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Pope`s Pit Viper.
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by Snake17 on October 14, 2004
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I`d realy apreciate some direct tips and info about this snake. Please, any one with direct experience help me here. I just aquired a 2 1/2 ft. specimen and any advice about keeping it will be highly apreciated. Do they feed well ? That`s my biggest concern. Also, how powerfull is the venom ? Thanks.
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RE: Pope`s Pit Viper.
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by Trex on October 14, 2004
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I have four adults and three babies. I am no expert by any means, but I'll give you my opinion...
They are not easy feeders. They eat about once every 3-4 weeks, usually after getting them wound up. I play hell with the babies every week feeding them, but that's another story...I feed mine stunned mice.
They are very fast snakes. They appear listless, almost overly calm, but they can move very fast and can strike much further than you would expect. Although many would disagree, if I were to place them on a scale of 1-10 on aggression, they'd be near a 7 (if a black mamba is a 10 and a n Atheris chlorechis is a 1).
When hooking, they are the only ones that shoot right up the hook, so I need two. Without fail, they climb the hook right at me, totally fearless. No other snake does that to me.
They don't like bright light and don't seem to like it too hot either. They appear to like 78 degrees with modest humidity. I mist them once a day.
The venom is around a 12.0, depending on which chart you look at. But...if I judge from the speed the mouse dies, compared to other snakes, I wouldn't take the venom for granted and would take a bite very seriously.
All of my Trims are aggressive. My Gumprechts, white lipped and popes all are quick and strike with surprising speed and distance, so be careful.
Again, this is not a text book account based on lengthy study. I only have a few Trims and I'm basing this on my experience, which may differ from others.
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RE: Pope`s Pit Viper.
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by Snake17 on October 14, 2004
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Thanks you very much. This is the kind of info that I was interested in. I`ve handled it a little and it does the same things. I suspect it`s a male and it`s about 70-80cm long. It`s a beautyfull snake. This is my first pitviper so I`m realy excited. I`ll also try to feed it small birds because they are realy easy to come across here in winter. Thanks gain on the info. DO I have to tease the snake with he mouse so it would eat it ? Thanks.
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RE: Pope`s Pit Viper.
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by Trex on October 14, 2004
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If it has a red/white stripe along its side, then it's a male. If there is no stripe, then it's a female. Females are typically larger than the males, but the stripe will give you easy ID.
Popes are active at night, and like to ambush their prey. If you leave the bird in the enclosure, he may grab it at night, but I'm not sure, since I've never fed mine birds. At 2.5 feet long, he should be able to take a mouse easily.
I love my Popes, so if you ever get tired of him, let me know!
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RE: Pope`s Pit Viper.
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by Snake17 on October 14, 2004
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I love my pope too. Belive me, I`ll never get tired of it. Thanks again. I realy apreciate the help.
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RE: Pope`s Pit Viper.
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by bush_viper17 on October 14, 2004
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Hey, Ive never had real direct experience with a Pope. But I got to watch another tree viper closely related eat once and I got to view its cage setup. Feeding: When they fed it they had to put the mouse on long tweezers and keep tapping the snake on the nose. They had to do that for about 15 minutes. The snake finally struck the mouse but the care taker dropped the mouse and had to do it all over again. Finally it ate (so I would say be patient while feeding it) also the snake moved alot faster than I would have guessed!! They sprayed the cage everyday and the sides of the cage had vapor on it. They like the humidity. They also had a tall cage with plenty of logs and vegetation so that the snake can go to the top because they are arboreal(im sure you know this lol) well, Im sorry for posting since I dont have any direct experience but I thought this might help you out alittle. Good Luck.
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RE: Pope`s Pit Viper.
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by Trex on October 14, 2004
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Can you send a photo? I just looked at mine to make sure I wasn't wrong. The pope has a red stripe with white, but the red is dominant. The Gump's have a more even red/white stripe. But, did you say purple?
Also, I agree with the other guy, that it takes a while to get them to wake up and strike. Just be careful. My enclosure is 2x2x4. So it's tall with a lot of climbing places for them.
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RE: Pope`s Pit Viper.
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by Snake17 on October 14, 2004
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Thanks guys. I apreciate it. i also have some experience with some one elses Trimeresurus albolabris but it wasn`t a picky feeder. They just threw the live mouse in there and the snake ate it. I know how to setup the cage and I`l do it today. I`ll put some branches and plastic leaves tied to the branches. What substrate would be the most recomandeble to use with it ?
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