# eyelash viper with training wheels



## Rain (Oct 9, 2007)

No, I'm not talking about a strange new morph, or a sick idea of how to get to work late but not have anyone complain about it.

I'm working towards the idea of a DWA licence, and keeping an eyelash viper, but with no one around to give me some experiance handling DWAs I'm looking for other ways to educate myself.

Can anyone recommend a snake with similar husbandry and a similar peronality to the eyelash viper, but isnt on DWA. I feel the best way to get experiance of handling a snake is to do just that, and whilst I've handled big snakes, little snakes, slow, fast, agressive and placid snakes, I've never handled something with that thought of "oh crap if this tags me once I could die" in the back of my head, and I know I wont have that until I finally do handle something dangerous, but until then, I need to start working with more snakes, so I can get the ideas as to exactly what I need to be doing with the real thing 
(I've no idea if that last paragraph made sense!)


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## Young_Gun (Jan 6, 2007)

Rain said:


> No, I'm not talking about a strange new morph, or a sick idea of how to get to work late but not have anyone complain about it.
> 
> I'm working towards the idea of a DWA licence, and keeping an eyelash viper, but with no one around to give me some experiance handling DWAs I'm looking for other ways to educate myself.
> 
> ...


Best tip is, treat every snake as if it's as toxic as a Elapid etc.

Best bet if your after arboreals is try things like Boiga, ATB's, Red Tail Racers, Vine snakes etc to get some idea of speed and aggression, eyelashes are not that aggressive though I have found, but they are fast, faster than I like at least :lol2:


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## Rain (Oct 9, 2007)

Young_Gun said:


> Best tip is, treat every snake as if it's as toxic as a Elapid etc.
> 
> Best bet if your after arboreals is try things like Boiga, ATB's, Red Tail Racers, Vine snakes etc to get some idea of speed and aggression, eyelashes are not that aggressive though I have found, but they are fast, faster than I like at least :lol2:


Cheers 
I've had ATBs (as you yourself know ) handled red tails, and am considering some of the Boiga family, so those would do for a start 
I've been treating my japanese rat snake like a DWA for a little while too, and since I've been "pretending" that a bite from him would kill me, I've not even allowed him to strike at me.


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## Young_Gun (Jan 6, 2007)

Rain said:


> Cheers
> I've had ATBs (as you yourself know ) handled red tails, and am considering some of the Boiga family, so those would do for a start
> I've been treating my japanese rat snake like a DWA for a little while too, and since I've been "pretending" that a bite from him would kill me, I've not even allowed him to strike at me.


Best thing to do, anythin 'mental' snake someone advertises in the next 6-12 months, buy it, work with it and don't get a single bite and then think about an eyelash.


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## Rain (Oct 9, 2007)

Right, time to find someone selling a realllllllly mental evil little snake.


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

id suggest an ATB, although nothing really fully prepares you IMO, except working with hots.


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## Rain (Oct 9, 2007)

SiUK said:


> id suggest an ATB, although nothing really fully prepares you IMO, except working with hots.


Fair enough, I've never been tagged by either of the 2 atbs I've worked with, and one is a nasty bugger.

But yes, I totally agree, I know nothing will prepare me like the real thing


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## Declan123 (Dec 29, 2007)

Go for Mangroves or Brown Tree snakes... there rear fanged, and always plays in the back of your mind... (this is mine)









Keeps me on my toes


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## Young_Gun (Jan 6, 2007)

Boiga Irregularis, never met one mental enough yet though, try getting a Cynadon if you can Rain, those are usually good for a go at you


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## sparkle (Mar 21, 2007)

eyelash vipers are my fave snakes but id never remotely consider one..

I suffer from seizures.. can u imagine having one whilst feeding..

doesnt bear thinking about :censor:


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

Rain said:


> Fair enough, I've never been tagged by either of the 2 atbs I've worked with, and one is a nasty bugger.
> 
> But yes, I totally agree, I know nothing will prepare me like the real thing


its just the mindset, I found when working with hots, it is different to working with even aggressive non venomous, deep down you know that its not gonna kill you, so when you have something that could it makes you even more careful I recon.


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## Declan123 (Dec 29, 2007)

SiUK said:


> its just the mindset, I found when working with hots, it is different to working with even aggressive non venomous, deep down you know that its not gonna kill you, so when you have something that could it makes you even more careful I recon.



Yeah defo Si, you dont really take as much care when handling Non Venomous...

Ive been tagged by Pythons, Boas etc...as i made mistakes that could be easyliy avoided...But ive never made a mistake with my rear fanged...Not yet anyways touch wood


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## 400runner (May 15, 2006)

SiUK said:


> its just the mindset, I found when working with hots, it is different to working with even aggressive non venomous, deep down you know that its not gonna kill you, so when you have something that could it makes you even more careful I recon.


definitely siuk, it does not compare. the fear and adrenaline rush you experience when hooking out your first viper or pinning your first gaboon is absolutely non replicable with a non venomous snake!
my two most aggressive snakes are my barneck scrub and my biak green tree python and they just do not compare!
i would try very to find someone to train you with real hots before you think about getting one, even if you have to travel a bit! after all, its your life on the line if things don't go right. 
from my small experience with venomous training, there are many parts of the hobby you would not even think about unless someone experienced said it to you and it might be your ignorance of these things that get you tagged!


