Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, i am thinking of starting to have a viper in my reptile collection. My favs are bitis nasicornis and gabonica, although ive heard these are not recomended as first vipers What vipers you suggest to start off with?
I own 5 burmese pythons and a retic, and have experience managing some elapids ( just so you get an idea of my average knowledge ), plus some kingsnakes, and cornsnakes...
Thanks for your suggestions

Sheri

P.S: by the way Phobos, your pics and collection is absolutely awesome

vvvv A pic of the snake who started the whole thing

I personally think anyone ready to have a venomous snake enter their home should really have enough knowledge about snakes and should have read enough to make firm decisions without assistance from a kingsnake thread. But I will give the benefit of the doubt and assume you just wanted to see some more opinions. I think the smaller arborial pit vipers are the nicest thing you can deal with without ever touching or moving the animal. Housing can be the most important thing you have on your side. I would also recomend a snake which is not known to have shedding trouble. B. nasicornis is not something you want to be helping remove skin from its face. But all in all I would have to say if you are prepared to deal with the responsibility of a viper, you should have delt (helped someone or watched someone) with something similar and you should get a snake you find high in your interest level and fits the demands you can provide.

I would suggest a russels viper or a fer-de-lance, they are mean, so you know what to expect.

...Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints...

Big, nasty, deadly, EXOTIC hots are generally not recommended as first hots. Russell viper venom is extremely variable throughout their range, and locality information is imprerative...the AV for snakes in one region will not have much of an effect neutralizing the venom from a snake (same species) from another.

Fer-de-lances (common name is used for several species, usually B. asper) get quite large and are known for their nasty tempers. I highly doubt anyone who has kept or keeps them would recommend them as a first viperid. That, and they are exotic, so you arent going to find the AV at your hospital.

My advice: start with a NORTH AMERICAN CROTALID (assuming you are here in North America). If your aren't here in the U.S., get a snake native to your country so that the precurement and availability of AV is liklier. If you are here in NA, then domestic crotalids are the way to go. Nasty ones like atrox will get you used to the requirements of keeping these animals, and if you do make a mistake, AV is readily available.

that post was a joke. Bothrops kills more people than any snake in the new world and russles I believe is neck and neck with world wide deaths along with echis. I think they were joking. And I would not put much stock in being safe after an atrox bite either. While they can save you. You can die pretty easily as well.

I would personally reccomend eyelash vipers or copperheads both are pretty and fairly well tempered

Just my 2 cents

Derek

you'd be fine after an atrox bite. However, due to AV being rather easy to find, you stand a better chance of walking away from one than you do a Bothrops or (gasp!) a Daboia bite, especially if you don't have access to AV. Atrox can be nasty, but they are also rather managable providing you don't get stupid. Sure, copperheads and pigmy rattlers probably make the IDEAL first front fanged snakes, but this guys first hot was a monocle cobra (which he didn't know, thought it was an Indian/Common), so I don't think he'll take our advice anyway, and will probably go out and get a nasicornis or whatever he said he liked...