Justin to his snake buddies talking about feeding time: “I attack my prey then Emily likes to wave it around my enclosure. I let her do it. It seems to make her happy.” 😅🤣

As a grown up, vet med employed, previous education major in your audience - thank you for calling yourself out for doing something incorrectly. It’s good for both possible future or even current owners of venomous creatures to see how to do things right and exactly how careful you need to be in that even the littlest mistake could be dangerous.

I really appreciate how Emily corrected herself on the spot and acknowledged any mistakes they're still learning from instead of editing out the mistake or keeping it under the rug. It keeps into perspective that even people with as much experience with reptiles as you guys have still need to be on your toes when it comes to handling venomous creatures.

He was so incredibly friendly when I visited Snake Discovery! He came right up to the glass to say hi, and, as a person who is somewhat uncomfortable around snakes, I really gained a new appreciation for snakes through his inquisitiveness. He's also gorgeous!

Even a couple who have kept snakes (and an alligator) for YEARS still took classes to safely handle and care for their venomous snake. That's how you do things responsibly. Love you Snake Discovery. Thanks for all the work you do to help the reptile community.

The spooked rattle/hiss as you put him in the bucket was oddly adorable- such a sweet boy!

Honestly, he looks a lot goofier than I was expecting. Bless his heart.

It never ceases to amaze me how professional and amazing Emily and Ed are. From wearing a venom proof glove just because of a minuscule chance of a prick and then protecting their employees from risks ? I love these guys so much !!

I literally saw the picture and laughed at the name a bit. He is so pretty but he looks so mad, probably because of the eyes. He is probably one of the polite and chill rattlesnake I have seen in videos.

Glad you're not treating him as if he's the common corn snake despite his "calm" demeanor and still respecting the fact he's a deadly animal.

So glad to see more venomous education... especially how to recognize one versus similar "lookalikes". I'm in NE Texas on a multi acre property with TONS of kingsnakes, garters, copperheads, etc. My husband and I do our best to keep the area around the house pet safe, and the rest of the property wildlife safe. My MIL wants to kill any hot snake she finds while we just carefully encourage them into a large bucket with long handled garden tools and move them to a pond or back acre well out of our pets reach. She hates that we do it but we have so many mice and rats that we really need the snakes to help keep the population on control. Sorry for the long story but education like this is so important and I love that you guys have gotten a rattlesnake to help teach visitors and protect the species!

He's such a cute timber boy. We have a lot of them in the mountains where I live. The very first rattler I ever saw was while camping near a rocky overlook. The little black tail and rattle was sticking out. We were actually very close because we hadn't seen it right away and it rattled a bit so we backed off. My hiking party just left it be so we could enjoy the view from a safe distance away. The next morning I got to see it and some copperheads basking in the morning sun while I sat a little further up to watch the sunrise. I learned two things from that trip. One.) Rattlers, copperheads, and black rat snakes have been observed denning together for warmth in Pennsylvania which is a super fun tidbit. Two.) These guys really really do just want to be left alone. Fear is healthy and can keep you alive. But remember they're afraid of you too and many striking instances can be avoided with education, patience, and watching your step.

Justin is such a sweetheart! It's good that you and Ed are the only ones to handle him; I could definitely see people getting too comfortable with his laid back personality and taking risks. It only takes one mistake to create a tragic outcome. Also my husband loves/hates the name. I told him "They got a timber rattlesnake. Guess what his name is. Guess." He said "What?" and I could instantly see the regret on his face as he realized what I was about to say.

The rambling was definitely needed- don’t apologize! Timber rattlesnakes are super fascinating, and Justin is no exception! Just look at him, he’s gorgeous! One of these days when I can take a road-trip out that way, I definitely hope to be able to stop at your zoo and see all the critters in person! I’m actually in the range these guys live in the wild, which is cool! Between timbers and copperheads, it’s actually on my “bucket list” per-say to learn how to safely move and handle venomous species. With horses, I definitely think it’d be a good skill to have to be able to safely remove the snakes from high-traffic areas around the farm.

Hi Emily! I don't know if you read these, but I just wanted to send you a little "Thank You!" At the urging of our local reptile community, I've just started doing small private educational events in my area, and I just received a booking for a young lad named Luke who's is a HUGE fan of you, has apparently even donated toward your feeders, and desperately wanted snakes at his birthday party! His Mom found me and we're all set to make for some great birthday memories... and it's all thanks to YOU! So THANK YOU for all you do. You and Clint are the only channels I recommend to parents, and you've been secret mentors to me as well. All that said... you're not getting a cut of the gig. 😆

I giggled around 15 mins when I noticed you could see the top half of Justin’s jaw when he did a big yawn. He’s got a sweet grumpy face. Thank you for the education on hot snakes!

