Tree Viper Basics

photo by Derek Morgan

Several different vipers of the genera Atheris, Bothriechis ,Bothriopsis, Trimeresurus, and Tropidolaemus are sporadically available in limited numbers. Representatives are found in both the old (Atheris,Trimeresurus, and Tropidolaemus) and new world (Bothriechis, Bothriopsis). They usually inhabit tropical or montane forests as well as banana plantations. These days only limited numbers of a few species are readily available. New world tree vipers are rarely offered and usually very expensive. The Asian species are probably the most often seen in the hobby today. Most animals offered for sale are wild caught adults or babies born from wild caught adults but truly captive born animals are also becoming available more often. These snakes can be kept fairly easily in captivity if their basic requirements are met.

Water seems to be the most critical aspect of successful maintenance. Newly acquired animals should be soaked overnight in a container with 1.5-2² of water. Most of these animals live in the trees and have adapted to drink water off leaves or their own bodies during rainstorms. To stimulate this behavior as well as to keep the humidity up I spray my animals nightly. I soak all of my tree vipers weekly for between 6-12 hours. I have successfully kept several species without weekly soaking but they do better when soaked regularly. Tropidolaemus seems to be the exception, these snakes need to be soaked overnight regularly to keep them from getting impacted.

Cages for arboreal vipers can vary greatly. Juvenile snakes can be kept in sweater boxes with cork to rest on and a water bowl. They can also be set up in gallon jars although these seem less safe and harder to get animals in and out of. I prefer to use five gallon aquariums set up on end. Good basic cages for many of these snakes can be made from vertically oriented (the top becomes the front) 10 gallon aquariums. Newspaper can be used as a substrate although I prefer to use mulch or sphagnum moss as it retains some moisture to help keep the humidity up. Larger tanks can be used in this manner as well and wood frames can be built around the bottom and up the front with a wood and screen door for safer housing. Potted plants and ranches can be used for decoration and resting sites. I maintain a few Waglerıs vipers in normally oriented 29 gallon aquariums which seems adequate for these sedentary snakes. Custom built cages are a good choice as they can be built as tall and wide as you want them. This will also enable you to use larger/sturdier plants in the enclosure. It is very important to use water resistant materials such as melamine or marine plywood. All seams should be sealed with an aquarium safe silicone sealant as well. My favorite set ups are naturalistic vivaria. Most of the tree vipers I have worked with are great candidates for these types of cages. They show the snakes in a more true to life form, hidden in among trees and vines in the humid tropics.

Most adult tree vipers I have worked with readily accepted mice as food, juvenile and baby tree vipers are another story. The majority of keepers I have talked to favor rodents for their baby snakes to the point that they will use a pinky pump or actually force the pinkies (or parts) down the animals throat. I have found my animals do better eating small frogs. Fortunately for me I live in an area where I have lots of small frogs to collect for food. I use Greenhouse Frogs (Eluthrodactylus) which are an introduced species here in South Florida. Frogs are fairly easily deparasitized using an invermectin and sterile water solution that can be applied to the animals skin. I am also currently maintaining a colony of these small frogs for breeding purposes so I can eventually stop using wild collected animals all together. Food should be offered on tongs or long hemostats. It is often beneficial to do this in a dark room with a red light on. If the snake is reluctant to strike you can often touch the snake in the first third of the body lightly and this may cause the snake to strike. If they hold on stay still until they have finished swallowing. I feed neonates every 5-7 days, juveniles and adults every 7-14 days. The exception to this is the Wagler's viper which is fed once and then again two weeks later and then not again until it defecates. Impactions are common in these heavy bodied snakes and may prove fatal if not very costly!

Many keepers disagree on the use of full spectrum lighting for their tree vipers. I use a lot of live plants in my enclosures so the lights are mainly for them. I do however believe that manipulation of the photo period may help trigger reproductive response in the animals. In addition many nocturnal animals are occasionally seen basking. As long as the animals have the option of a dark place to hide I feel it can only be beneficial to use full spectrum lights on their enclosures.

I have kept many different tree vipers for several years now and I still find them beautiful and fascinating creatures to work with. Most are suitable for novice keepers of hot herps as an accident is not likely to cost you your life. Be safe, all bites are bad for everyone! ~ JL

John LePage has been working with tree vipers and other venomous reptiles for the last twelve years. He has maintained his own collection while also working for wholesalers, retailers, and veterinary hospitals. He has also written articles for the T.F.H. magazine Reptile Hobbyist. At 30 years old he currently works as a professional gardener.

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