How did you first get interested in hots?
I've always been fascinated with venomous snakes, right along with non-venomous species ever since I was a kid , I started keeping herps at age 8 with the acquisition of two red-eared slider turtles, a present from my dad. At that time, I was already into tropical fish and had 7 or 8 tanks with various freshwater species and crustaceans, so the transition to keeping reptiles was really quite straightforward. But I didn't begin to seriously consider keeping any venomous species until I was about 17. And to think all of this obsession with scaly creatures really began with your typical boyhood interest in dinosaurs , gee, what a surprise! (laughs) , I wonder how many others got into reptiles the same way?
How long have you been keeping hots?
Actually, this just happens to be my 20th year keeping venomous, as I started when I was 18 with a Northern copperhead (Agkistrodon c. mokeson), and since that time I've kept probably a hundred or so different species. I can't believe how time flies.
How much experience did you have with Nonvenomous before moving into venomous?
About six or seven years, starting with a pair of yellow rat snakes, and then numerous colubrids, boas and pythons. Certain individuals of some colubrids and a couple of python species proved to be the best warm-up' snakes, kept me on my toes. A few misses made sure it stayed that way, especially with the pythons(L)
Do you currently Keep any Nonvenomous? If so, what is your favorite?
Do our White's tree frog & giant millipede count? (L) Then no, we currently don't keep any non-venomous snakes. That's not to say we don't like them, and if we did have more time, we most certainly would. In the past I've had some pretty interesting things, among my favorites were Eastern Indigos, Asian ratsnakes, some of the Erycines and quite a few python sp. If I had the time, some of the non-venomous species that would interest me would be Mandarin ratsnakes, womas, nice high-yellow & high-blue chondros, African mole snakes (Pseudaspis cana), and perhaps a couple of others.
What is your favorite venomous species?
Ooof!.that's tough to narrow down.it's far easier to name favorites by genera: my favorite elapids would be Mambas (Dendroaspis sp.), favorite viperids would be Saw-scaled vipers (Echis sp.), favorite crotalids would be Bushmasters (Lachesis m. ssp.), and my favorite rear-fanged colubrid is the Boomslang (Dispholidus typus). I'm much more into personality and behavior rather than simple beauty or rarity. Of course I appreciate brightly colored species for what they are, but I think people get too caught-up in trends and superficiality of certain species. For me, keeping the plain brown , burrowing , little Stilletto snakes (Atractaspis sp.) is infinitely more interesting and challenging to keep than say, a Gaboon viper (Bitis gabonica ssp.).
How many times have you been envenomated? By what? What were the circumstances and the treatment?
I'm happy to say that I have yet to be bitten by venomous snake, although about fifteen yrs ago I did take a good shot of venom into my right eye from a 5ft. Black neck spitting cobra (Naja nigricollis ssp.), and at 17 I was tagged by an African Parabuthus transvaalicus scorpion during a immense act of stupidity on my part by flicking it with my right pinkie finger , which it almost immediately nailed. This cost me two days in hospital, and was treated symptomatically. My envenomation was considered moderate, with some neurotoxicity, and minimal local effects , except much burning pain in the hand. The incident with the spitting cobra was pretty straightforward and definitely could have been avoided by better face protection. It just didn't occur to me that the greenish, tight-fitting work goggles I was using would fog-up inside when it was hot and humid. I was spat directly in the side of my face right as I stupidly lifted the bottom of the goggles to clear the fog without backing out first. Obviously the sudden upper movement of my arm caused it to spit. The pain is instantaneous and very sharp , think of soap in the eye x5, and you'll get an idea. I was able to start flushing with water within about 30 seconds, and continued for approx. 10 minutes. I must be fairly sensitive because even though my exposure to the venom was only about half a minute, I had swollen, red, copious tearing, scratchy and painful. Then came the headache, and it wouldn't stop for hours. For the next few days it was itchy, red, and my vision was slightly blurry and sensitive to light. All symptoms disappeared within a week. So as such are my consequences of not thinking before acting. All of this is not to say I haven't had my share of close calls with bites - I certainly have , but I'm never going to say that it'll never happen. That would be asinine.
Are you involved in venom research?
No, not at all. I'm just a keeper. About the closest I've come to anything like that was using one of my saw scale vipers (Echis multisquamatus) and milking a Levantine viper (Macrovipera lebantina obtusa) on film for a press release to announce a new anticoagulant drug by Merck Pharmaceuticals.
Is your wife Susan still working with Aspidelaps?
Yes she's still working with a couple of species, and she just hatched Namibian coral cobras (Aspidelaps lubricus infuscatus) for the first time this year, so that was very cool. She's still working with a few species of Vipera as well. Susan really has this amazing green thumb with getting animals to breed. Proportionately, she's really done far better than I have, actually. She's also great at rejuvenating debilitated animals , she just has the knack'.
Have you had the opportunity to work with Fea's Viper?
