# Getting my first tiger snake.



## Jesse28 (Dec 12, 2011)

Hey People.
Im Getting My First Tiger Snake In A Week Any Tips?.
Thanks Jesse


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## Grogshla (Dec 12, 2011)

Don't piss it off


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## junglepython2 (Dec 12, 2011)

Don't get bitten  
And if possible get an established feeder.


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## Jesse28 (Dec 12, 2011)

haha thanks i will try not to.

its 1 year old all ready and feeds well its off a mate who is moving to OLD so has to sell all of his reptiles


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## snakes123 (Dec 12, 2011)

Make sure you post pics please


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## Jesse28 (Dec 12, 2011)

yeh i will im picking it up next week sunday if plans dont change


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## hazza88 (Dec 12, 2011)

early christmas present for yourself i am guessing


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## Jesse28 (Dec 12, 2011)

na my mate is moving to QLD so he is giving it to me for free


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## snakes123 (Dec 12, 2011)

even better than an early chrissy present when it comes free heyy. haha


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## Jesse28 (Dec 12, 2011)

haha yeh i just wish i had more spare cages to get some of his other snakes.


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## Snake Catcher Victoria (Dec 12, 2011)

Dont give it to much heat,if any, mine dont get any. they crap a lot and it stinks so keep on top of that.
I prefer to feed smallish feeds often rather than large feeds. but thats just me.
Mine are loving the change from newspaper substrate to bunnings brand eucy mulch but it needs to be sprayed every now and then because it gets dry.

oh yeah, dont get bit


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## Jesse28 (Dec 12, 2011)

thanks for that mate. it's feeding on medium mice


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## Varanus1 (Dec 13, 2011)

What ssssnakeman said, please don't cook them - they don't do well in high heat for extended periods.

Hope you enjoy cleaning cages, because you will spend plenty of time doing that with these snakes


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## Jesse28 (Dec 13, 2011)

i clean all of my snakes and lizards cages once every week.


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## IgotFrogs (Dec 13, 2011)

hrmmm my only tip would be stay away from the bitey end ....


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## Jesse28 (Dec 13, 2011)

haha yeh. i have held it a few times very bitey getting it out of the cage but once its out its good


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## BurtonReptiles (Dec 13, 2011)

i will sick to pythons lol


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## Jesse28 (Dec 13, 2011)

haha true but some of the venomous snakes look awsome.


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## IgotFrogs (Dec 13, 2011)

Well, good luck to you .... Pythons are "safe" for me lol ..... 
Just be careful!

And yes they are very awesome to see ....... At someone else's or a zoo or park lol ....


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## Sezzzzzzzzz (Dec 13, 2011)

this has me wondering, do you have to keep antivenom at your house?


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## Jesse28 (Dec 13, 2011)

its alright if i get bit im only 5 min away from the hospital


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## Sezzzzzzzzz (Dec 13, 2011)

LOL! have you had snakes before? in no way am i having a go. just genuinely interested.


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## Jesse28 (Dec 13, 2011)

i have kept pythons for about 7 years.and its of a mate i feed all of his snakes and clean them when he goes on a holiday but he is moving and said i could keep his tiger.


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## Sezzzzzzzzz (Dec 13, 2011)

Sorry Jesse, for some reason I thoght you were in Tas! having a blonde day.


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## Jesse28 (Dec 13, 2011)

hah its alright


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## moosenoose (Dec 13, 2011)

newtolovingsnake said:


> this has me wondering, do you have to keep antivenom at your house?



Anti-venom is dreadfully expensive.....and if you get it wrong, you're probably going to go down a very bad, bumpy path anyway. Best to get a compression bandage on it and get to somewhere they can deal with a whole range of scenarios (anaphylactic shock etc etc)


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## Sezzzzzzzzz (Dec 13, 2011)

Thanks Moosenoose. i have always wondered what requirements the government puts on elapid owners as far as their safety, and others of course. I mean common sense would say that you should have a first aid kit, but other than that whats the go?


