Just curious - Why do you keep elapids?

[Avery4]

I'm new to all this herping stuff, but am certainly developing a deep appreciation and love for the critters.

I've been checking out the amazing elapid pics and am curious - for those of you with elapids, why do you keep them? Is it for how amazing they look? Or the thrill of keeping creatures so few people have? Or is it about getting up close and personal with such dangerous animals? or for some other reason entirely?

Perhaps rude of me to ask, but I am fascinated.

 

[chewbacca]

personally if i was to keep a ven (it will happen when i move into my own house some day) it would entirely be based on how mis understood they are, there such amazing, attractive and just lovely snakes. theres so much detail on them, its just indescribable how truly amazing they are!

 

[kawasakirider]

They sure beat the hell out of your average guard dog.

 

[gillsy]

Their looks, attitude, and the fact they don't sit around all day like pythons. The couple pythons I do have get handled no different to the vens. They both aren't handled so really there is no difference in how they're kept.

 

[waruikazi]

Cause they are more fun.

 

[moosenoose]

It just seemed a logical step up from pythons for me :lol:

I find any snake truly fascinating, and I'm in love the venomous ones as much as the non-venomous. To me, they are worth the risk. That said, I'd be very wary if any of mine were complete nutjobs...I don't have a death wish

 

[snakelady-viper]

Just something different. I also dont have a death wish But they are well worth the risk. Play by all the rules and all will be well

 

[imported_Varanus]

Like many on here, I suspect, they were the snakes of my childhood. Living in colder regions of Southern NSW, Canberra and Vic, the only snakes I had available (talking pre-licencing days) were wild caught Browns, Tigers, Copperheads and RBB's. As a kid, I always dreamed of a Carpet Python (next to Coastal Tai's and Top End Mulgas) and, when I finally got one, wondered what all the fuss had been about(no offence). Eventually, I got a licence, joined my local WIRES group to do snake removals and now have elapids on permit.

 

[jack]

essentially as richard said above...

 

[shlanger]

Because I can!

 

[waruikazi]

They are hunters, you can get them chasing mice around their enclosure. No pythons do that.

 

[Snakeluvver2]

Some colubrids do! Bah pythons are boring. Right now I am settling for colubrids.

 

[Nodrog]

Totally more fun than pythons not to mention there is something to be said about staring at a death adder just before you throw a rat in her cage. The strike on an adder although i have seen it a thousand times still makes me shiver!..

 

[Snake Catcher Victoria]

A lot more interesting and i think they are smarter than pythons.
I got my 1st python when I was about 17
(a jungle I bought from an exotic dancer),
up untill then I was only keeping elapids and colubrids.

 

[slither]

personally i think they are far more interesting as they tend to be a lot more active and when feeding time comes wow theres nothing like it such a unique experience

 

[$NaKe PiMp]

cause there nice

 

[gata1]

probs a stupid question but it sounds like you live feed elapids is this true or have i read it wrong ?

 

[abnrmal91]

probs a stupid question but it sounds like you live feed elapids is this true or have i read it wrong ?

Read it wrong I believe he means moving the mouse away from the snake and getting them to chase it


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[saximus]

You've read it wrong.

I hear there is much more variety in the elapids as well and some of them are very attractive snakes

 

[AirCooled]

Watching a friends Tiger snake hunt and hit live prey is something I will never forget,unfreakinbelievable!