|
1-3 of 3 messages
|
Page 1 of 1
|
|
East African Green Mambas
|
Reply
|
|
by Richie on May 8, 2004
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Hello fellow hot herpers! Just curious... Does anybody here keep and/or breed East African Green Mambas (Dendroaspis angusticeps) ?
I have been thinking about obtaining some, to add to my "hot" collection for a while now. Just wanted to know if any of you guys (or gals) keep them and what your experiences with them are.
What size enclosure would ultimately be required? What environmental requirements do they have
(temperature,humidity etc) ? Are they usually good feeders? How big are they when they hatch? What size could they achieve? Just how deadly are they? What is their LD50, compared with lets say the Black Mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis) ?
Thanks in advance.
|
| |
|
RE: East African Green Mambas
|
Reply
|
|
by Nightflight99 on May 8, 2004
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
From a pure husbandry perspective, Dendroaspis angusticeps are quite easy to maintain. Like the other members of this genus, they are exceptionally hardy animals and quite greedy feeders. Housing requirements obviously include a large, arboreal setup with plenty of space for them to move - both vertically and horizontally. Temperature requirements are rather typical for African species: a gradient of approximately 78-86 degrees is recommendable with an average humidity of 45-65%. D.angusticeps is a wide-ranging species that inhabits different micro-habitats, so some degree of variation from the above conditions is certainly reasonable.
They are very agressive feeders, which can make feeding time rather interesting at times. Once in feeding mode, they tend to zip through their enclosures, snapping at any movement or shadow. Hatchlings are little shoestrings of approximately 14-16 inches that act like live wires. Average adult length is 4-6ft, though occasional specimens may exceed 7ft in length.
Like all mambas, D.angusticeps carry a lethally neurotoxic venom that is more than capeable of causing human fatalities. LD50 values have little practical application, but the subcutaneous LD50 for D.angusticeps is 3.05mg/kg, as compared to 0.32mg/kg of D.polylepis.
The most significant captive management aspect of all Dendroaspis are the physical capabilities of these animals. A panicked mamba can perform incredible stunts that will leave you breathless (no pun). Their lightning-fast speed coupled with their potent venom make these animals suitable for very experienced elapid keepers only. If you can imagine a highly lethal, arboreal racer, you get a good picture of what working with Dendroaspis can be like.
Hope this helps.
~TE
|
| |
|
Email Subscription
You are not subscribed to this topic.
Subscribe!
My Subscriptions
Subscriptions Help
Check our help page for help using
, or send questions, comments, or suggestions to the
Manager.
|