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## Michael1 (Dec 13, 2011)

*Tiger Snakes*

Advice? If you have other pets such as dogs or mice, don't take it. The concentration of a tiger snake's venom can kill 50% of a mice population. Here's my source - and you might also want to read it. Tiger Snakes - bite, LD-50-value, foraging, scientific investigations


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## Sezzzzzzzzz (Dec 13, 2011)

Michael1 said:


> Advice? If you have other pets such as dogs or mice, don't take it. The concentration of a tiger snake's venom can kill 50% of a mice population. Here's my source - and you might also want to read it. Tiger Snakes - bite, LD-50-value, foraging, scientific investigations




Your first post in a reptile forum and its to discourage someone from getting something they have prior knowledge of?


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## moosenoose (Dec 13, 2011)

newtolovingsnake said:


> i have always wondered what requirements the government puts on elapid owners as far as their safety, and others of course. I mean common sense would say that you should have a first aid kit, but other than that whats the go?



There is no go  I've often thought the exact same thing. 

My biggest concern is what I call state exotics. People who keep death adders and taipans in areas they aren't found. I know hospitals have a polyvalent anti-venom, but "I would presume" bites from Adders and Tais would be more in the monovalent catagory?? I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong. The concern here is having keepers of such animals rolling into a local hospital and not being able to get the effective treatment they require.

Still, I don't hear of magnitudes of keepers getting bitten left, right & center. I personally think the tiger snake makes an incredible captive. Their temperament is also quite remarkable once they calm down. Often just becoming big, lazy relaxed snakes  ....except at feeding time :lol: Then chuck on your bulletproof clothing :lol:


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## Sezzzzzzzzz (Dec 13, 2011)

i have absolutely no experience in elapids, but yes i could see that this would be a big concern. 

Its good to know that not too many keepers get bitten. 

i cant believe that there isnt any compulsary safety requirements.. that seems very silly to me...


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## thomasssss (Dec 13, 2011)

Michael1 said:


> Advice? If you have other pets such as dogs or mice, don't take it. The concentration of a tiger snake's venom can kill 50% of a mice population. Here's my source - and you might also want to read it. Tiger Snakes - bite, LD-50-value, foraging, scientific investigations


really we all thought it was no venomous


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## Jesse28 (Dec 13, 2011)

thanks people for your help. and i breed all of my mice


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## Boidae (Dec 13, 2011)

Michael1 said:


> Advice? If you have other pets such as dogs or mice, don't take it. The concentration of a tiger snake's venom can kill 50% of a mice population. Here's my source - and you might also want to read it. Tiger Snakes - bite, LD-50-value, foraging, scientific investigations



Hmmm, everyone's an expert nowadays...
The LD50 is a load of crap. You cannot predict how an elapids venom will affect a human being based on the outcome of injecting it into mice or rats. Give this a read.. Australia's Venomous Snakes: The Modern Myth 

Venom was not designed for human beings, it was designed to kill the specific snake's prey item (which is not necessarily mice or rats either...) Many people have survived bites from apparently 'deadly' snakes, and there have even been a few people killed by 'mildly venomous' elapids. 

In my opinion, any python than 9-10 feet has the potential to be more dangerous than most elapids. A highly venomous snake bites you, and you will usually at least have 1/2 an hour to get to the hospital. If a large python grabs you around the neck or chest, and no-one else is there to help you, it's lights out in about 3 minutes.


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## moosenoose (Dec 13, 2011)

boidae said:


> Hmmm, everyone's an expert nowadays...
> The LD50 is a load of crap. You cannot predict how an elapids venom will affect a human being based on the outcome of injecting it into mice or rats. Give this a read..



True to a degree, but I wouldn't necessarily say it's a load of crap. We have no other scale on which we determine venom toxicity, so the LD50 scale is it. Until someone decides to use humans or monkeys in their tests  Oh and wouldn't we all love that! :lol:

Pretty much, if you are bitten by a taipan, you're going to go down faster than a brown injecting the same amount of venom, then faster than a tiger with the same amount of venom etc etc It's all relative on the scale of things.


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## saratoga (Dec 13, 2011)

As others have said they can quieten down nicely, but beware their feeding response. 

