Reptile & Amphibian Forums

this morning my gaboon, boone, passed away.
when i got him about 3 weeks ago, he had one black eye, which someone on this board (forgive me for not remembering who) told me was a dilation....this morning my girlfriend looked at him and saw that he was moved from his usual spot..he was behind his waterbowl...this shocked me none as he was always fairly mobile. not but 5 minutes later, he somehow ended up belly-up, head in his waterbowl. i immediately plucked him out. he was still alive, but after trying to move simply died.
now, i hope to save up some money and get another one, but i'd like some advice on any changes i should make to the setup. it's likely that he was sick from the get-go (he was bought at a show, listed as cb), but it is of course possible that something i was doing wrong led to this.
he was in a 10 gallon tank with deep aspen bedding (which he liked to bury himself in), and a waterbowl approximately the diameter of a baseball (about 1.5" deep). he had no direct light on him. temperatures were in the mid 80's mostly, humidity about right. i tried feeding twice weekly, though he only ate on the very first attempt (two days after i got him). i had been looking for a vet to look at the dilation. none would see him, but one told me over the phone that it should clear up on its own....
any tips or suggestions that will make my next attempt more successful would be appreciated.

Sorry about the death...... It all sounds ok but you should find a cage better made for hots...... Visions are good for gaboons and other bitis....... Hold humidity well and stays warm and it easy to control temps...... It was most likely nothing you did...... Keep in mind that 99% of captive born gaboons dealers sell are atually farm raised....... Be alittle more selective on what you buy...... Check them out as best as you can before you buy them....... It could have had a URI...... That could have caused an infection in the eye....... It is not too common but it is possible...... Better luck next time...... If you have any othe questions just E-Mail me.....

Vipers tend to digest their meals FAR more slowly than most other snakes. If you've had him 3 weeks, and he ate for you right when you got him, I wouldnt attempt another feed for at LEAST 3 weeks. Most literature on vipers supports this, but it also depends on the prey size. If you are feeding an acceptionally large prey item you may find that it is better to wait a little longer, and if you are feeding a small prey item compared to the size of the snake, you may find that its best to attempt another feeding a little sooner.