The guy who sold it to me at the county fair said it was non-venomous. My son thought it looked cool so I went ahead and paid $1500 for it since it's a rare copper-tinted species that can only be found in the wilderness. I noticed it's kind of defensive but I think the more my little boy handles it the more susceptible it will be to human interaction. The previous owner told me that even though it's harmless we should stay back at least 10 feet from it at all times but my son has been playing with it for an hour now up in his room. He's never been this quiet. I think he really loves his snake.