Please help . . .

[iiviii]

Ok, so the wife said that I'm allowed to get my first "Hot" only if I can get enough "proof" together that it's a good starter "hot". So I have been speaking to a friend of mine and he suggested that I get a Coral snake. What would you all thinkof it? How bad is the venom etc etc etc? Please help me to convince her to let me get it!

Thanks in advance!
Chris

[Odette]

The book "A Complete Guide to the Snakes of Southern Africa" by Johan Marais says of Coral Snake (Aspidelaps lubricus), says "It is a bad tempered snake that spreads a narrow hood when cornered. It will strike repeatedly while hissing and lunging foward.". Under Vemon: "Very little is known about this snake's venom, but it is bleived to be dangerously neurotoxic, and victims must be treated promptly" Why not try a Snake (Telescopus)?

[dasie]

I think you should look at something like a copper head or white lip. If you would like something indigenous than I think something like a shield nose will do for you

[charl.dbn]

I keep both Aspidelaps lubricus lubricus and Aspidelaps lubricus cowlesi so what im telling you is just what i have experienced. All the above are captive bred and very chilled snakes, the only time they hood and start hissing is when food is around(thats the best time for them to try and bite), other than that they seem fine. The only other time i find them to be aggressive is when they are wild caught specimans, but those shouldn't be in a collection, other than that as babies they seem to be quite hissy with an 'i kill you' attitude. But calm down with age. As far as the bite is concerned, they are labeled as highly venomous being neurotoxic and like Odette said, not very well studied. I know of 2 people that have been bitten.1)My girlfriend was bitten by my largest male Aspidelaps lubricus cowlesi and suffered with a bit of swelling as well as some localized pain for about 3-4 days, with no side effects.2) Another guy that keeps them has been bitten twice, first time he said all he felt was a bit dizzy with some black behind his eyes. As for his second bite, his whole arm swelled up and he couldnt stop vomitting.

With all that said they are awesome snakes that should be given respect...

charl

[Odette]

Sorry, was meant to suggest a tiger snake, (telescopus beetzii or telescopus semiannulatus), ...

[Fooble]

Exotic pit vipers are a bad bad idea for starter hots. Any Cytotoxin isn't going to be fun neither mind an exotic.
As far as Aspidelaps go with lubricus. Their venom from bit cases is not as "severe" but that's open to discussion.
They do huff and puff quite allot and strike readily but they are very manageable as opposed to a larger cobra ( of course) they are quite easy to handle on a hook.
Dare i say so but often with the genus tend to strike closed mouthed.

Their small size makes they a great "starter hot" although that doesn't been getting bitten will be fun.
90% of the bites from these snakes are a result of lazy or complacent keepers.

[iiviii]

Thanks for the replies! She said I can get one and see how it goes! I thought about getting Copperheads, but the just aren't appealing to me. Where as the Coral is a nice display snake seeing as it's a cobra and puts up quite a show. I also don't trust the Copperheads as much as the Coral. They seem to just lie there and wait for you to slip up. They not "WOW" snakes, where as the Coral is a "WOW" snake.

Thanks again!
Chris

[Bushviper]

I would much rather go for the Coral snake than any exotic. They are not that bad and one incidence of deaths is not so much of a threat. Neurotoxic envenomations are much easier to treat than an exotic cytotoxin/haemotoxin.

If the cage is designed properly then contact with them can be minimised. Shift boxes are the way to go. Captive bred snakes of this genus are commonly available and they are pretty to look at.