Looking for Crotalus keepers in AZ

[Nikki1984]

Hello all,

I figured it wouldn't hurt to post here since I remember seeing a few hot snake keepers on here. Worse case I get no response.

Just curious if there are any Crotalus keepers in Arizona (ideally mid to north AZ) that have been in the hobby for a while and are well versed in the keeping of the Crotalus genus. I'm looking for someone to show me the ins and outs from their perspective of keeping rattlesnakes before I truly begin to make a decision on owning any. I have very limited experience handling hot snakes from my time as an exotic animal tech in Florida. Any help would be appreciated. Also, should someone be available and up to the task, no I do not expect you to do it for free.

Thanks for your time

-Nikki

 

[Thistles]

Nikki, I have a coworker who is very into hots. He has some friends in AZ and will be going there this August to do some herping. I'll talk to him and see if he has any friends in your area who can help you out. No promises, though!

 

[Nikki1984]

Nikki, I have a coworker who is very into hots. He has some friends in AZ and will be going there this August to do some herping. I'll talk to him and see if he has any friends in your area who can help you out. No promises, though!

Great! I really appreciate it! Thank you.

 

[desertanimal]

I suggest you join the AZ Herpetological Association. They meet once a month in person, and the forum is fairly active. Plenty of crote keepers there.

http://www.azreptiles.com/forums/

I also suggest that you join up and read for forums for a bit before posting. There are some fairly strong personalities in that group, and certain things don't tend to go over well when posted by newbies. It's a valuable resource and the people are nice, but they can definitely be prickly at first. In particular, they are very concerned that people do not ask for or post specific locations where wild animals are found.

I am friends will Bill Love, and he has always kept hots. He only has one right now. He left all his Florida hots in Florida when he moved to AZ. He is a really nice guy and is friendly with everyone. Keep an eye out for him on those boards. He goes herping all over the place, and would probably be willing to pick you up if he and friends were in your area if you get in touch with him. He is also friends with lots of people who keep a lot more stuff than he does. If I recall, there's another really nice, older guy who might be from Prescott. I knew that he was several hours away from Phoenix. But he was nice and did lots of educational stuff. Anyway, skulk around there. Observe for a bit. You'll find someone there who can show you the ropes.

p.s. There are also plenty of people who breed there, so it might be a good place for you to acquire an animal, too.

 

[Nikki1984]

DesertAnimal Thanks! I have actually been trying to join the AZ Reptile forum for about a couple months but for some reason it rejects my email address. I sent them a couple emails but have yet to hear back. Maybe I will attend a meeting in Mesa soon.

I expect some prickly people I worked with a bunch of various exotic keepers in Florida and there were some that were quite fierce (The keepers not the animals) So I've developed a pretty thick skin.

I remember reading a few posts from an older gentleman in Prescott Valley that were from a few years ago who was extremely well versed in hots and kept them as well. He is actually the one of whom I would love to see if he still lived in the area. Thanks again for the reply.

 

[Thistles]

Nikki, I talked to my coworker a while ago and he sent some emails but has yet to hear back. He suggests starting with a sidewinder and going field herping to get started and meet people, but so far no one who would be a mentor. Sorry to have disappointing results so far. I'm still hoping one of his friends will reply favorably.

 

[BrettG]

DesertAnimal Thanks! I have actually been trying to join the AZ Reptile forum for about a couple months but for some reason it rejects my email address. I sent them a couple emails but have yet to hear back. Maybe I will attend a meeting in Mesa soon.

I expect some prickly people I worked with a bunch of various exotic keepers in Florida and there were some that were quite fierce (The keepers not the animals) So I've developed a pretty thick skin.

I remember reading a few posts from an older gentleman in Prescott Valley that were from a few years ago who was extremely well versed in hots and kept them as well. He is actually the one of whom I would love to see if he still lived in the area. Thanks again for the reply.

If you are referring to the shop "Az Reptiles" I can drop a word there for you....

