ELAPID question

[ashley_morris22]

ok, i dont have my rest. licence yet and i wont for a little wile but am wondering a few questions.

what is a good elapid for a beginer of dangerious snakes.
what elapid is the least agressive.

thanks
ashley

 

[basketcase]

red belly

there is not a better begginers elapid

 

[peterescue]

Yes, Red belly is the way to go. It is still a venomous snake though so dont get cocky.

 

[womas4me]

I think it will depend on what you want to do with it handling wise and more importantly what you want to keep. Is keeping an elapid going to give you skill's you will use elsewhere, or is it just on a hobby level? Are looks and patterning important to you, or is temperament more important? Are you after locality animals etc etc etc.

Basically it will come down to what you want to get out of it, then look for a species that can give that to you.

 

[The Rock]

Tigers and copperheads can be dog tame, but then again so can both the Tiapans.
Collets would be another good choice, they hiss and fart a lot but rarely bite.

 

[ashley_morris22]

to be honest the elapids i like are
coperheads
the ch. tigers (the all black one)
death adder.
i do like rbb but it will have to be a nice red.
with handling i will only handle when i have to.
its more of a looks thing to me i will set up a very very nice looking enclosure. when i do get a elapid i want nice one but one in going to be able to handle
(with hooks etc).

so how big do
tigers
RRB
tipan
copperheads
death death adders get.
the reason im asking all the questions now is that i want do pic one then do altot of reading and get as muck knowlege on it as spoible as it is a animal that is very dangerious.

thanks for your time
ashley

 

[soulweaver]

in my opinion an adult is better to start with, this is advice iw as given as it eliminates problems you may get with feeding, and its easier for cleaning etc...

plus if you get an adult you can buy off someone that already has the snake dog tame, then you can get experience and progress from there....instead of jumping in head first cover each level one by one.......

 

[Greebo]

its more of a looks thing to me i will set up a very very nice looking enclosure.


You may be disappointed. Elapids are mostly ground dwellers, can be secretive and don't make very good display animals IMO.

A RBB would be your best choice (as others have already pointed out). Keep them well fed and they are very docile. Personally I wouldn't reccommend a Death Adder for a beginner and especially not a "Death Death Adder" , they are twice as dangerous!

 

[peterescue]

Collets would be another good choice, they hiss and fart a lot but rarely bite.

Tell that to three Sydney hobbyist so far this year.
If your fit and healthy with no major allergy issues, blood disease problems etc then a RBB is a good relatively benign ven to start with and I agree with SW that an adult(18mth up) is the way to go.
They are also a spectacular looking snake.

 

[The Rock]

Yes well there is always an exception to every rule. Plus come feeding time even the most placid elapid turns in to an acciedent waiting to happen.

 

[womas4me]

I find the only down side's of adders are they almost have a flip top head. Even when held properly i get nervous seeing that mouth twisting toward my fingers. Other than that i think they are great. They dont rush front opening enclosures, ride hooks well, and generally do not do a great deal except look fantastic. I have also found them reluctant to bite ( i have only dealt with 20 or so, so this is not a hard and fast rule ) and have only had one strike at me after being harrassed for photo's.

Go the adders i say ( i am biased ), dont get complacent but as when they strike it's bloody quick.

 

[basketcase]

do alot more research ashley.

if i were u i'd rule out taipans (even though inlands are puppy dogs) and a tiger. i have no experience with either species of copperhead so i dont know what kind of temperment they have. perhaps someone could enlighten me?

the thing with adders is that you can become complacent around them very easily. they will almost always sit and wait for you to come within striking range, and if you do u get done. as a rule i never handle adders, ever. even with a hook.

 

[womas4me]

I only handle if it needs to be done, otherwise they ride the hook from their enclosure into a tub and back. I have put camera lenses into their strike zone but wouldn't put a body part. They strike way fast, with no warning it's coming.

 

[ashley_morris22]

thank-you all very much for your advise.
i thinking of a RBB.
couple of questions how big do they get.(i am going to do more resurch)
also i want to build a enclosure for it. can i get some idea's or maby a photo or 2.
i just want to do it right.

thanks heaps
ashley

 

[Gilleni]

Top oppening enclosures seem to be the go.. sitting on the floor..

Thats all i got as i have no experience with elapids..

 

[ashley_morris22]

what types of air vents etc

 

[peterescue]

Because they are a bit messier i like to be able to get right in and clean out their enclosure. So I have a door that I can fit through. A top opening enclosure is good for hooking snakes out. It really comes down to what you are comfortable with. When I first started looking after browns I found them the best but as I became more confident I found front opening to at about waist hieght the more comfortable.
If the vents are level with the base they may be a hassle when cleaning. They like to bask and they like to be able to hide when they want to.
More Later.

 

[Snake Catcher Victoria]

for a good looking display you cant go past eastern tigers, active during the day and night they also love to climb, and so many colors,,
ive had a few that were like puppies ,,go the tigers(not the footy team)

 

[Carney]

red belly or stephens banded snake for sure but if your a beginner you only have afew choices the red belly, a colletts snake,white crowned snake, collared whipsnake, paleheaded snake,broadheaded snake, stephens banded snake,whiphooded snake, Mallee Black-backed Snake, Spectacled Hooded Snake, Eastern Bandy-bandy.

 

[Brodie]

Be careful of any hoplocephalus, they WILL kill you if they give u a good bite. They are also quite hard to handle, and are easily overfed... not a beginners snake imo.

If you dont even know how big a rbbs is...... then your not ready to be keeping anything with fangs.

Womas,

Thats very interesting, 9/10 adders up here will puff up and strike at anything that moves, very bitey snakes. They dont seem to quieten down at all in captivity, either... Do the cranky ones you get calm down at all?