I loved him when I visited the zoo with my boyfriend on new years eve. He was so inquisitive and I got so many good photos and videos of him. ❤️ it was great to go to the zoo and meet you. It was better then I could have imagined!

Considering yall are basically influencers in the youtube reptile space it's awesome that you emphasize how important proper handling and training are. If it means less people get bitten/near misses and less snakes get rehomed, then ramble away

Your soapbox is much appreciated. You are always enthusiastic in an empathetic and objective way, in the sense that you emphasize your fascination with all these species, even the seeming drawbacks. And your "soapbox" simply shows that even with all of your exuberance for these fascinating animals, that your grounded and educated opinion also stems from that same place of long learning, observation and appreciation of these same fascinating species venom or no...You show appreciation for all of the facets, because they are all important parts of the animal. Thank you both for not bringing negative ego into your educational sharing. My kiddo and I love your work/passion.

Very cool to see. No crazy shenanigans and free-handling, just informative while keeping a safe distance throughout!

Everyone is talkin rattlesnakes but can we appreciate how Rex is straight chilling in the intro

Congrats on getting the rattlesnake! It’s such a good idea to have native venomous species in the zoo, especially so people know what they look like so they can avoid them and let them be :)

Holding onto the lid while putting him away is so smart! I always felt like I wouldn't ever be able to be around venomous or otherwise extremely-dangerous-in-case-of-accident animals because I have so much of that instinctual urge to just reach out and work with them like I do any animal, but that is SUCH a great idea for managing that!

Very interesting to witness someone actually learning how to handle venomous snakes "from scratch", very cautious and all, it really puts in perspective the pros like Chandler which seem so at ease with these danger noodles :)

Also don’t forget when keeping hots, that a lot of states require a log over 500+ hours of training with each species that you’ll want to keep them legally.

As a non-venomous keeper (Thanks, Snake Discovery for all your help in getting me into the hobby!), I am...shocked...at how easy it is to GET a "hot." I attended a local Reptile "meet" and, as I waited in line to get in, watched a constant stream of people leaving with "red taped" containers... And when I got in, the types of snakes available (not cheap, but available)...exotics from Africa and Asia (Cobras, Echis, Rhino Vipers, etc...)...wow! I haven't really been at all interested into keeping "hots" myself, but I think you're absolutely on point with your caution for anyone who is dreaming about it.

Weird thing to say about a venomous snake but he’s such a sweet boy. Also Rex in the back ground stealing the limelight hilarious 😂

i like how rex is just in the back ground staring at you guys

Also a reminder for anyone thinking they want a hot snake to be macho: Antivenin is ridiculously expensive. I believe it’s about $10k per vial and I use ten vials to make the IV drip. So if nothing else deters your maybe that’s will 🤷🏻‍♀️ I love to look at them but I will definitely never try to handle one myself. It can get a little disappointing when I try to Herp when visiting family because basically all I ever find are copper heads and I’m not about to chance that!

I always say some variation on "Interesting!" In the comments of these videos, but boy howdy, this was one of the greats! The mesmerizing, smooth swapping of the two hooks as Emily kept him on the towel really put me at ease that she knew what she was doing - definitely good you were able to take that class in Cali! - and WOW what a backstory! He's practically purpose-built to join Snake Discovery's lineup! Very used to seeing people and to being seen, used to traveling, super-polite and calm, just the best first venomous snake you could ask for!

Thank you for getting up on your soapbox! As an outsider to the reptile community, it really interests me to hear about issues you are facing. Also, thank you for providing entertaining education videos! I have shared a few with my students and they love learning more about the animals you highlight. Ally is a particular favorite!

I have never seen a rattlesnake be that chill before. It's clear Justin has spent a lot of time being handled. He's a great teaching snake, but very much still an active timber rattler.

At first I was wondering why and how you got a venomous snake since I don’t know what the license and ownership laws are like in MN. But then I remembered you took that course and you explained that he’s used to being handled and used as an ambassador. Not that anyone but you guys would handle him. He seems like a great addition to the zoo and I love his name. He’s actually really adorable. So polite and curious.

Justin is such a pretty snake and I love his wiggle when he ate. Also I appreciate your psa regarding owning hots. I loves snakes despite having a phobia of them and I hope people realize that they need to treat them with respect and not cause them harm.

