Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi guys.. I am not a hot keeper but am very intressted in hots.. I am reading a lot of info and read in a article that the Vipera latasti is a good beginners hot. The venom is not that strong and when you get bitten there is not that a big of an reaction of your body..

I wonder is this true?? are they not that venomous?? Can you compair them to the Vipera berus??

cheers
Niek
-----
Judge me by my additude
not by the way I dress
Don't push me in a corner like it's a [bleep]ing test.

I am not a hot keeper but am very intressted in hots.. I am reading a lot of info and read in a article that the Vipera latasti is a good beginners hot. The venom is not that strong and when you get bitten there is not that a big of an reaction of your body..

I wonder is this true?? are they not that venomous?? Can you compair them to the Vipera berus??

I'm not any great expert on Vipera but here's a few tips:

Personally I wouldn't recommend V. latasti as a first hot. First of all, they're very defensive (even aggressive) and are capable of some impressive strikes. Secondly, they might be a bit tricky to get to feed when they're small. Although once they start they seem to feed very well.

I don't know too much about the venom but a bite (especially from an adult) will certainly be very serious indeed, and would at least ruin your week, if not worse.

As a whole they're defensive (or aggressive), don't hook well and tend to do lightning-fast strikes into any direction. it's not a very difficult species to keep but for a first hot I would recommend some other Vipera instead. For example my Vipera raddei kurdistanica mut be the easiest, most trouble free snakes this side of a frozen corn snake.

-Martti

I've got a V. raddei kurdistanica female under my care, and although she's not even 10 inches she's a real pittbull

If the box is opened she hisses with her mouth open, quite like a cottonmouth... And the srikes are (not suprisingly) lightnig fast, multiple strikes in a matter of seconds. Beeing a viperid their eyesight is pretty well developed, and they know d*mn well where your hands are ...

On the hook she does well, but I can imagine that, if she was a bad eater, force feeding or things like that would be a big problem...

By the way Niek, congrats with your wedding

Cheers,
Peter

Hi
I´m a breeder of vipera lat.gaditana(see my add on this board)and want to say that latasti is not for a beginner!They are very nice but sensitiv if you make small mistakes they don´t feed or get quick cold!And if a small one is cold they are dying very quick.
Please try first other species like ammodytes or meridionalis they are easier to keep!
Have a nice day
Michael