty potent venom to go with it!
> 
> i think you were lucky not to have got bitten tbh.


it could be a venomoid, not really sure why someone would bother with a mangrove though.


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## wildlifewarrior (Jun 26, 2008)

SiUK said:


> it could be a venomoid, not really sure why someone would bother with a mangrove though.


I just smashed the opisthoglyph teeth out on mine .....much cheaper option


Rawrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr


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## WhiteRabbit (Apr 6, 2010)

Owzy said:


> I think you should keep opinions like that to yourself, were you there? Um no.
> 
> Whiterabbit WLW has a point though mangroves give you a warning, you may not have thought it but they do, especially compared to Death Adders.
> 
> I am in OZ at the moment & run into a Common Death Adder the other day, I have never seen a strike like it. Saying that I never saw the strike really, unbelievably fast things! _Maybe take your time before cracking on with one of them, get some experience in & the confidence up_.


Iv got a fake knee and cant move too quickly so i'm not going near an animal like that with a pain of glass infront of it! 

Was just curious on how the keepers get ready for a snake like that. but also seen a guy handling an monocled cobra on youtube.

YouTube - Albino monocled cobra

Wouldn't be me... 

Was just scrolling through some pictures on here and wondered how you learn to deal with these snakes.


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## trueviper (Jan 13, 2008)

I have been interested in our only native species of venomous snake, the Adder or Common Viper for years and spent alot of time observing their behaviour at a local wild habitat just down the road from me.
Then years later I decided I wanted to keep non-native species of true vipers and pit-vipers in captivity, so I had some limited experiance with them already.
Of course I still had to learn how to handle them with hooks ect and I did that by keeping very young and small juveniles which obviously have a much smaller strike-range.


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## Snakes Incorporated (Jun 27, 2006)

One can learn from a book but experience is your teacher. In my opinion a good learning platform would be to befriend a venomous keeper with reasonable experience.


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