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Gaboon Vipers
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by rabbitsmcgates on October 26, 2006
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I have two Gaboon Vipers. One is a baby, light ivory background colour (normal) that eats pretty well. One is much larger and thicker with a pinkish-orange background color that does not seem to want to eat. I think one is East African, one is West Aftican. They have the same surroundings. The one that won't eat hisses a lot but doesn't strike a mouse I put in there.
So, I am doing something wrong with the larger one but I don't know what. What are ideal conditions for an orangish Gaboon Viper?
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RE: Gaboon Vipers
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by captiveherps on October 26, 2006
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Sounds like a recent import. Most of the time if a gaboon wont eat its dehydrated. Take it out and soak it for a while in a small amount of warm water. It may defecate at the same time.
As for captive care, make sure it has lots of cover, like plastic plants or even a hide box. I keep mine on a mix of coconut coir and sphagnum moss. Give it a large shallow water dish, preferably with an airstone in it. They wont drink standing water, they have to learn to do that. Spray them daily so they will drink the water droplets.
Is a mouse too small for it ? could it take a small rat or hamster ? mmmmm hamsters.
Easterns and westerns are easy to tell apart. Westerns have larger horns and a single stripe running back from the rearmost part of the eye. Easterns have two bands coming from the eye. One that goes back towards the back of the head, like a western, and another that goes straight down from the eye towards the mouth.
Another thing to remember about gaboons is the so called placid nature is a trick. If you get close enough that they can reach you, they will, and with extreme speed.
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RE: Gaboon Vipers
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by Rob_Carmichael on October 26, 2006
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In reply to "gaboons won't drink standing water"; nothing could be further from the truth. My gaboons and rhinos drink daily from their dishes and I have never, ever had to soak them like some people advocate (they all have complete sheds with just an every other day misting). There's a lot of erroneaous info floating around and this is one of them. The key is to find the right kind of water dish and placing it in the proper position. If the dish is too high off the ground, you are right, they will have a hard to get to it. I use wide, circular dishes that are only 2-3 inches high at the most. I then sink the dish into the cage medium so that it is fairly flush with the surface. Doing this allows the gabboy to just dip its head in and drink away. The terra cotta dishes that are used to hold potted plants work great as they are very shallow, round and come in all kinds of different sizes. They are easily disinfected and easy to find.
Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center
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RE: Gaboon Vipers
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by Atrox788 on October 26, 2006
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Agreed Rob. Gabbys and rhino will definately drink on their own. They will also drink off their bodies which is probaly the most common activity in the wild considering the sit a wait nature of these snakes.
As a general rule I always found it wise to soak any tropical or sub tropical snake atleast once a month. Even though they do drink on their own the added hydration is always good and from my experince large bitis would always drink when soaked. They will drink without as Rob said but I was always realy paranoid with dehydration issues when I was keeping. Considering a huge chunck of my collection was arboreal I have an excuse :p
Soaking in warm water also helps gabbys soften their stools which can be a huge problem with large Bitis. On the same note keep in mind that these animals can safely go mounths without deficateing so there is no real need to worry unless your talking 4mnths plus. Even then I dont think there is much point in being worried.
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RE: Gaboon Vipers
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by captiveherps on October 26, 2006
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LTC gaboons usually drink from a dish without any problems. Imported gaboons, until established, often will not. If they are not sprayed to entice drinking they will often sit there and dehydrate rather than drink from a dish.
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RE: Gaboon Vipers
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by rabbitsmcgates on October 26, 2006
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Yes as a matter of fact the orangish one is a recent import. Soaking. Man, I did that initially and then got caught up in soaking snakes that have been shedding with troubles that I've recently bought that the Gaboons haven't been soaked in weeks. I wonder when I soak snakes if I should put vitamins in the water but I haven't yet. I will do those things you mention. Its too bad the two Gaboons are not closer in size, then they could be put in the same larger cage.
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RE: Gaboon Vipers
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by captiveherps on October 26, 2006
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They dont normally need to be soaked regularly, but since it wont eat, it may be very dehydrated. It is also probably stressed. Snakes get the nutrition they need from their food. Some people do give vitamins occasionally, but you dont need to.
I would see about getting it wormed. Imports have high loads, and this can also cause them to stop eating.
Feeding two gaboons in the same cage may be dangerous. They can reach about 3/4 of their length in any direction.
Try feeding in the evening. If you are offering live, try dead from tongs. If dead, try live.
Perhaps someone in your area may be willing to work with you to help teach you to deal with the snakes you have. Based on your posts, you dont seem to have that much experience, but you have some serious snakes.
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RE: Gaboon Vipers
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by rabbitsmcgates on October 28, 2006
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Well, yes and no. I recently bought a bunch of new snakes that I'm not familiar with. And no one I know is familiar with them either. Oh well.
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