AustHerps
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- Oct 21, 2005
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Or who is in the process of getting ready to keep? Would love to hear some tales.
To get the ball rolling...
My fist ven experience involved my nearly stepping on a blacksnake in Ballarat. I shreiked like a little girl, jumped, and literally ran home. I was about 12. Pretty tough huh?
After keeping various pythons, dragons, and skinks for about a year and a half, my interest was drawn towards venomous snakes. Previously, I had always sworn I'd never keep them. You'd have to be an idiot wouldn't you? Pfft who'd want to keep animals that can't be handled, that always want to kill you? Still, my newfound interest had me glued to my computer, perusing forum after forum, reading website after website. Finally, I emailed a few of the more 'well-known' herpers to ask for advice. Most replied with helpful advice, and one replied inviting me around to his to have a look and get some handling experience.
After about 10 hours of handling experience, it was soon apparent that there is only so much handling and reading that one can do. I bit the bullet, and finally found a pair of collett's snakes available for sale from a guy in Townsville. The trip home from the airport was the longest trip ever. Once they were into their new enclosure, I sat, and watched them, in awe, still not believing that I finally had venomous snakes.
Not long after, I picked up a redbelly. Following not long after that, a tiger, and a death adder. It was so apparent that each ven is so different. Up until now, I'd been pretty lucky. All my vens were a breeze, never giving me any hassles, always hooking easily, being overall well behaved. Still, the bug had bitten.
A few months following that, a friend of mine had some eastern browns for sale. Yep, a challenge, but one I believed I was up for. I was very conscious at the time of how fast I was getting into the deep end. But, at the same time confident in my abilities (yet not to the extent of being cocky). A week later, the browns were sitting warily in their new homes. Now these encapsulated everything the ven 'rumours' mention. They were flightly, difficult to handle, and aggressive. Admittedly, my heart raced every time the enclosure doors were open (and, to an extent, still does now!).
After a time, that want retured. I suppose one way of describing it was that dream that every person has in some aspect of their life of that moment they reach the holy grail. Then, for me, the holy grail was the taipan. It wasn't long before I was unpacking the most venomous snake in the world, right at my own house. In my experience (at least up until now), the taipans are far easier to deal with than the browns. Yes, they are very intelligent animals. But, IMO, a brown is far more likely to land its fangs in you.
I know I moved very quickly through the venomous hierarchy. Some say I was stupid. Some could see I was a competant keeper. It's a matter of stance, and in herps, there's always a difference of opinion!
So, how did you get into vens? What was it that spurred you on? Was there a specific moment that you decided "yep, I'm doing this"? Or is it something that you lie in bed at nighttime wanting for? Let's here some stories
Cheers,
Austy.
To get the ball rolling...
My fist ven experience involved my nearly stepping on a blacksnake in Ballarat. I shreiked like a little girl, jumped, and literally ran home. I was about 12. Pretty tough huh?
After keeping various pythons, dragons, and skinks for about a year and a half, my interest was drawn towards venomous snakes. Previously, I had always sworn I'd never keep them. You'd have to be an idiot wouldn't you? Pfft who'd want to keep animals that can't be handled, that always want to kill you? Still, my newfound interest had me glued to my computer, perusing forum after forum, reading website after website. Finally, I emailed a few of the more 'well-known' herpers to ask for advice. Most replied with helpful advice, and one replied inviting me around to his to have a look and get some handling experience.
After about 10 hours of handling experience, it was soon apparent that there is only so much handling and reading that one can do. I bit the bullet, and finally found a pair of collett's snakes available for sale from a guy in Townsville. The trip home from the airport was the longest trip ever. Once they were into their new enclosure, I sat, and watched them, in awe, still not believing that I finally had venomous snakes.
Not long after, I picked up a redbelly. Following not long after that, a tiger, and a death adder. It was so apparent that each ven is so different. Up until now, I'd been pretty lucky. All my vens were a breeze, never giving me any hassles, always hooking easily, being overall well behaved. Still, the bug had bitten.
A few months following that, a friend of mine had some eastern browns for sale. Yep, a challenge, but one I believed I was up for. I was very conscious at the time of how fast I was getting into the deep end. But, at the same time confident in my abilities (yet not to the extent of being cocky). A week later, the browns were sitting warily in their new homes. Now these encapsulated everything the ven 'rumours' mention. They were flightly, difficult to handle, and aggressive. Admittedly, my heart raced every time the enclosure doors were open (and, to an extent, still does now!).
After a time, that want retured. I suppose one way of describing it was that dream that every person has in some aspect of their life of that moment they reach the holy grail. Then, for me, the holy grail was the taipan. It wasn't long before I was unpacking the most venomous snake in the world, right at my own house. In my experience (at least up until now), the taipans are far easier to deal with than the browns. Yes, they are very intelligent animals. But, IMO, a brown is far more likely to land its fangs in you.
I know I moved very quickly through the venomous hierarchy. Some say I was stupid. Some could see I was a competant keeper. It's a matter of stance, and in herps, there's always a difference of opinion!
So, how did you get into vens? What was it that spurred you on? Was there a specific moment that you decided "yep, I'm doing this"? Or is it something that you lie in bed at nighttime wanting for? Let's here some stories
Cheers,
Austy.