What a funny little timber 😆 I love him. I've seen his enclosure sign in previous videos and was wondering if or when he was going to be talked about. Very relaxed rattlesnake. Probably due to his time being around people and being treated nicely. Definitely my new favorite animal on the channel for sure (I'm obsessed with rattlers). Hopefully he's in future videos! 🐍

Viewer from Arkansas, here! Timber rattlesnakes in the wild are pretty chill. I’ve almost stepped on several. They just freeze and watch where you are. When you move away, they slowly carry on their way.

Excited to see the sort of care given to a rattlesnake!

Congrats on your first actual hot species! Justin is gorgeous and I hope he helps educate a lot of people. Your soapbox speech at the end is 100% warranted as this is an important topic, especially in the social media age where it seems like some people will do anything for likes.

He's absolutely gorgeous! It's great he's so used to being around people too, makes him the perfect edition to your zoo!

What a friendly and beautiful snake. Justin is a personality and you handle him with kindness and respekt. Love from Sweden. 🐍🇸🇪

What a chill rattler! There’s something almost a little derpy about him - I can see how it would be very easy to underestimate him because of his personality. Thank you for using your protocols and emphasizing how important that sort of thing is.

how is the rat/mice breeding operation going? i feel like we haven’t gotten an update in a while and im curious! good job on his enclosure, it looks really nice

Great job with this pretty boy! I loved how you mentioned always keeping an eye on him, never letting yourself get distracted. It is super easy to do! I have worked with various rattlesnakes for a number of years, and they are just amazing! One thing I will mention is that sometimes a snake will "roll the hook", meaning they will slip backwards off the hook. This is especially true of the larger species, like C. atrox and C. adamantius. It means you have to be extra vigilant with them, because they can so easily fall or slip back and then strike. Generally, I always have two hooks so that their bigger bodies are more supported and they are slightly less likely to roll out.

So true about proper, responsible keeping. There was just a guy found dead in his home in RI with 124 snakes in enclosures in his home. Even though they were well kept, many were venomous and illegal in RI. People are going crazy saying how horrible and dangerous all snakes are for pets. Especially with so many laws trying to push through this is soo bad for reptile keeping in general. They haven’t release cause of death yet everyone assumes a snake bite and are freaking out worrying if any got loose.

I'm so glad Justin is safe and happy and never has to worry about barbaric rattlesnake roundups.

It’s such a good idea for a zoo. I live in Az and it was where I learned what a rattlesnake looked like. It’s important. I would like to take this chance to say, not all rattlesnakes rattle when they are scared, they do try to hide. We were hiking and a group found a baby rattle snake. They didn’t think it was a rattlesnake, and wanted to pick it up. I’m so glad they listened, because it moved, and then they could see the rattle. I have a forest service friend tell me she has seen about a hundred, only a handful rattled.

I've been waiting for this video! Justin is such a polite and adorable boy and I'm so glad that he's going to be in the zoo to educate people. What a great addition to the family!

The soapbox was definitely necessary, so thank you for that! Some people think having venomous snakes are cool to keep as a pet and they either have that close call or they just don't take the necessary percautions in actually handing the snakes. Just last year someone in Raleigh, NC was keeping venomous snakes in his house and one managed to escape and get out of the house. I think it was a zebra cobra (which is a type of spitting cobra), and someone found it on their front porch curled up under a chair. Then to make matters worse, he then stated that he had another snake (I don't know if it was venomous or not) that had gotten out of the house the previous year and he hadn't found the snake.

Speaking of urates, Rest In Peace Lilith. For everything that could have been, at least we knew her. Her passing is nobody’s fault, she had a terminal condition.

What a polite, and friendly for his kind's snake! I love seeing rafflesnakes, I used to fear them until I was 7 or 8 in Arizona, when coming home we came within 6 feet of a wild rattlesnake that just did not care we were there and the snake was happily enjoying the gravel at night by the sidewalk. They're such clever animals, I hope Justin saves many other rattlesnakes with you!

I appreciate how responsible you are handling your reptiles. You actually put their needs first and aren’t doing potentially dangerous things solely for shock value. Justin is a wonderful addition to your zoo.

He's so awesome! Between this introduction and how other KZfaqrs have shown their venomous snakes and how to handle them, feed them etc, your channel and one or two others has done it in such a great way that not only shows respect to these beautiful animals, but also in a way that isn't hyped up, going wild and basically as a show. Love how you guys do your videos and education! Very calming compared to many others.

