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Posted by Nightflight99 on November 25, 2002 at 14:12:33:
In Reply to: Best beginner snake? posted by Amanda E on November 25, 2002 at 06:11:22:
I think that Jeremy has provided a good reasoning of why coral snakes are not very suitable as a first venomous snake. In fact, elapids can generally be considered to be for very experienced keepers only, as their speed and agility, combined with the high lethality of some species make them quite dangerous animals to keep.
Like some of the other posters, I would recommend to start with a Northamerican copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix). These snakes are beautiful, hardy, and not very difficult to keep. In addition, bites from this species are generally considered to be non-lethal, although it certainly has the potential to cause permanent tissue damage and/or the loss of a limb.
As for Aspidelaps, I don't think it would be a good idea to start with this genus for several reasons. First, it is an Elapid, and can be quite runny at times. This may not be easily dealt with, unless you have some experience in handling runny venomous snakes. Secondly, little is known about their venom, and fatalities have been documented. A bite would harbor a bit of uncertainty about itself, due to the lack of bite reportsand venom information. Third, there is no antivenin available for species of this genus. Whether this would actually be required is secondary - the fact that there is none available in case of a severe envenomation makes it that much more dangerous.
While Aspidelaps certainly make suitable entry-level elapids, I would not recommend them as a first venomous snake for the reasons mentioned above. Agkistrodon contortrix on the other hand, is well suitable for this purpose, and therefore recommended.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Thomas Eimermacher
