If you are into hots...

[RZL36]

Oh, I'm sure some of you know about this, but there is this guy, Al Conitz, who does really great work with venomous herps. He has over a hundred videos and the same species is rarely repeated/featured. Everything from mambas to asps. Really cool work he does. I spend a great deal of my time watching the videos. YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. (http://www.youtube.com/user/viperkeeper)

[Stefan-A]

Yeah, I found that guy maybe a year ago. :) His videos are the best YouTube has to offer, In My Humble Opinion.

[enigma200316]

the video's we're kool, I liked them a lot, although I would never be one of the people that deal with venomous snakes, its just not my thing....:D

[RZL36]

If I had training and lived in a state that allowed them, I probably would once I had a separate house/shed/something built. Would never have them in the house and would never have them if I had kids. I don't think I would keep some of the larger, more aggressive elapids either. I just want to have the whole agkistrodon complex covered. To me, the venomous ones are the prettiest and the most engaging. Don't forget that garters could be regarded as warm. So hello to all the fellow "hot" keepers.

[Stefan-A]

Agkistrodon and Vipera, some day. :D Not in about a decade or so. ;)

[RZL36]

Vipera Berus. Oooo weeee. That is a pretty snake. Stefan, how common are they in Finland?

[Stefan-A]

In these parts, on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being very common and 1 extremely rare, it would be about 3.5-4.

[RZL36]

Well that's not bad. In New Jersey we have two venomous species. Timber Rattler (c.horridus) and the Northern Copperhead (a.contorix mokasen). The Timber is a 1 for sure (state endangered). The Northern is a 3. Went herping a few times in their habitat and couldn't spot either.

Probably one of prettiest snakes I have ever seen is a melanistic berus.

[Stefan-A]

A couple of pics of one of my favorite species. ;)

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/Image13.jpg

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/adder1.jpg

[RZL36]

How close were you when you shot those (if you did)? Now I have to bring some pictures of coppers to the equation. Should upload all my venomous pictures from the phone tonight.

[Stefan-A]

The first one.. maybe 30 cm away.

[RZL36]

I've heard they are a pretty calm species. Still, I would give it a yard (meter). Whatever, different strokes for different folks.

[Stefan-A]

It varies a lot. In the wild, some of them will practically let you step on them, while others will dash towards the nearest hiding place the second they spot you. This one just played cobra, hissed and refused to move. But I've never had one strike at me.

Wildcaught ones are apparently extremely difficult to keep. James has some experience with them, I think.

[RZL36]

James,

Please talk a bit about berus keeping. Any little quarks about them?