 

[groovyspider]

Nikki, I talked to my coworker a while ago and he sent some emails but has yet to hear back. He suggests starting with a sidewinder and going field herping to get started and meet people, but so far no one who would be a mentor. Sorry to have disappointing results so far. I'm still hoping one of his friends will reply favorably.

I almost hate being this guy and really i wouldnt but with hots theres is no room for error it can literally be the diffrence between in some cases life or death, or a limb.... side winder (crotalus cerastes)venom is about twice as strong as that of the eastern diamondback,. The venom contains mytoxins similar to those found in other species of rattlesnake. But with that it is still very fesable to loose a finger if immediate doctor care is not found... i would start off with a copper head there little nippy but no one has ever reportedly died from them and they dont get to big but the southren copper( A.contortix contorix) grows long enough you could actually tail it. IVe owned 2 diff sp of copper heads, and 2 diffrent rattle snakes of which i only have 1 now which is c.atrox but i got rid of my other three because my roomates have a 3 year old so i picked one to keep/... but a mentor is almost a absolute must i waited years before i got into hots before i could find a very good mentor my mentor has 15 + years of exp.

 

[Thistles]

I almost hate being this guy and really i wouldnt but with hots theres is no room for error it can literally be the diffrence between in some cases life or death, or a limb.... side winder (crotalus cerastes)venom is about twice as strong as that of the eastern diamondback,. The venom contains mytoxins similar to those found in other species of rattlesnake. But with that it is still very fesable to loose a finger if immediate doctor care is not found... i would start off with a copper head there little nippy but no one has ever reportedly died from them and they dont get to big but the southren copper( A.contortix contorix) grows long enough you could actually tail it. IVe owned 2 diff sp of copper heads, and 2 diffrent rattle snakes of which i only have 1 now which is c.atrox but i got rid of my other three because my roomates have a 3 year old so i picked one to keep/... but a mentor is almost a absolute must i waited years before i got into hots before i could find a very good mentor my mentor has 15 + years of exp.

Copperheads are great starter hots, but she is specifically interested in Crotalus. The reason my friend suggested C. cerastes is their small venom glands and low venom yield. Their toxins are also actually milder than many rattlesnakes, too. Of course any bite should be treated as an emergency, but something small and local would be the safest for her to start with. I absolutely agree about a mentor though, and that is the whole reason she started this thread.

 

[desertanimal]

The other great thing about getting mentor is that you might be able to acquire a CB animal from a breeder. Sales of native species are disallowed, but someone would probably be willing to gift you one eventually. In that way, you might be able to acquire an animal you'd already gained familiarity with and knew the temperament of. I bet you'll be able to find someone if you work your way into the AZ herp society. Lots of knowledgeable people there and really willing to help out once they trust you.

 

[Nikki1984]

Hello everyone and thanks for the help/advice. I have found a hot keeper here who has about 15 years of experience and is willing to mentor me and hook me up with a CBB Crotalus once he feels I am ready and also (of course) if I decide to indeed continue with them. Again. I really appreciate the help.

Thanks!
-Nikki

 

[Nikki1984]

I almost hate being this guy and really i wouldnt but with hots theres is no room for error it can literally be the diffrence between in some cases life or death, or a limb.... side winder (crotalus cerastes)venom is about twice as strong as that of the eastern diamondback,. The venom contains mytoxins similar to those found in other species of rattlesnake. But with that it is still very fesable to loose a finger if immediate doctor care is not found... i would start off with a copper head there little nippy but no one has ever reportedly died from them and they dont get to big but the southren copper( A.contortix contorix) grows long enough you could actually tail it. IVe owned 2 diff sp of copper heads, and 2 diffrent rattle snakes of which i only have 1 now which is c.atrox but i got rid of my other three because my roomates have a 3 year old so i picked one to keep/... but a mentor is almost a absolute must i waited years before i got into hots before i could find a very good mentor my mentor has 15 + years of exp.

I would love an Agkistrodon! A. contortrix phaeogaster are one of my favorite herps in general. Unfortunately my hands are tied living in AZ with what I can have in regards to hot snakes. Thankfully I do have a longstanding fascination with rattlesnakes.