I have been watching your vids for almost 6 years an you guys have changed so much, Emily and Ed have gotten way more confident around the camera, keep it up guys you are such a inspiration to others and me. I hope you see this and if u do I want to say a big thank you for providing these videos for us we really appreciate it 😁

Justin is a very handsome guy! I love his "wiggle, wiggle, yum yum dance" as he's eating. Too cute! Emily, I know you think you're rambling when you go on about things, but imho you're not rambling, you're teaching. There's so much to this subject that I'm sure you could fill an hours long video just on timber snakes. I also know that, should you fill an hours long video on xyz species, there are multitudes of us who would watch every second of it. (except isopods for me. They give me the wiggins)

I love how humane you are with the treatment of your reptiles! The fact that you provide so much enrichment and are constantly thinking about the quality of life for your animals is just amazing! I have watched a lot of videos of reptile keepers on KZfaq now, and you guys are by far the most caring keepers! There are so many people out there that don’t even provide hides or any enrichment at all for their animals.

My mom and I were just talking about rattlesnakes native to our areas and I told her about the timber rattler. It's so awesome that you guys have one to help educate others on them!

I loved seeing Rex in the back learning right along with us lol

I'm so happy you guys are keeping hots now! However, I have heard stories and know personally of people who have taken a bite from putting the lid on a container that's relatively small for the animal with their bare hands. I think it would be best to use hemostats/hooks/large feeding tongs to place the lid on said container and then secure it. I would hate for you guys to take a bite! 🙏

i got a snake recently, and found your channel by your video on how to help your snake shed. (my humidity levels were messed up, but they’re fixed now) and since then i have fell in love with it! i love how excited you look in every video, and how knowledgeable you are!

You guys are so careful and considerate and it’s amazing to be a first teaching step on understanding how to conduct yourself around reptiles, especially if they’re venomous. Also the new outro looks beautiful! When I saw it I was very impressed, and I want you to know this!

Nice addition to the zoo. I don't mind you 'getting on your soapbox' when it comes to responsible pet ownership, no matter the pet.

Please make sure to use *laminated* safety glass for the rattlesnake enclosures. Laminated glass is two panes of glass with a layer of stretchy plastic between them, it will maintain integrity even when cracked or smashed. Tempered glass, also called safety glass, is stronger than ordinary glass but shatters instantly when cracked, into myriads of pea sized non-sharp fragments. Tempered glass is cheaper than laminated but far safer to handle when broken compared to ordinary glass.

I always find it so fascinating and a bit hypnotic, watching the snakes eat something 'big', gulp, scrunch, gulp, stretch, then watching it slowly disappear and move On down the 'tube'

I love how his head shape makes him look slightly walleyed and derpy lol

Timbers are really beautiful snakes though. I'd never want one as a "pet", but I would happily watch him all day if I was at the zoo.

⚠️just a heads up: If you're thinking of keeping venomous reptiles/snakes and live in the US, check your state laws to see if the state requires permits and/or licenses in order to legally keep them. Justin is GORGEOUS! seems like a chill snake as well :)

Thank you for educating us on the importance of venomous species and to also be cautionary when handling/having them in a facility.

Thank you for the disclaimer at the end. I love what you guys do and I admire your love because the way you guys do things are clearly out of love. You're not being obnoxious trying to get views and followers like a few of the reptile keepers here on KZfaq AND you also educate on the facts and cons of keeping a certain reptile. You and Ed are amazing💚💚💚💚💚

Since I've discovered this channel, I went down a deep dive (thanks, KZfaq Algorithm!) on reptile handling and care, and eventually wound up on channels like Chandler, Tyler, Dinkleman, and NERD. No surprise, you guys do everything right - even taking more care than some of the guys with larger venomous collections! Y'all really do a lot to educate people, and even if I don't own a snake or other reptile, thanks for everything you do!

I live in Florida and one time my friend and I were sitting on the back of a truck, in a very wooded area, with our legs dangling off, and I heard the rattle of a rattlesnake and immediately knew what it was. so within seconds of me saying "rattlesnake" we looked down and he was coiled up right under our feet! We were completely fine, we quickly rolled backwards and climbed over the roof of the truck to get in the car safely, and the snake eventually went away under some brush. He was HUGE though, looked to be like 6 feet long. we see rattlesnakes all the time in wooded areas but leave them be because they arent near any houses or livestock or anything. just thought I'd share.

I LOVE viper faces maaaaaan You get them at just the right angle and they look so stern and severe... and then they move just slightly and you see their other eye bugging out of their head and they look like a googly-eyed rubber toy

We love Justin Timbersnake! He’s a mellow, cool dude! Thanks for getting on your soapbox, Emily. We appreciate your efforts to educate people! (By the way, when I typed educate, my predictive text suggested I meant to type Ed! 😀 We love both of you, Emily and Ed!!)

