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gaboon viper question
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by diamond on November 21, 2001
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are gaboon vipers hard to keep in captivity.do they get sick or stressed easy. is it hard to keep them healthy and alive
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RE: gaboon viper question
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by filthy on November 21, 2001
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Keeping a big bitis is relitivly easy, but 'boons require a little extre attention. They need fairly high humidity and the temps should be kept in the 75 to 78 degree range. And the stupid things can't seem to find the water bowl!
Many keepers soak the snake once a week or so. What I do with mine is to put in a water pan that takes up almost 1/4 of the cage and is level with the substrate. These snakes don't move much, but when they do, they can't help but find the bowl.
It is MOST important that they drink often. They dehydrate easily and this will result in an impacted bowel. To keep the humidity up, I bed the cage with at least 4 inches of cypress mulch and pour in maybe 1/2 inch of water in the bottom of the cage. The top of the substrate stays dry but the humidity is up.
Feeding: An older gaboon, and many younger ones, will pork up quickly, so you need to carefully monitor it's diet. They'll eat all that you give them, much more than they need. Obesity may lead to fatty liver diease, and kill the snake.
As for stress, they huff a lot. Needless to say, all handling is stressful and should be avoided except when necessary.
Caution: A bite from even a small juvenile is SERIOUS business! These snakes have the longest fangs in the world, a huge amount of venom, and a strike that has to be seen to be believed. There is no other snake as fast and it's power has been compared to a hammer blow. Further, they can and will do in any direction including over their backs.
On the other hand, they are most rewarding to keep.
luck,
f
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RE: gaboon viper question
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by ian on November 21, 2001
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My second hot was a gaboon viper. Ever since I saw them at the bronx zoo in the fifth grade I loved them. I find them to be pretty low maintenance. Unlike naja and crotalus, they seem to have a much slower metabolism so that you find yourself cleaning there cage a lot less often. But when they do deficate its pretty gruesome. They accept food readily and it is important as they get bigger not to feed them to much. I feed mine about every other week but every 10 days when they were little(never have to deal with pinkys either). My 3 footer can easily take down a jumbo rat. I would suggest frozen b/c they are cheaper, the snakes have no problems with it, and b/c they have the catch and hold technique which makes them vulnerable to a nasty rat bite. Its a bit of a pain to have to soak them in water since I have to wait until my roommates are gone to use the tub. I still put water bowls in there cages just in case they are smart enough to figure out how to use them or happen to move in that direction and I spray them every couple of days. I don't think they require special lighting and I keep there cages around 72 degrees in the winter. If it gets a little cooler its probably fine and just mimics the dry season in Africa. I use to keep my two together but as they grew bigger it became more and more difficult to feed since they always seem to rest on top of each other. Plus if you ever want to breed them you will have to seperate them and when you have to remove one the other may get irratable and bite the other as you are moving it(happened once but the venom seemed to have no effect) . Once you have one it real easy to get another. Its fun to get them small b/c they grow at a very noticable pace and they are a lot cheaper. Rhinos are very similar and a lot of fun. One warning: I have had a closer call with these guys than my cobra or rattle snakes. Why ? B/c its easy to take there lethargic nature for granted. Always be 100% aware of there ability to kill and the speed and unpredictability of there strike. That's all I have to say. I'm no expert but the proud owner of two healthy gaboons I've had for 3 years.
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RE: gaboon viper question
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by Naja_oxiana on November 21, 2001
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The only thing that I would add to this is that while you may be relativly able to "read" a boa or a cobra or a rattler, you will not be able to read a Gaboon Viper. If you're lucky, you'll see them breath, or an occasional muscle twitch. Just before they strike, you might notice a few quicker breaths and their eyes--ever alert--zeroing in on what they're gonna bite. But this probably won't help you avoid getting tagged, rather it will just allow you to cr@p your pants befor you get tagged, rather than after.
Midwest makes some interesting gloves that BGF says held up impressivly in field-tests, but I don't know if he trsted them on Gabbies. You might email him on the matter.
Cheers
Roger
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Re: Gaboon viper question
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by cypherpunks on November 27, 2001
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I don't have as much trouble with hydration. It is true that some never seem to find the water bowl, but I just hook their heads into it every few days. As long as you do it gently, they don't flinch away and will tank up.
Other than that, I agree with what filthy said. Use two hooks to support their weight and stay the hell out of strike range. Hook and tail works well, but you have to be very careful to angle the hook so they can't leap up out of the hook and nail the hand you're carrying them with. You have to hold the handle up high with the hook pointing down and the opening away from you.
I believe it's Mardi Snipes who tells a story of hook-and-tailing a 5' gaboon with its head straight down when it decided it didn't like him (probably because vertical is very uncomfortable for a ground snake like that) and struck at his hand. It didn't connect, but he "felt the breeze". Gaboons don't coil up to strike forward like Crotalus, but they strike *backward* much better than any rattlesnake.
The only hard thing for a beginner is understanding their strike range, because they *don't* demonstrate it very often. This large gap between what they usually do and what they *can* do leaves ample opportunity for developing sloppy bad habits.
Bothrops asper have longer fangs, but Bitis strike faster and harder.
On the plus side, their general sluggishness (when not striking) makes it easy to develop the virtues of patience and gentle handling. You're never in a hurry when handling a gaboon, so you can take your time and do it right.
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Re: Gaboon viper question
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by Sidewind9 on November 27, 2001
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Is there anyplace in the US that produces antivenin for Gaboon Viper envenomation? If so, where are they located? How many viles are required to treat a bite? How long is it good for? What would the cost be? I am interested in aquiring an East African speciman and feel this information is of high importance prior to making my aquisition.
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Re: Gaboon viper question
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by TIMFRIEDE on November 27, 2001
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NO. You need FDA and USDA permits for the AV. How many vials? It's always 5 vials!!!. No, I'm just kidding, it depends on the bite, some bites are 5 and some are 40-50. Gettin permits is a bi!ch and I don't have time to help right now, going out of town. PS> I've helped 20 plus people in the last 3 years and they all failed. That's the truth, sorry. If your still here when I come back, I'll do my best to help. Good Q's, my friend. Peace, Tim
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Re: Gaboon viper question
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by Naja_oxiana on November 28, 2001
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Antivenoms for Bitis gabonica, or any Bitis, for that matter are produced by SAVP and the Pasteur Institute, and maybe a couple smaller pharmeceutical companies. SAVP is out of South Africa. As Tim said, you need permits. I'm starting the process to apply for mine next month after I get back from the field.
As for the story of the vertical strike, not only is the dangling method of tailing uncomfortable, it is physiologically unhealthy for the snake. A large snake like a Gaboon Viper cannot keep a sustained heartbeat if it is elevated at greater than about 30-35degrees in angle for very long. (Snakes: Ecology and Behavior, Siegle, et al.) I can get the exact study and information regarding this statement, but it will take a while to dig it out.
A Gaboon bite is one of the most horrific things you could ever see. My advice is to do everything that you can to not get tagged.
Cheers
Roger
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RE: gaboon viper question
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by l4gogeta on December 6, 2001
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with the cypress mulch do you feed the snake in the cage with the mulch or do you move the snake to a cage without it due to the snake eating some of the mulch
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