Classification
Order: squamata
Family: viperidae
Genus: vipera
Species: bitis gabonica
Habitat
The Gaboon viper can be found in Africa along the equator: in Guinea, Nigeria, Cameroon, Republic of Kongo, Kenya etc. It lives mainly in the tropical rainforests and in the nearby woodlands.
It is a terrestrial species that spends a lot of time in the ambush, hiding in the fallen leaves.
Outward appearance
An adult gaboon viper is about 1.2 m long, but some specimens reach even 2 m. In the captivity they tend to grow a bit less than in the wild. It weighs around 8-10 kg. The venomous fangs can be 5.5 cm long.
The coloring of the gaboon viper is one of its most outstanding features: it has geometric pattern in lilac and dark brown on the beige background. Its head is the color of the fallen leaves.
Character
When lying in ambush, this snake can seem lethargic and slow, but once it attacks, it becomes agile and dangerous. It is a poisonous snake.
The gaboon viper is nocturnal.
In contrast with other vipers that bite and then release their victims, the gaboon viper holds on to its prey until it dies.
When attacking, they hiss loudly and then throw themselves at the potential threat.
Maintenance care
The gaboon viper needs a large horizontal enclosure about 60 – 100 cm long and 60 cm high. The enclosure has to have air inlets both in the upper and in the lower parts. For substrate you can use pine tree bark or coconut cuttings. Your viper will need some branches to climb on. You can place a stub under the basking lamp. In one of the corners you can put sphagnum so the snake can bury itself there from time to time. A water bowl with fresh clean water is a must (water has to be changed daily). Also you can put in the enclosure some artificial plants as hiding places for the snake.
Ambient temperature should be around 25 – 28°C at daytime and 2 – 3°C lower at night. For heating you can use a heat mat or a heat cord.
The air humidity should be about 70%. You will have to mist the enclosure and the snake itself daily.
The viper needs 9-10 hours of light daily. You can use fluorescent lamps.
Feeding
In the captivity the gaboon viper eats mainly rodents: grown-up rats. They are normally placed in the enclosure so that the snake has a chance to hunt.
You have to add to the snake’s food vitamins and mineral supplements.
As a rule, adult snakes have good appetite.
Features
It is a venomous and dangerous species that requires very careful treatment and special hooks. You mustn’t ever try to touch this snake.
The venom of the gaboon viper has cardiotoxic and cytotoxic effect. The spot of the bite ets badly swollen, the person gets fever and nausea. Then the venom provokes kidney failure, tachycardia, thrombosis of deep veins, cardiac arrest. Coagulation disorder can result in blood vomit.
There is an antidote for the venom of the gaboon viper.
Diseases
If the snake refuses to eat, it can be caused by stress, unsuitable food, or it can happen that the snake just is not hungry. You should not try and force the food into the snake: they can live without food for a long time without any damage for their health. You should only start worrying if your snake doesn’t eat for several months. Then you need to analyze its living conditions and the menu prior to this situation. It is not recommended to force-feed the snake.
Snakes can vomit because of stress, illness or if the prey was too big. Also they can vomit if it was fed during shedding or if the temperature in its enclosure is not suitable. After vomiting you mustn’t feed the snake for 7-10 days, and then you can offer it food taking into account the previous mistakes.
Shedding is not a disease, it is a necessary step in the snake’s growth. Its eyes get milky, their color grows paler and the skin starts coming off. During this time you should be extra careful about the humidity and clean water in the enclosure.
Mites are small parasites that live on the snake’s skin. They stick on the snake’s body between the scales and suck its blood. This can make the snake lethargic and it can turn down the food. To get rid of mites you need to use the weak solution of the same medicine which is used against ticks on cats and dogs. You will also have to disinfect the whole enclosure.
Respiratory diseases are usually caused by potentially pathogenic bacteria if the immune system of the snake doesn’t function properly either due to a stress or to unsuitable living conditions. The symptoms include gasping, open mouth, runny nose. These diseases are treated by the injections of antibiotic called Baytril.
Breeding
The mating and breeding processes are quite easy. Once you put together a male and a female, you will have to mist the enclosure very often in order to imitate the rainfall season. After mating the female lays about 40 eggs. After a while the hatchlings sized 25-32 cm come out. When the yolk sac dissolves, they start eating pinky mice.
Average life span is about 15 years.
