Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am planning on getting a Gaboon Viper in the future and was wondering about their enclusure reqirements. Is a four foot long by two feet deep by two or three feet high appropriate? Also, what are their humidity and tempereature requiements? Are there any good books about keeping Gaboons in captivity?

A good place to start is with the book "Venomous Snakes, Snakes in the Terrarium" by Ludwig Trutnau. He has about 3 pages of natural history and husbandry info that is good.

For information on safety and hot protocals a good book is "VENOMOUS SNAKES IN CAPTIVITY, Safety and Husbandry" by B.W.Smith.
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Tim Cole
www.Designeratrox.com/
www.AustinReptileService.net
www.AustinReptileExpo.com/
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Conservation through Education

Tim provided two excellent sources (I use both on a regular basis). Here's how we keep our Gaboon (a very large female) that is on exhibit at my wildlife center:

Enclosure: Currently in a 5' wide x 3' deep x 2' high cherry wood custom cage by Crescent Moon Creations. The cage is lined by contact paper on the interior and all seems are caulked with non toxic caulk.

Set up: We provide 3-4" of soil, forest humus, and leaf mulch (all stirred together). We then place 3-4" of dried oak leaves on the surface. This not only looks fantastic but the leaves help to trap the soil's humidity and moisture levels (kept dry but does retain moisture). Gaboons love to just partially bury themselves in leaves. Once every other week I stir up the substrate to keep it oxygenated; doing this will allow you to not have to continually change the substrate; it will last a LONG time. For water, we provide a large, shallow plastic planter saucer. Contrary to popular beliefs, you do not have to soak your gaboon every week; mine have never, ever been soaked and they have done just fine for many years.

Humidity: We heavily mist the cage every other day or even every third day. Between this and a steady source of easy to get to water (as stated above), your snake will do fine. They WILL find the water source. Having the right substrate also helps quite a bit.

Heat/Light: Our exhibit is heated by a Pro Product Radiant Heat Panel connected to a Spyder Robotics thermostat. Basking temperatures reach 90 degrees F. for 8 hours per day but the snake always has areas in its cage where temps drop to the low to mid 70's. Without a cooler area, your gaboon will NOT do well (regurge, death). A healthy gaboon will move back and forth (you'll notice after a big meal that they will spend more time basking). Night temps drop to around 74-78 degrees (thermal gradient). Light is provided by a Zoo Med fluorescent full spectrum....shows off the colors very nicely.

Feeding: our big girl gets one jumbo rat PER MONTH. These snakes have very slow metabolisms and its easy to over feed them. Every snake is different so you need to keep an eye on overall appearance. ONLY USE LONG TONGS when feeding these snakes. They may look sluggish, but they have lightning fast strikes that can reach quite a distance. This is the single most important factor when keeping this species safely. NO MISTAKES (and have a good source of A/V in your area). I do supplement with vitamins every third feeding as we do feed only frozen/thawed prey.

There's much more involved but these are the Cliff Notes version.

Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center

>>I am planning on getting a Gaboon Viper in the future and was wondering about their enclusure reqirements. Is a four foot long by two feet deep by two or three feet high appropriate? Also, what are their humidity and tempereature requiements? Are there any good books about keeping Gaboons in captivity?
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Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL

Mr. Carmichael,

I am curious as to what vitamin supplement you use?

Thanks,

Chris
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My Website
www.herpfanatic.com

50/50 mix of RepCal and Herptivite

>>Mr. Carmichael,
>>
>> I am curious as to what vitamin supplement you use?
>>
>>Thanks,
>>
>>Chris
>>-----
>>My Website
>>www.herpfanatic.com
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Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL

Rob,
Did you start them out as babies? I have raised babies and was also under the impression that they needed to be soaked to drink when they are neonates. On the otherhand, I don't plan to keep them again.
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Tim Cole
www.Designeratrox.com/
www.AustinReptileService.net
www.AustinReptileExpo.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<
Conservation through Education

Maybe I've just had smart gaboons. Yes, I have raised a number of neonates and I think the key is to provide a shallow, round water dish that is at the same level as the substrate.

