Reptile & Amphibian Forums

greetings to all
does anyone have any experience with russells vipers .

Hi,

I'm keeping one at the moment. Really nice snakes, just be very careful with them

All the best,

Iwan

Awesome picture mate!

Cheers!

Al
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They are awesome vipers..... They are very toxic..... They are one of the very few snakes that cause dirrect renal damage through the use of nephrotoxins...... Not to mention the other toxins that make up their incredible venom cocktail.....

Thanks for the replies , thats a good photo Iwan . What is the strike range , can these actually launch themselves or are they generally restricted to a proportion of their length . I have`nt seen much mention of them so does that mean that they are not popular and is this because they are considered more venomous than other hot herps .
I have been staying in sri lanka - highest snakebite mortality rate in the world (apparently) and I`ve noticed that the locals tend to misidentify this snake ,I`ve been called on to i.d a fullgrown russells in a toilet , A gravid checkered keelback ( thought to be a russells ) in a sack . and a young one which several locals thought a python ,this info unfortunatly cost the snake its life . Russells vipers are killed on sight , but cobras are caught and "relocated" somewhere else - in sacks ,jam-jars and any thing else handy . Are the really more dangerous than cobras ?

Compare to cobras, I find out russells are more unpredictable. They may strike with or without hissing nor any warning and never miss at all. Their big size (5ft adult is normal), unpredictable character, agility and highly toxic venom make them one of the very dangerous snakes. In contrast, they are not difficult to maintain and not very demanding. Be very cautious if you want to get one....

kog

>> I have been staying in sri lanka - highest snakebite mortality rate in the world (apparently) and I`ve noticed that the locals tend to misidentify this snake ,I`ve been called on to i.d a fullgrown russells in a toilet , A gravid checkered keelback ( thought to be a russells ) in a sack . and a young one which several locals thought a python ,this info unfortunatly cost the snake its life . Russells vipers are killed on sight , but cobras are caught and "relocated" somewhere else - in sacks ,jam-jars and any thing else handy . Are the really more dangerous than cobras ?

In Sri Lanka, Russell's vipers are certainly more important as a cause of snakebite deaths than cobras, even though in terms of your chances of dying from a bite, there is probably little to choose between the two. Cobras are more likely to get out of the way of people than Russell's, and are far more likely to bluff than Russell's, which will just nail you the second they get a chance. Sri Lankans tend not to kill cobras because they are of religious significance - the hood mark is said to be the fingerprint of Buddha, given as a mark of thanks for sheltering him from the sun with the hood.

Cheers,

Wolfgang
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They are extremely toxic snakes. I kept a few over the last few years. At first they seemed easily agitated and they would hiss loudly. As time goes on they do this less. Mine rarely struck. They just hissed loudly and backed up. They ride hooks well and eat like champs. They are my favorite of the venemous and I had no more difficulty with handling them than with acclimated rattlers. But never let your guard down. This is one snake that literally may never give you a second chance.

Dan