Yes indeed. We briefly had a pair of these wonderful, but painfully delicate and rare little vipers a few years ago, which ended exactly as what was expected, albeit very prematurely. All in all it was a very depressing experience at the time, and we were quite bitter about it for some time. We had hopefully expected to get a few months with them, or at least a few weeks, but no, these animals succumbed in exactly one week. We made a webpage, including photos, documenting the experience, which we suspect was the first-ever captive information available on the internet regarding Azemiops, although it's been removed since then.
Do you work with Heloderma at all?
Yes, I have an amazing Gila that I've had for about seven years that was given to me as a Christmas present as a hatchling by a friend that bred them. I made a special cage for it that has a sub-terrainian den that slides out, which seems to be utilized most of the time , just as it would be in nature. Super animals!!
How many hots do you currently keep?
To tell you the truth, we don't keep that much anymore, as we don't have the time to maintain them as they should be, so we've been sending out some animals. We've cut it down to our favorite stuff: Susan keeps Aspidelaps s.scutatus, Aspidelaps lubricus infuscatus, Hemachatus haemachatus, Naja n. naja, Porthidium nummifer mexicana, Vipera ammodytes merionalis, Vipera nikolski, and Vipera r. raddei. I'm currently keeping the following: Atractaspis b. bibronii, Dendroaspis angusticeps, Dendroaspis j. jamesoni, Dendroaspis polylepis, Dendroaspis viridis, Dispholidus typus, Echis coloratus, Echis multisquamatus, Heloderma s. suspectum, Naja kaouthia (albino & norm), Naja melanoleuca, and Walterinnesia aegyptia. I'm going to compile a list of every species I've had any experience with over the past twenty years , no matter how brief , just for fun. I've seen my share of snakes. (L)
What are your feelings on venomoids?
I'll keep this brief : except for extreme circumstances with research or education, there's absolutely no ethical reason to do this other than for sheer laziness and ego gratification due to someone's own personal insecurities. And this is sickeningly apparent when certain individuals purposely import whole shipments of wild-caught snakes to do this!! Another point I think that people forget about is that, in most places, any unnecessary and unauthorized surgery, of any kind on any animal, by anyone other than a licensed Veterinarian is highly ILLEGAL. And if it isn't , it should be. How many of these are actually done by a real vet with a full understanding of say, nerve endings and the possible future ramifications of this alteration? My guess is next to none. Would you let your next door neighbor, after simply reading some medical anatomy textbooks, perform an appendectomy on your dog? I would certainly hope not! Maybe it's time for people to start actually making some noise about this issue, right along with the atrocities of the rattlesnake roundups.
So yeah, I have some issues with this. (L)
What do you feel is the best first hot?
I'm now quite reluctant to make recommendations of any species in particular, and I feel the best choice is simply one of the smaller to medium-sized species with sub-lethal venom toxicity, easily accessed antivenom, and hopefully a more relaxed temperament. Although there are generalities, this will vary considerably even among individuals of the same species.
Are there any nonvenomous species that one should have extensive experience with before owning a hot?
Again, I'm also reluctant to generalize, because most venomous species are really quite different from harmless species in both habits and appearance. But for sake of interest, I think good comparisons in similarity could be made from nippy specimens of species like Corallus enhydris tree boas with Trimeresurus / Bothriechis tree vipers; small to medium-sized Blood pythons with larger, heavier-bodied Bitis vipers like Gaboon vipers, Rhinoceros vipers and Puff adders; Drymarchon Cribos and Indigos with Naja cobras; and nervous specimens of arboreal Spilotes and Gonyosoma ratsnakes can pull of a convincing impersonation of Dendroaspis mamba speed and agility , with an inclination to bite if cornered or restrained.
How would you go about finding someone to learn venomous handling and husbandry from?
I would say your nearest herp society, or perhaps through the net, and make casual discreet inquiries. Be respectful of their privacy, and not be insistent or pushy. Most are pretty level people that usually will answer questions. From there, if some experienced keeper has the time and patience, you may persuade one to mentor/train you. Having the right attitude is important , be studious and serious, not have a yahoo' mentality , any serious keeper will see right through it, and not touch you with 8ft tong! (L)
Not enough people take these animals seriously enough, so it is inevitable that accidents will occur , you cannot save a fool from himself. Bad part of this is that it severely effects everyone else around. At the rate of foolishness I see on the internet with venomous snakes, which has exploded in the past few years, the future I see in venomous herpetoculture is very dim. The bottom line is this: no matter how skilled you are and how secure your set-up is, the average general public thinks that anyone who is willing to keep venomous snakes in their home is a danger to the public, and frankly, insane. And you'll never be able to convince them otherwise, either. We as keepers are ridiculously out-numbered, and always will be. It's only a matter of time before enough accidents have occurred that the public & politicians will wake up and shut it down. That's why it's so important that we as keepers try our best to maintain a certain level of responsibility and professionalism that the average person would expect from a supposedly highly-skilled keeper of such potentially dangerous animals. Makes them feel just a bit safer if you don't come off as some kind of nut, and actually know what you're talking about (L). Think studiously , not sensationally.
Have you ever visited RedTailBoa.net? If so, what did you think?
Beautifully laid-out, very slick, and.big. Looks like tons of info, I'll have to poke around a bit and see more .Thanks for having me here, it's been fun!
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