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copperheads
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by dbcanebrake75 on May 10, 2006
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Hello! My name is David, and I am a new member of shhs. I have raised and reared several ball pythons, and several boas, however venomous snakes have always been something that I've wanted to get involved with. I have read that the copperhead is a great introduction to the venomous world, and would just like some input on these beatiful creatures before I make any rash decisions about keeping them. Any input I could get on the general husbandry, and overall handeling, or opinions in general would be greatly appreciated! Thank you all for your time, and input in this matter.
David
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RE: copperheads
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by Rob_Carmichael on May 10, 2006
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Copperheads are indeed beautiful creatures and a real joy to keep. Although I wouldn't consider any venomous herp a good "beginner" hot snake, they do make good captives and typically calm down once in captivity. As long as you always keep in mind that a bite of a copperhead could result in a loss of a digit or limb, you'll do okay. Rely on a good hook, shields, transport cage, when moving the snake....never, ever let any exposed part of your body be w/in striking distance of the snake; take the right approach, and you should never have problems. This is very simplified but you get the idea.
In terms of husbandry, here's how we keep our off display specimens (our copperheads on exhibit are set up in naturalistic displays). Keep in mind that we keep Southern Copperheads and there could be subtle environmental changes or requirements with the other subspecies:
- Cage: 3' neodesha (we keep our's individually)
- Heat: 9" x 9" heat pad connected to a thermostat set at 90 degrees F. This provides a thermal gradient during the day of the mid 70's on the cool side to the mid 80's on the warm side and a basking site of 88-90 deg F. Night temps drop to the mid 60's to lower 70's. Our exhibit cage utilizes a pro product radiant heat panel as the heat source.
- Light: We use a full spectrum fluorescent (18" zoo med)
- Substrate: Newspaper.....still the best but Aspen is another real good choice if you want something that is a little easier to maintain and provides nice traction for the snake.
- Furnishings: two hide areas (one on cool and one on warm), driftwood or cork bark, and a shallow water pan. Additionally, we include a high humidity retreat which is a food storage container with a hole cut in the lid and the box filled with several inches of slighly dampened spaghnum moss; they love this area. We place it in the middle of the cage between the warm and cool zones.
- Feeding: our copperheads get 1-2 frozen/thawed mice every 10-14 days. avoid overfeeding these animals as they can get obese very easily. Activity levels, seasonal behavioral fluctuations and other variables will dictate if the feeding needs to increase or decrease.
Hope this helps. Rob Carmichael, Curator of the Wildlife Discovery Center
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RE: copperheads
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by Cro on May 10, 2006
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David: Thanks for filling out your profile and welcome to the SHHS.
Copperheads are great venomous snakes to start with.
The husbandry information provided by Rob is very good. Others here will add to it, also.
One thing to avoid are newly born copperheads. Some will feed well in captivity, but others will not.
It is best to try to find a copperhead at least a year old, and captive born if possible.
Best Regards JohnZ
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RE: copperheads
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by ALA_snake33 on May 10, 2006
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David, be very carful of Hand Placement, these little Snakes are Very Fast Strikers. Another thing I will add is, Copperheads do not seem to wont to Ride Hooks very well. The habit of not doing this means they can sometimes fall. This being said, never try and catch the snake if it falls, this could produce one big Hospital Bill. With all other things aside, Copperheads make very nice Beginner Hot’s. Keep your mind on the Snake and keep your hands away from the bad end. By the way, welcome to SHHS, hope you enjoy the Site. If you have any other questions, do not hesitate to ask. .......................Be Safe Ya’ll, Happy Herping : Wally
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RE: copperheads
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by vampire on May 10, 2006
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Everyone provided great info. The only thing I would add is to get either a Northern (A. c. mokasen) or Southern (A. c. contortrix) for your first Copper. My experience is they are calmer natured than any of the Western subspecies, I have all 5 subspecies. As John stated, try to get captive bred if possible. Best of luck, they are great animals. I enjoy them tremendously.
Mike Williams aka Vampire
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RE: copperheads
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by capecodreptiles on May 11, 2006
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I would say start off with a Canebrake or Timber Rattlesnake due to their docile temperments, and eagerness to feed. Size might be an issue. Copperheads as stated before are very quick and nippy. They can also be hard to handle with a stick. However that said I got my first copperheads about 2 years ago and they have been excellent additions. I had problems when they were neo's with not taking food. But after a couple of months they became hearty eaters.
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RE: copperheads
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by Cro on May 11, 2006
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Capecodreptiles says `` start off with a Canebrake or Timber Rattlesnake due to their docile temperments, and eagerness to feed.``
Well, he has not met my Canebrake Rattlesnakes, LOL !
Sure, some horridus are docile in captivity, but many are not. Many are very difficult to work with and can be very dangerous.
They do readily feed in captivity, but are not a good snake to start with. If you happen to get bitten by a Canebrake, you are in a much more dangerous situation than from the bite of a Copperhead.
Start out venomous keeping with a Copperhead, Cottonmouth, or Pygmy Rattlesnake. Then after a couple of years, think about adding a Canebrake or Timber.
Best Regards JohnZ
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RE: copperheads
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by SimplySnakes on May 11, 2006
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WOW, a Canebrake? As a beginner snake? My adult Cane will hit a live adult rat and the rat falls out in about 45-50 seconds. That snake is hot. The damage that snake would do to my 200 lb body would be very serious, let alone a younger beginner who would not expect their "hair trigger" strike. Let's be catious about what we suggest to inexperienced keepers. A copper or a pig would be better, but still can do damage to limbs and digits if envenomated.
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