The hospital might only be 5 minutes away, but that's no reason to be lax about things. The doctor on duty may have never treated a snakebite before or know what they're doing....it wouldn't be the first time!

Experienced keepers can underestimate snakes too......ok this is a bit more agile than a Tiger but a good example never to let your guard down when food is around
Scary Short "Sometimes I feel like the prey." - YouTube


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## Jesse28 (Dec 13, 2011)

thanks for that


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## jedi_339 (Dec 13, 2011)

Say ahhhhh

I thought this one was good too 

just shows even when you are expecting something they might surprise you


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## -Peter (Dec 13, 2011)

Forget the crap and dont get bitten. Its not worth it. You'll throw up, crap your pants, temporarily lose a couple of your senses, minor nuerological damage, bleed, feel like crap and maybe react to the antivenom. You probably wont die but why try and find out.


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## junglepython2 (Dec 13, 2011)

Jesse28 said:


> its alright if i get bit im only 5 min away from the hospital



Even with prompt care, you can still be in big trouble with nasty long lasting side-effects.



moosenoose said:


> There is no go  I've often thought the exact same thing.
> 
> My biggest concern is what I call state exotics. People who keep death adders and taipans in areas they aren't found. I know hospitals have a polyvalent anti-venom, but "I would presume" bites from Adders and Tais would be more in the monovalent catagory?? I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong. The concern here is having keepers of such animals rolling into a local hospital and not being able to get the effective treatment they require.
> :lol:



The polyvalent is a combination of the monovalent's so it will cover adders and tais.


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## longqi (Dec 13, 2011)

When I had vens I always kept a piece of paper prominently positioned in my wallet

Just gave my blood type and the types of vens I may have been bitten by
Never had to use it
But possibly a good idea


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## SteveNT (Dec 13, 2011)

-Peter said:


> Forget the crap and dont get bitten. Its not worth it. You'll throw up, crap your pants, temorarily lose a couple of your senses, minor nuerological damage, bleed, feel like crap and maybe react to the antivenom. You probably wont die but why try and find out.



With a good dose your kidneys will never recover either. There is plenty of collatoral damage.


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## Renenet (Dec 13, 2011)

I skimmed through this thread and I don't think it's been suggested already. Would it be a good idea for Jesse to tell the hospital exactly what he's keeping?


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## [email protected] (Dec 13, 2011)

you will be fine , just don't get complacent , remember what they are and the consequences.


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## baxtor (Dec 13, 2011)

saratoga said:


> ... The doctor on duty may have never treated a snakebite before or know what they're doing....it wouldn't be the first time!
> 
> 
> Scary Short "Sometimes I feel like the prey." - YouTube



spot on



Jesse28 said:


> i clean all of my snakes and lizards cages once every week.


That's going to change then. lol



Michael1 said:


> Advice? ... The concentration of a tiger snake's venom can kill 50% of a mice population.



Stating the obvious. A 50% kill rate is precisely what the aim is with LD50.


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## moosenoose (Dec 14, 2011)

junglepython2 said:


> The polyvalent is a combination of the monovalent's so it will cover adders and tais.



Thanks  Good to know, I wasn't sure how the polyvalents worked. I'd wonder if it's as effective as using a monovalent though? Ahh ignorance is bliss


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## jenno (Dec 14, 2011)

cool hope you post some pics, i would love to get into the venomous snakes one day....oh yeah dont get bit....good luck
cheers 
Jenno


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## baxtor (Dec 14, 2011)

A vial of both poly and mono contain 3000 units of tiger snake antivenom however the poly also has around 37000 units of other antivenom that is not going to be needed. All that animal protein increases the chances of serum sickness or other possible complications. Much better off using mono if it is available for the snake responsible.


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## junglepython2 (Dec 14, 2011)

moosenoose said:


> Thanks  Good to know, I wasn't sure how the polyvalents worked. I'd wonder if it's as effective as using a monovalent though? Ahh ignorance is bliss



As Baxtor said it is a much larger volume which isnt ideal and much more expensive.


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