Introduction

When I first told a few friends and family members that I was working on a booklet demonstrating the proper techniques for keeping venomous snakes, the reaction was immediate, unanimous and predictable:  “Omigod!! Some kid is gonna read it and get himself killed!!!!!”  “Isn’t it dangerous to put information like that out to the public???”   “You’re gonna get sued!!!”

            So why write about keeping venomous snakes?  My primary reason, ironically, is to discourage inexperienced people from trying it.  Over the past ten years, the hobby of herpetoculture has grown exponentially.  Predictably, as the interest in snakes and other reptiles has grown, so too has the interest in venomous snakes (known to afficionados as “hot” snakes).  As a reptile writer, I get several requests every month from people who want to know about keeping rattlesnakes or cobras or whatever.  Virtually every local herpetological society in the United States has its contingent of “fang freaks”.  A surprising number of venomous species are being captive bred by amateur enthusiasts, and a number of venomous breeders and dealers can be found on the Internet and through ads in the reptile hobby magazines.  Venomous snakes are also readily obtainable at local herp swaps and shows, as well as at the national reptile expo held in eastern Pennsylvania twice each year.

Venomous snakes, like this Timber Rattlesnake, are more widely available to amateur keepers than you might think.

            This increase in the availability of venomous snakes has unfortunately not been matched by a corresponding increase in the availability of good practical information about keeping them.  Many of these serpents are being purchased by inexperienced people who have no real idea what they are getting into, and no real idea how to go about the business of keeping a potentially dangerous or lethal snake.  The primary purpose of this booklet is to give that information, to let every potential hot keeper know, up front, exactly what he or she is getting into.  Again and again, I will emphasize that keeping hot snakes is serious business, not to be entered into lightly.  Your first mistake may very well be your last.

            I pull no punches here. This is not a game.  These snakes can kill.  While every keeper has his or her own individual way of doing things, I will be blunt here about what works for me and what doesn’t, and why.  I’ll also be blunt about the consequences of a mistake.  This is not done for the purposes of sensationalism; it is done to show everyone, clearly and coldly, what happens if you flub up.  If you make a mistake with a venomous snake, there is no second chance.

Although many herpers develop an interest in hots, and many of these may decide that they might want to give it a try, I have found that most prospective hot keepers lose interest once they learn how much equipment, money and knowledge is actually necessary, and once they really deeply understand what the real-world consequences of a single mistake could be.

In effect, if you are thinking about keeping venomous snakes, the goal of this booklet is to try and talk you out of it.

If, however, despite my efforts to talk you out of it, you do join the ranks of the “fang freaks”, I hope that the information here will serve as a useful supplement, as your “snake mentor” shows you the ropes and gives you live hands-on experience under a watchful eye. 

Most of the methods depicted here are not flashy (and I strongly discourage anyone from trying the ones that are).  You will not look like “The Crocodile Hunter” as he casually carries lethal snakes around by the tail.  By nature, I am a very cautious and conservative snake keeper.  I do not mess with snakes I am not comfortable with, and I do not give the snakes I do mess with the opportunity to poke any holes anywhere in me.  I suppose that is why I am still alive, and still have all my fingers and toes.  Some of my snake-keeping acquaintances do not.

Things to Keep in Mind

First things first.  Here are some things that every potential hot keeper must consider before he or she gets that first snake.

(1) Why do you want to keep a venomous snake?  For use in educational shows or talks?  Captive breeding for conservation?  Or because it shows the world what a macho kind of guy you are?  If you want to keep a hot snake because it's “cool” or to impress people, then you are not ready to keep them at all.  Go take karate lessons instead.

(2) Where are you going to get your hot snake?  Catch it yourself?  In many areas that’s illegal.  It can also kill you if you don’t know what you are doing.  And if you need to ask where you can buy a venomous snake, then you’re not ready to be keeping one.

(3) How much snake experience do you have?  Keeping a venomous snake is not the same as keeping a corn snake or ball python or even a burmese python.  Can you work with a really nasty snake like a water snake or coachwhip, regularly, routinely, and reliably without getting bitten?  If you can’t go at least a year without being bitten by a coachwhip, racer or something similar, you’re not ready to be handling hot snakes.

If you are keeping a venomous snake, like this Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake, be sure you are doing it for the right reasons.

(4) Is it legal to keep a venomous snake where you live?  Many localities have laws against dangerous animals in general or venomous snakes in particular.  Usually these are passed after some bonehead gets bitten by his pet puff adder or something.  Don't even try to keep a hot snake where it isn’t legal to do so.  When anything happens, having your snake confiscated and destroyed is about the best you can hope for.  You might just find your butt in the slammer.  And in any case the reptile hobby doesn’t need the bad publicity that will result from your stupid actions.

(5) Can you properly house a venomous snake?  A single-piece sliding door cage, designed to be escape-proof, is an absolute necessity for keeping any venomous snake, and they are not cheap.  That aquarium with a screen lid on top, weighted down with a couple of bricks, won’t cut it.  In addition, your “hot room” will need to be modified to make it absolutely 100% escape-proof, and that can require some modifications to the door, windows and baseboards.  Can’t afford secure housing?  Then you can’t afford the snake.

(6) Do you live in a place where others can be potentially exposed to the snake?  Perhaps you think you know enough to handle a hot snake without being bitten, and perhaps you are willing to risk death/disfigurement—but what about your spouse, your kids, or your neighbors?  When your snake bites anybody around you, you can expect some very nasty legal actions that will occupy you for a good chunk of your life.  Better have lots of liability insurance, and keep it paid up.

Every venomous snake keeper should expect to be bitten at some point in time, and plan accordingly.

(7)  Who is your “mentor”?  Which experienced hot snake keeper is available for you to learn firsthand, under a watchful eye, how to use a snake stick, how to use a catchbox, how to do such routine tasks as feeding and cleaning?  If you think you are going to learn this “on your own”, forget it.  You’ll be nothing but a danger to yourself and others.

(8) What are your plans for handling the snake when it comes time for things like changing the water and feeding?  Who can you trust to be your partner, to be there every time you open the snake cage?  Who will, in the event of an accident, have the necessary experience to handle and confine the snake so it doesn’t escape?  Planning on doing this yourself?  What happens when you collapse on the floor instead?

(9) What about when you get bitten?  Does the hospital have a ready supply of antivenom for the species you want to keep?  Don’t even think about depending on the local zoo for your supply—they need it themselves, and they don’t appreciate having some bozo taking their entire supply of antivenom to save his sorry butt (meanwhile leaving the zoo staff without any antivenom in case they have an accident).

(10) How’s your bank account?  Antivenom alone runs several hundred dollars per vial, and a really serious bite can require as many as twenty or twenty five vials.  Plus you’ll have to pay the good doctor, the lab bills, the cost of a hospital bed, etc etc etc.  You should plan on leaving at least $15,000 in the bank at all times.  When you get seriously bitten, you’ll need it.

(11) What if the snake gets sick?  Do you have an experienced veterinarian near you that will be willing to treat your snake if it gets an infection, or if it retains an eyecap, or has an incomplete shed?

            Let me be blunt.  Venomous snakes kill people.  There is nothing theoretical about that.  If you are deluding yourself into thinking “I’ll never get bit”, think again.  It will happen.  Count on it.