Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i was at the show and saw a beautiful rhino OMG!!!!!!!, me and my g/f have been talking about it ever since, i didn't see a price nor did i ask , now i am jonsing for one and have no clue on the prices?, round abouts will be fine, and are they very active or do they just sit in one spot for umteen years with little movement?, tnkx for any help

They range from 60.oo up to around 250.00 depending on age, color, and locality to some degree. Mostly they just sit or hide but I have seen them climb and perch if given some braches. They move a bit if sprayed and seem to drink best if sprayed. A gentle spray on there head will result in a long drink once the snake has flicked its tounge and realized what its being sprayed with. I mention this because some will not drink from a water bowl unless they stumble in to it. Soaking weekly also helps on drinking and general hydration. They usualy feed well. Juvies are nervous and usualy will not hit the food as fast. I have found large pinks or even rat pups go down with ease. A little slight movement with the pray item near the eyes and by the side of head can get interest. Usualy in juvies if you can get a tounge flick you have one the battle. A tounge flick and one slight move from you and BAMMM!
About the BAMM, Bitis have a lighting strike. Scary fast in any direction with no notice. AN adult will nock the forceps out of your hand if not ready. They are not big on defeneive strike and usually huff and puff, but you do not want to be bit. The venom is bad stuff and could cost you your life not just a hand. One more husbandry conserne is heat. Stay lower temps than most boids and coloubreds. Around mid 70s to low 80s is a good gradient.
Rhinos are an easy favorite that once acclimated do well. Wild caught are very diificult so look for cb or long term animals. They are usualy on sale on KIngsnake daily from a number of sorces. Home Grown Herps has a pair posted now that are killer. I beleve the pair is 450.00 plus but for good stuff it's woth the extra. Some are down right ugly and some are mind blowing. If you have other questions e=mail me at xeropaga1@yahoo.com
Kevin

hey tnkxs again for the info sent ya an e-mail, i will be getting one very soooooooooooooooooooon!!!!!!!!! thank you all if you need any help with liasis's give me a hollor, jim

Consider both husbandry and veterinary issues, of which rhinos have a few.

All WC rhinos and a number of the CB rhinos that I have looked at have been parasitized, in some cases quite heavily. You want both a fecal float and a direct smear to check for amoebas as well as oocysts, and a tracheal wash is also strongly advised with this species. It's not unusual to see hookworms, lungworms and Entamoeba in a single animal. Identify what parasites the animal has and treat accordingly, repeating the dosages every week or so until you get a clean fecal. Wait a few months and check fecal and tracheal again.

If you do not have free access to a microscope, the second best guess is to shotgun with Panacur and Flagyl, 50 mg/kg on each, repeat in 3-4 days, repeat again in 7 days. Get a vet to check fecal and tracheal at this point. If the tracheal shows Rhabdias, you have a problem you will need to discuss. Ivermectin IM at 0.2 mg/kg repeated once in 7 to 14 days supplemented by good hydration and support antibiotics (nebulization with Amikacin) is a reasonable protocol for nematode lungworms that successfully ignore fenbendazole. I would be hesitant to give Ivermectin unless it was clear that this was an appropriate treatment; it's not something I shotgun with because of potential toxicity issues. Also don't fool around on drug dosages by yourself unless you are very sure you know how to compute them correctly.

Husbandry can also be a pain in the rear; they may not drink from a bowl voluntarily and can die of dehydration with a full waterbowl. If you keep them too dry they can have hydration problems, if you keep them too wet they can run into skin problems.

Other than that, they are not hard to get feeding and do fine if you can get them cleaned up.

do you have any experience with venomous snakes? do you have access to antivenom? do you have access to a secure cage to keep that venomous snake from escaping? Do you have a set of appropriate sized hooks? Do you have a set of snake tongs? Do you have a set of snake tubes of various lengths and sizes in case you have to medicate at home? is there a competent reptile vet in you area that is willing to service your venomous collection? is it legal in your area and if so do you have all the required permits? have you thought about the fact that if you are bitten by this rhino viper you could recieve a very bad envenomation resulting in serious bodily injury and even death? what if this thing gets out and bites your girlfriend?

i dont mean to sound like a jack@$$ but these are all very important questions you have to ask yourself before you purchase a venomous reptile, if there is a keeper near you with venomous experience i would recommend sitting in on a few of his handling sessions then participating

RAS

I agree. All these things need to be considered. One question- I have been at this a long time and it would be nice to have antivenom but I don't know how a private citizen can aquire antivenom. As far as I know it is not possible. If I am wrong please let me know a phone number I can call and talk to someone about obtaining some. I have called many places in search and no one sells to the public. Again I hope I am wrong.
Kevin

i believe venomousreptiles.org has all the forms needed available for download but im not sure

RAS

hey all,
thanks for all your input, i am not running out to get it WITH OUT info and proper needs to raise and maintain, this snake, as far as the material needs secure cage, tongs, hooks, ect, i do have to check with my vet i do know he works with a wide variety of reptiles, i do know lots of ppl with venomious reptiles, i do know the laws regarding reptiles both venumious and non, so i am good with that , the girlfriend on the other hand does listen to advise given regarding the 20 snakes i own and the 30 me buddy owns so i do not see that being a problem but once again thanks for all the info given on this and if you have more please inform i want to make the right dission on these as this will only be my second hot, themntl1@yahoo.com, tnkx jim

I certainly agree that it is unwise for people to keep venomous snakes without also keeping or having immediate access to the antivenom. My primary concern however is that the keepers in question are skilled in good husbandry and are offering appropriate veterinary care.

It is true that you cannot give appropriate veterinary care without good handling skills. The procedures I listed as necessary for WC rhino vipers (fecal and tracheal wash, oral and injectable medication) certainly do require either humane restraint or anesthesia.

Fortunately if you can put a snake into a sealed box of known volume with a few small modifications, you can achieve safe and simple anesthesia at the vet's office with supplies he or she will have readily available. See the link below for details.
Isoflurane open drop technique