Rhino viper trial#

Originally, we believed that male-male combat was required for successful breeding, as is sometimes the case with Gaboons. During breeding season, September – November in Florida, USA, we have a simple system of 0.15 meters (feet) PVC pipe that can be connected between enclosures to allow males and females cages to be accessed by each, as they wish. Each snake is maintained in a custom 1.2 x 0.6 x 0.6 meters (4 x 2 x 2 feet) enclosure, alone, and with the heavy plantings of Pothos vines and dense logs. They prefer fairly tight, dark, dry enclosures. Low stress is key.Ģ years – 5+ years of age: At this point Bitis nasicornis are a very delicate snake and do not tolerate seemingly minimal stress. These racks are kept very dark, cool (as outlined below) and we interact with the snakes as little as possible with as little foot-traffic through the room as possible. At this point, we move the snakes into custom rack systems, 0.6 x 1 x 0.2 meters (2 x 3.3 x 0.65 feet). We maintain snakes within this age range in a standard rack system, 0.25 x 0.45 x 0.15 meters (0.8 x 1.5 x 0.5 feet).ġ2 months – 2 years of age : This is where these snakes begin to get tricky, and many simply die for unexplained reasons. Rest assured, this is a short-lived illusion. They tolerate a wide range of temperatures, stress, and usually feed quite well. Neonates – 12 months of age : At this age, Bitis nasicornis appear bulletproof and easy to maintain, assuming well-hydrated animals are available and selected (usually imports). Caging, temperature ranges, and humidity are the 3 key factors.

Rhino viper trial#

A lot of trial and error, frustrating failure, and building on the experiments and success of others have allowed this success.

While still an enigmatic species, we have been fortunate to have had some success keeping and repetitively breeding this species over 3 generations and have had longevities approaching 10 years of age. Bitis nasicornis are a problematic species that are difficult for most keepers to maintain past about 2 years of age.