Cotton mouth info needed please!

[GOOF 1o1]

Hey ppl as you know I hav been doing rechearch on hots caus i want to start with them and in the prosses got myself a trio pair of cottonmouths I diddnt find much about them on the net so if any of u are ceeping these plz share with me your experienses as wel as any special info on them do they need special treatment ect... Will post pics soon
THANX PPL
GO U WELL

[snake-5]

They seem to survive very well in captivity and eat like pigs, how big are they etc etc

[Bushbaby]

My experience with them is pretty limited. Kept them for a while. They were probably one of the worst exotic venomous snakes I had ever kept. I would personally never recommend them to anyone, but luckily everyone is different and you might like them. Just be careful of the sharp end.

They are pretty fast and usually very aggresive. They are pretty easy to keep and will probably survive in any kind of setup, as long as they have heat and food.

[snake-5]

There tempers do tend to vary greatly as my two are the most docile snakes i possibly keep they are fine on a hook stick and never seem to be aggressive. However i have seen a cotton from bv that was satan personified.

[Bushviper]

Yip These are not recommended as first hots as they can be pretty nasty.

They are very tough and some heat, a slightly higher humidity and enough food will ensure that they live for a long time.

Your biggest concern should be the safety of the person working in the cage. Try a deep cage which opens from the top. Keep them seperated especially at feeding time.

The bite is really nasty so respect them and you should be okay.

[Bjorn]

One thing I have notice is that one need to search for the common name and if that does not yield results try the Scientific name like

"Agkistrodon Piscivorus" captive care

.

I tried it and did not find any care sheets, but got 233 hits. You may get lucky.

Happy hunting and be carefull.

[snake-5]

Try searching under water moccosin that may yield a few results.

[neko]

Not really a care sheet, but still interesting.
http://www.michherp.org/nwaters.html

There's about as much info on them on the net as with African snakes.

[GOOF 1o1]

Thanx guys will do sum more searching

[phobos]

Have no fear....

Trapjaws are very tough customers. The US equivalent to the SA Puff Adder in temperment and venom characteristics . Keep him/her in the low 30s and a big water bowl to soak in and it will be a happy camper. They like a place to hide also but best not to keep them together. They are "garbage disposals" and will eat most anything. Mine likes rats, mice, fish, chicks. Stay away from Frog as they are loaded with paracytes.

They are very smart and caculating, so don't get into a routine because it will get ya.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

My Trapjaw

[GOOF 1o1]

THANX for the info man nice speciemen you got there

[pitviper95]

These are facinating snakes,but like most ppl said,do NOT get bitten.I have a subadult male and he's temper is pretty much the same as purple mangroves but I have never had any problems with mine.I spray mine once a day to keep it humid and i keep it at about 29-32 degrees during the day and about 26 degrees at night.For some reason most people don't like cottonmouths,but its a nice viper to keep if you know what you're doing

[Skippy]

These animals really love water. A friend of mine keeps these animals and breeds them very easy every year.

You need a pretty big cage, and half of the cage must be a water tank because these animals are pretty aquatic

[Graeme]

I love these snakes, they are really easy to keep and have very distinctive personalities. Just heed the warnings and you'll be fine. I breed them most years with no trouble at all, I would however, avoid keeping them together at all costs though, as a hungry or irritated female can quickly reduce your Cottonmouth collection to 1. I speak from experience.

I have also posted more detailed information on keeping them elsewhere on this forum.

Have fun!

[Death-Skull]

Hi all,

I personally keep these animals myself and i love them, not only were they my first hot but technically my first snake I kept.

I find my male is calm and timid while my female hates anything with a heartbeat and will do anything in her power to stop that beat!!!

Set-Up

I have kept mine ova the time in
1.plastic containers with newspaper
2.glass cage with bark chips and peat moss (50/50 mix)
3.wooden cage with sand
4.wooden cage with bark chips
5.wooden cage with sand,bark chips medium,peat moss and spagnum moss

and in all cases the animals have had heat but not all.

I found that yes they ate more and regular when on heat but they never gave problems.

Now they in set-up 5 with heat and they are eating like pigs could only wish to.

In my personal opinion these are a great starter HOT for multiple reasons.
1.They shed well in any set-up
2.They eat well in any set-up
3.They generally warn before strike
4.It is almost impossible to over feed or ova water these things
5.They dont stink if cage is kept clean
6.They are amazing animals


But that is just my total opinion.