Justin is a perfect gentleman and I’m so glad to see you guys treating him with the respect he deserves.

It's so refreshing to see Justin in such a beautiful spacious enclosures. Vanamous snakes are so often in bison cages with not much space or enrchiment and it's so sad.

Honestly, it’s a dream watching this zoo being completed. I worry about animal comfort being less important that people seeing them for a lot of zoos but this one is marvelous! Tons of room! Beautiful enclosures and I know the animals comfort was put in place first and then people.

I love you guys, you even do venomous "nicely" 💚 You're reptile care is impeccable yet you're still not "cocky" and are so responsible.

Dont even know you guys personally but so proud of how far you’ve come! Your my inspo for starting my own business!!

That is seriously the tamest rattler that I have ever seen. Oo I grew up down in Houston County (SE MN), and the first snake encounter I ever had was with a timber rattler. Kind of dictated my fear of snakes for most of my life.

Glad to see a youtuber really go into the logistics and responsibility of keeping them. For most people, there are a ton of amazing nonvenomous species to keep without any possibility of hospitalization, many of them just as impressive, imho. Bullsnakes are a great example! Anyway, y'all are great.

What a beautiful snake! You and Ed are doing so much good for the community as a whole with your educational content!

That was the most adorable little yawn as he looked at you guys from behind the rock at 15:08

This was a cool video! I didn't know you could get injured on shed fangs! Thank you!

I hike a lot in MA and CT. Along the trails are warning signs where timber rattlesnakes may be present. It mentions that these snakes are an endangered specie, not to be killed, caught or hurt in any way. So far I have not been lucky enough to see one on trail. Thank you for this great educational video! Stay well, stay safe.

Spotted a huge timber rattlesnake at Kentucky lake a few years ago. Was about as thick as a baseball bat and probably 4-5 feet in length. It ended up swimming across a cove to the other side once it spotted us. Was definitely amazing from a distance, but wouldnt want to piss it off.

I love how Ed said “Don’t get attached”

I love every second of every Snake Discovery video. I even learned to like snakes. I see their cuteness now, actually. Justin has an especially cute face with his big ol’ unblinking eyes!

Justin is a kind snake so pretty ,love him .honestly, i have had a snake before when i started to listen to your channel i fell in love with reptiles.I love Snake Discovery!

I love how much thought you guys put into the care of your animals! It really shows how much you care about their physical as well as mental well-being. I live about as far away from y'all as I possibly could while still being in the US (gulf Coast of Louisiana), but I hope I can one day visit the zoo!

Emily is an incredibly fluid speaker. I can't stop listening, she's so engaging!

15:10 Cute rattlesnake yawn! Love your content, as always. Sending good vibes from Washington!

Hi guys, I love your channel and have become obsessed with anything reptile (mostly snakes) over the holidays because of this channel. I think it would be really cool if you guys did a “day in the life” video to see what your busy busy days look like. From feeding animals to talking to customers, I think we would all enjoy it 😊 ❤️ love you guys

Awesome video, and I love that you guys take proper precautions even don't to using the glove to clean, you rarely see that,it proved you really care about teaching people not only what's best for the snake but best for handling

I love Timbers, I’d never own hots however and it is frustrating how easy they are to obtain.

A) love his name, that's so cute! B) also love learning new things while watching these videos, the fang shedding esp is neat! C) get 👏 on 👏 that 👏 soapbox 👏 love to hear your passion for positive change through education. It's important and worth sharing.

What a good and polite working boi! I'm proud of Justin and hope he's loving his cozy zoo life! Love to see good representation and education about rattlesnakes!

Hes so adorable! Love his little face shape and how derpy he looks!

I've been waiting to see this video since I saw Emily and Ed had gotten one for the zoo on Facebook. So excited and happy for you both. You've accomplished so much and thanks to you both my husband and I now have a jumping spider and look to one day hopefully adopt one from you both. Thank you for all that you do.

And just like that, Emily becomes one of the millions of people who have said, "I love Justin!" Haha

Growing up in the desert, I’ve had so many close encounters with rattlers (usually diamondbacks) so I’ve never really felt the need to even see one in captivity. I love the name though and I’m glad you’re keeping him so that others can learn about them.

Hi Emily and Ed. I love your passion for the whole reptile keeping hobby and your "soap box rants" trying to get people to be more responsable with this hobby. I don't have snakes, but I love being educated by you guys. Keep up the good work.