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## mark elliott (Feb 5, 2007)

experience has no substitute


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## Thrasops (Apr 15, 2008)

Agreed. As I've mentioned once before, there's no substitute for the real thing. The speed and aggression of some elapids has to be seen to be believed, they can be seriously unpredictable. Plus having a large one thrashing about in a confined space can be... nerve-wracking.

For sheer eye-blurring strike speed and accuracy vipers (especially pit vipers like Eyelashes) are probably unmatched. They can look so calm and lazy most of the time and then - thwap! I think that's part of what makes them so dangerous. They can fool the unwary into being relatively tractable and then... :bash: 

Being a true judge of distance is a must, and that can only come with experience with any given species.

And that's ignoring the bad-tempered little (and not-so-little) sods that are just always out to get you (I'm thinking things like Puffies - not that I've had any experience with them... but then again, not that I'd want to!)

Boids and Colubrids (even rear-fangs) just do not compare.


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## mark elliott (Feb 5, 2007)

i was spraying one of pete blakes atheris ceratophora's a couple of weeks ago and it kept striking the end of the sprayer. if it was my finger i wouldn't have known untill it was way too late


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## Thrasops (Apr 15, 2008)

Cool! I love Atheris, such unique-looking snakes. I hear they have rather unusual venom, not nice effects at all...


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## mark elliott (Feb 5, 2007)

thats right and there is no specific antivenon but i will have myself a right little collection of atheris once my licence is approved


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## Thrasops (Apr 15, 2008)

I've worked with some venomous before but as I am now living with my family I cannot justify keeping any truly "hot" snakes at this moment in time. Once I get a proper room fitted out I intend to get back into things like Vipera, Cerastes and the smaller Bitis (if I can find any). Would definitely also like Atheris and Bothriechis.


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## Mason (Jan 21, 2008)

when your over at our place on saturday i'll shut you in a room with our white lip and a snake hook and see how you get on. Shes like the exocet missile of the snake world.


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

Mason said:


> when your over at our place on saturday i'll shut you in a room with our white lip and a snake hook and see how you get on. Shes like the exocet missile of the snake world.


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## Rain (Oct 9, 2007)

Mason said:


> when your over at our place on saturday i'll shut you in a room with our white lip and a snake hook and see how you get on. Shes like the exocet missile of the snake world.


Please don't. I'm not worried about getting bitten, I'm worried about coming home with another single python who doesn't fit in with the breeding plans. I've been told I'm having my thumbs removed next time I bring home a random one off snake. lol


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## Alfonzo (Mar 7, 2008)

Mason said:


> when your over at our place on saturday i'll shut you in a room with our white lip and a snake hook and see how you get on. Shes like the exocet missile of the snake world.


Haha I was gonna suggest this one when you (Rain) said you were off to look for a really evil snake! too late lol. Good luck finding training snakes


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

HABU said:


>


 
mate that copperhead in your sig, is a stunner.


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## Rain (Oct 9, 2007)

Well, looks like the plan at the moment is to find the worlds most pissed off brown tree snake, or mangrove snake. Then see how that goes before considering DWA again.

Anyone know where I can get me a brown tree snake?


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## Young_Gun (Jan 6, 2007)

Rain said:


> Well, looks like the plan at the moment is to find the worlds most pissed off brown tree snake, or mangrove snake. Then see how that goes before considering DWA again.
> 
> Anyone know where I can get me a brown tree snake?


How many you after? :lol2:

Catch me on msn tonight mate 

Still doin the hots course at SE?


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## Rain (Oct 9, 2007)

Young_Gun said:


> How many you after? :lol2:
> 
> Catch me on msn tonight mate
> 
> Still doin the hots course at SE?


Will be going once he sets the date.
I'm just after the one at the moment as I only want one hot.

I'll try and be on msn, if I'm not on, bear with, I'll be on at some point.


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## Young_Gun (Jan 6, 2007)

Rain said:


> Will be going once he sets the date.
> I'm just after the one at the moment as I only want one hot.
> 
> I'll try and be on msn, if I'm not on, bear with, I'll be on at some point.


I'll ask him to set a date then :razz:

If your not on when I am I'll pass the details on to the bird, 1.0 or 0.1?


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## timberwolf (Oct 26, 2007)

Young_Gun said:


> I'll ask him to set a date then :razz:
> 
> If your not on when I am I'll pass the details on to the bird, 1.0 or 0.1?


 
I emailed him and spoke to him on the phone asking after a date for the course but I think he thought I was just a dotty old woman and he's never come back to me. twist his arm for us? xxxxx


(actually, I AM a dotty old woman...)


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## Rain (Oct 9, 2007)

Young_Gun said:


> I'll ask him to set a date then :razz:
> 
> If your not on when I am I'll pass the details on to the bird, 1.0 or 0.1?


Lol, 
I'm 1.0
Reiyuu is 0.1


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## Mason (Jan 21, 2008)

I think he meant what sex boiga did you want dude...


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## Rain (Oct 9, 2007)

Mason said:


> I think he meant what sex boiga did you want dude...


I realised that after posting.... -=sigh=- been a long 24 hours....

I've caught him on msn and told him i dont mind which gender


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