>>Rob,
>> Did you start them out as babies? I have raised babies and was also under the impression that they needed to be soaked to drink when they are neonates. On the otherhand, I don't plan to keep them again.
>>-----
>>Tim Cole
>>www.Designeratrox.com/
>>www.AustinReptileService.net
>>www.AustinReptileExpo.com/
>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<
>>Conservation through Education
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Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL

Both Rob and Tim have given great advice. I'd like to mention how well sphagnum moss works. Several "hides" can be easily made from dampened moss. It also holds great humidity and is extremely mold resistant. Some gaboons also enjoy a good misting. My pair LOVES to get a light spray of warm water every few days. They will actually come to the spray nozzle and drink. Just remember to be careful. The potential of these snakes is often extremely underestimated. Good luck.

Thanks for the info guys. The only thing to ever get in my way of owning the snake is that my local hospital will not have a good supply of antivenin. I was thinking about getting a venomoid from Venomoidinc.com, they are the most humane devenomizers I have found. I have one question though, lets say I have been bitten by a gaboon, lets say a full two- fanged bite to the arm, how long do I have to get to help?

Now you are starting scare me! If you have spent anytime at all on this forum you would realize our position on venomoids. Second, at least have a written protocal with the closest source of antivenin listed. If this is a safety concern, don't do it.
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Tim Cole
www.Designeratrox.com/
www.AustinReptileService.net
www.AustinReptileExpo.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<
Conservation through Education

I echo what Tim Cole says.
Randal Berry

I believe that if the venomoid operation is performed humanly that it is fine to purchase one. It does have post op pain but that subsides very quickly as the insicions heal.

Why operate (even humanely) on a snake to make it non-venomous?

If you want a non-venomous snake, buy a non-venomous snake. There are plenty of amazing species on the market.

I’d be too afraid to keep a real Gaboon Viper, but I’d be too ashamed to own a fake one!

If you must keep a venomous snake, consider the earlier advice to get a copperhead or pigmy rattler. Either should impress your friends without posing the risk of imminent death.

Oops. Looks like I was typing my retort while you were typing your change of mind about venomoids. Sorry if I flamed prematurely.

However, I'd still recommend a copperhead or pigmy over a gaboon. At least until you have YEARS of safe experience keeping hots.

Why would you recommend other snakes over a gaboon? Also. where could I find captive bred hots?

"Why would you recommend other snakes over a gaboon?"
-Safety. The gaboon is EXTREMELY hot and scary fast. I get the impression that you have never kept hots (sorry if I'm wrong). If so, please find an experienced, responsible keeper in your area who is willing to act as your mentor. Anyone keeping hots risks permanent physical disfigurement or death. Don't get into this hobby lightly. I no longer keep hots because I live in a small house with small kids and no secure room. I'm also an hour from the nearest AV. Also, review and follow the laws in your area. The last thing this hobby needs is more bad press.

"Also, where could I find captive bred hots?"
-Classified ads here at Kingsnake.com. But, talk to the seller, other hot keepers, and study the species at length before buying.

PLEASE don’t get a venomoid. Cruel mutilation isn’t something any animals should have to endure. If A/V isn’t available then I would SERIOUSLY reconsider getting any exotic venomous animal. The effects of gaboon bites are absolutely devastating. They posses a rather toxic venom, and their yield is almost unparalleled. I’d personally guess you’d only survive a couple hrs without A/V if bitten by a large animal. If this is your first hot snake then try a smaller native animal AFTER working with a mentor to help show you the ropes. Copperheads (Agkistrodon contortrix) and Pygmy Rattlesnakes (Sistrurus miliarius) are a couple of good choices. Hope this helps. Good luck.

Actually I think that the venomoid op is really quite useless now that I think of it. Do you know of any good captive breeders of gaboons or other venomous snakes for that matter?

I personally feel that if you have to ask where to purchase a venomous snake then you have in no way, put any amount of time into researching the path you wish to follow. Venomous snakes are not forgiving. If proper husbandry is not applied they can kill you or worst, they could die. Do some research and learn as much as you can before making any purchase.

Txviper, please do not make accusations of ill- preparedness without knowing me. I am fully aware of venomous reptile dealers all over the net and also of the ones in the classifieds on this site. I do not usually trust classifieds, and was looking for a more reliable source of reptiles. When I asked where to find a good source of venomous snakes, I was referring to any good breeders unbeknownst to me. By the way, do you usually place the lives of animals above the lives of humans?

Post Note:

I have decided to wait on the gaboon viper, and instead op the get new world rattlesnakes.