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White Lipped Viper Info
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by EPARR1 on July 6, 2008
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White Lipped Viper
Cryptelytrops albolabris
White Lipped Vipers are found in Asia. The females can grow up to 34 inches and the males up to 24 inches. They are also known as bamboo vipers and are fairly common in the venomous trade.
This paper is based on my personal experience and observation while housing this species and is just my opinion.
Housing these arboreal vipers can be quite rewarding. What I mean by that is you can do a simple set up with a few dowel rods and a vine or you can go all out with plants, vines, and branches creating a beautiful vivarium for you little green tenants. Remember if you go with an elaborate set up you may have trouble locating your snake. They can blend into their plush green surrounding very well so make sure you know where your snake is before opening the enclosure. Now as far as the enclosures are concerned there are many styles you can choose from but keep in mind these snakes as neonates are very small half the size of a No.2 pencil to give you an idea so vents and gaps in the enclosure should be taken into consideration. I personally use a custom enclosure for one adult pair it’s an old gun cabinet to be exact gutted and modified then I filled it with vines and branches. You can stash hide boxes amongst the vines I just coil up vines and they get in amongst them. I have some neonates I keep in taller style Rubbermaid’s with a few branches and vines not quite as pleasing to the eye but the snakes do equally as well. If you choose to use Rubbermaid’s and they are not in a rack system it’s best to put them into a larger cage that you can lock giving you the ability to secure the snakes.
The ambient temperature in the enclosure is 72 degrees Fahrenheit with a basking spot of 80 degrees Fahrenheit that remains on 24/7. I drop the ambient temperature to 70 degrees Fahrenheit at night. I have noticed they seem to prefer mid to low 70s although I still offer them a basking spot just incase.
Humidity is kept around 50-60%. Keep in mind this species will typically not drink from a water bowel so it is important to mist them often without over saturating the enclosure. I mist once a day lightly so they can get a drink then every other day I mist heavy raising the humidity to 100%. I do keep a small water bowel in the enclosure to help keep the humidity up but have never witnessed one of my white lipped vipers drinking from the bowel. The will sip the water droplets off branches, leaves, and even themselves. I have seen people use drip systems but I personally prefer to mist my snakes.
Bedding is your choice so long as it’s reptile safe. I have never seen one of my white lipped vipers on the floor of the enclosure not that it’s unheard of. I use cypress mulch in the vivarium and paper towels in the rubbermaids for easy maintenance.
Feeding white lipped vipers can turn into a task when dealing with neonates or wild caught specimens. They will readily eat tree frogs and small lizards such as anoles or house geckos but that can get expensive. The best thing is to get them weaned onto mice ASAP. The best method I have found for getting them onto mice is waiting till its dark turn off all cage lights except a few red lights in the room so you can see. Then take a live pinky or fuzzy using tongs/tweezers holding it in front of the snake. When the snake strikes release the mouse and remain very still if you move the snake will drop the mouse and you will have to start over. This is the method I have had the best luck with but other methods can be found on the web. Once these snakes get started feeding on rodents you will have no troubles after that. I would like to thank the person that taught me that little trick to get them feeding this is truly priceless information in my opinion.
White lipped vipers are very beautiful snakes with nasty little attitudes. They’re very defensive and compared to size they have a surprising strike range so be warned. As far as handling is concerned you will have more trouble getting them off a hook than on. They can also climb a hook so you might find yourself in an odd situation two hooks is not a terrible idea.
These snakes are not to be underestimated. The venom can cause sever tissue damage, swelling, extreme pain, and although death is not likely these snakes should only be kept by experienced keepers.
This species is one of my personal favorites and while they can be a pain to get established once you over come those hurdles they are low maintenance easy keeper.
This si not complete yet but I would like to hear your thoughts.
Thanks
Eric G.
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RE: White Lipped Viper Info
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by EPARR1 on July 7, 2008
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I'm just writing them for something to do. I have no plans to tell you the truth. Just some useful information I decided to put together.
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RE: White Lipped Viper Info
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by ssshane on July 7, 2008
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Hi Eric. Nice start here. I bred these successfully myself. I used coconut bark as my substrate, as it helped with the humidity. I didn't have a water bowl at all in mine, but I can see how it could help with the humidity. I did though see mine on the substrate pretty often. I did have lots of pathos plants growing in my enclosures. Not sure if that affected the amount of time spent so low to the ground. I totally agree about the part of being VERY still once the snakes has struck the pinkies (as babies), as they will surely drop them with the slightest movement. These snakes are awesome, enjoy them.
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RE: White Lipped Viper Info
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by agkistrodude on August 15, 2008
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Just recently, a freind of mine was haveing problems getting his neonate white lips to eat.Just about to give up, I suggested trying anoles. 9 out of 12 ate almost instantly. about a week later, we tried house geckos. Same results. No teasing, no tricks, no red lights, just put them in the cage.I was surprized at the size of the lizards these neonates swallowed.Now that we know that we can keep them alive, we'll try to wean them to mice. We might let them get a little larger. And if they don't, well, anoles are free and as common as dirt around here.
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