Gaboon & Rhinoceros Vipers

Just looking for some general information about Gabbys and Rhinos.

Temp and humidity

Breeding age and size

What do crosses sell for

There is not a lot of info on them I just thought maybe I could acquire some more info on here. I am pretty new to posting on here even though I have been a member for awhile.

Thanks for any input.

-John

I noticed you got the Rhino. Did you find all the info you needed before planning the purchase? 5 days is pretty quick. Just curious, since husbandry is important and all.
How bout antivenin? Have you looked into whether you hospital has the right stuff? Gabby's can pack a pretty serious punch.
I am just saying in case you didn't find all the info in time.

Rick

when i was breeding my gabby's and rhino's. i noticed that they liked the temp to be at about 75 to 82 degrees. not every one will agree with me on this, but it worked and i successfuly had a nice litter from boath species. i always kept my humidity at least 70 for my rhino's and 50+ for my gabby's. i hope this info helps you. thanks

and keep in mind EXACTLY WHAT CROTALUS ADAMANTEUS SAID. this is vital information since you need S.A.I.M.R. which is a south african polyvalet used to treat those species. and hospitals in the USA DO NOT STOCK saimr. so you will need to get the antivenom from a zoo or another place that works with those species. beleve me when i was envenomated from my bush viper i didnt have the antivenom. and it almost cost me my life. and the bitis species especially gaboons,rhinos,and puff adders are way more toxic than a buch viper. thanks

I am not for sure about the gabbys but I think they may be venemoids from CRE. (got screwed) I had one tag a live rat not too long ago. It never did die even after 20 minutes. It was bitten 5 times. I eventually killed it myself. I tried to milk one of them with no success. I really did not want to stress them. Is there a way you can tell scars, etc? I am 45 minutes from Houston Medical Center which is located next to the Houston Zoo. I really do not know who to contact about the antivenom. I never mess with them without tongs and a hook as well. I never free hand them and I stay out of their strike zone. The Gaboons I keep low to high 70's. Humidity around 75%. The Rhino I keep a little bit cooler and higher humidity. She also has a pool. I am looking for data on breeding. When, temps, etc. Up until now I have just been breeding retics.

Thanks
-John

Originally Posted by Vinny D

when i was breeding my gabby's and rhino's. i noticed that they liked the temp to be at about 75 to 82 degrees. not every one will agree with me on this, but it worked and i successfuly had a nice litter from boath species. i always kept my humidity at least 70 for my rhino's and 50+ for my gabby's. i hope this info helps you. thanks

sounds about right to me...maybe just a smidge cooler. And be careful if you try to get/maintain humidity levels of 70% or more. Most captive situations don't offer enough airflow to safely pull it off. Stagnant air + high moisture content = trouble.

Originally Posted by jwpdcp

I am not for sure about the gabbys but I think they may be venemoids from CRE. (got screwed) I had one tag a live rat not too long ago. It never did die even after 20 minutes. It was bitten 5 times. I eventually killed it myself. I tried to milk one of them with no success. I really did not want to stress them. Is there a way you can tell scars, etc? I am 45 minutes from Houston Medical Center which is located next to the Houston Zoo. I really do not know who to contact about the antivenom. I never mess with them without tongs and a hook as well. I never free hand them and I stay out of their strike zone. The Gaboons I keep low to high 70's. Humidity around 75%. The Rhino I keep a little bit cooler and higher humidity. She also has a pool. I am looking for data on breeding. When, temps, etc. Up until now I have just been breeding retics.

Thanks
-John

Sounds like you got a voided gabby. As for the scars, I believe they mostly do it through the mouth so as not to leave any external scarring. Sorry for that. I'd be wanting a refund were it Me.

I was thinking at first possibly it over penetrated the rat, and didn't get venom inside. But you said you tried to milk it unsuccessfully, so there goes that thought. Hmmmm

Well, if it does turn out void, and you can't get your money back and decide to keep it, never assume it will always be a void. Regeneration has been noted if the operation is not done correctly. Something to keep in mind.

Rick

Thanks for the info. I always treat them as if they were venomous. As far as getting my money back that will not happen with Carolina Reptile Exchange. I really can not go into detail about that due to legal aspects I am working on. I may try to cross the Gaboon with the Rhino. I think they are pretty cool looking. I think I got 3 voided Gabby's. Here is a cool set of photos of all 3 of them eating together (PRE-KILLED)

-John

http://www.bobclark.com/bcforums/top...=Picture+Forum

Originally Posted by Vinny D

beleve me when i was envenomated from my bush viper i didnt have the antivenom.

There is a good reason for that, there is no AV for Bush Vipers


John, you will likely have to contact a local zoo to have access to the AV in the event of an emergency. You can also apply to get it through the govt. It is considered an orphan drug so there is quite a bit of red tape and you need a physician to sign off on it.

All of this really should have been done before you got the animals.

I also would not bank on the assumption that they are voided. Venomoids go for much more money and I doubt a dealer would make the switch on purpose and lose about $900 on the trio. No offense, but not everyone knows how to milk a snake. It is not as easy as it looks. It is also the most dangerous practice with venomous species. This is particularly true of Gaboons which have very long and mobile fangs that they can swing out the side of their mouth and nail your finger while pinning.

For all practical purposes they are "HOT". Besides that even if they were not I do not welcome the idea of two 1.5" harpoons racing through my flesh. As far as the milking goes I am the first to agree with you that it is not easy. I was more concerned with a stray fang than getting venom out. I had a welding glove on my hand holding his head. I did not try too hard. I had a neonate gaboon once and it just poured out. The adults fangs are longer and difficult to get the fangs over the glass without hanging up on the other teeth. I understand that if they are voids that they would be worth a lot more money. But for some reason the person I got him from has done this before, I have no clue as to why. I have a message into the Herpetologist at the zoo about the antivenom.