Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey ive had my rhino and gaboon viper for over a month now and just want to make sure I'm keeping them right (can never be to safe) i have them in 12q tubs (the snakes are 8" long) on heat tape with the temps set to a hot spot of 84-85, there on cypress mulch as there bedding ( kind you would buy at Lowes in the big bag i was careful not to get it mixed with any other woods but ALL the bags say "cypress mulch blend" and none of them mentioned other woods so i assumed that means bark and wood is used in the cypress) i keep the cypress damp to keep humidity up in the tubs for them i mist the cage every 2-3 days keeping the mulch moist I'm not sure if this is to much? but it seems to be working fine and i heard there in swampy areas in the wild. they both have large water bowls big enough for them to soak in though they never want anything to do with it so i use the "viperkeeper" method and bought one of those wash bottles and hand water them once a week so i know there being hydrated, they are both eating fine never missed a meal in the month Ive had them I'm feeding them on Fridays. but anyways i just want to double check and make sure I'm doing everything correctly its very hard to gather a lot of info on them and I'm doing everything by the very little info i gathered and common sense so please correct me if I'm wrong on anything. Thanks -Josh

Sounds pretty good. Make sure your air temps are at the temps you have the thermostat set. Just avoid substrate that is damp all over; you still need some dryer areas to give the snake some choices. Another key factor is good air flow; something that is oftentimes overlooked by most keepers but makes a huge difference in overall and long term health - you don't want stagnant air. Contrary to what many recommend, I have never had to resort to soaking my rhinos or my gaboons - they drink out of shallow water bowls readily and other than a good misting every 2-3 days, that's all they need and mine defecate just fine. I keep mine in semi-naturalistic set-ups complete with a soil/forest humus/natural substrata and then pile up a few inches of dead oak leaves on the surface. A well placed pothos or philedendron, a nice piece of wood, shallow water bowl and some full spectrum lighting while providing dappled sunlight provides the perfect conditions (in my humble opinion).

Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center
www.wildlifediscoverycenter.org

>>Hey ive had my rhino and gaboon viper for over a month now and just want to make sure I'm keeping them right (can never be to safe) i have them in 12q tubs (the snakes are 8" long) on heat tape with the temps set to a hot spot of 84-85, there on cypress mulch as there bedding ( kind you would buy at Lowes in the big bag i was careful not to get it mixed with any other woods but ALL the bags say "cypress mulch blend" and none of them mentioned other woods so i assumed that means bark and wood is used in the cypress) i keep the cypress damp to keep humidity up in the tubs for them i mist the cage every 2-3 days keeping the mulch moist I'm not sure if this is to much? but it seems to be working fine and i heard there in swampy areas in the wild. they both have large water bowls big enough for them to soak in though they never want anything to do with it so i use the "viperkeeper" method and bought one of those wash bottles and hand water them once a week so i know there being hydrated, they are both eating fine never missed a meal in the month Ive had them I'm feeding them on Fridays. but anyways i just want to double check and make sure I'm doing everything correctly its very hard to gather a lot of info on them and I'm doing everything by the very little info i gathered and common sense so please correct me if I'm wrong on anything. Thanks -Josh
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Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL

Sounds good....In regards to the cypress blend. You can call the company and find exactly whats in it. Some of them have cedar mixed in and don't say it...... Occasionally Home Depot carries a brand called "Cypress Gold" and it is Pure Cypress...

Mike

The cypress i use is called "Cypress Rose"

its the first one on this list

http://www.nationalsalt.com/mulch_page_1.htm

Up here in Canada the "Cypress Gold" is a pine or pine/oak product which contains no cypress whatsoever. It is coloured to mimic the golden colour of actual cypress mulch. A lot of reptile keepers are mislead by the name.
Dave

The "Cypress Gold" I buy here at Home depot, is 100% cypress mulch.

You're lucky. Our "Cypress Gold" is made by a company called All Treat Farms here in Ontario. It's still not a bad mulch for reptiles, at least it's not cedar! As most of my specimens are arborial they have very little contact with it anyway. Who makes your brand of Cypress Gold ?
Dave

I use a mixture of cypress mulch and a coconut fiber brick, it softens the substrate some and it's very easy to keep the humidity up and it's easier for my gaboon to burrow down a little without getting poked by the cypress pieces.
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Dustin Smith