Gaboon Viper

The West African gaboon viper or (Bitis Gabonica) is the largest out of all the old world vipers. There have been individuals found up to 7 feet but an average of 6 feet is more common. They are also one of the most beautiful of all snakes. In the wild their strikingly marked bodies are near impossible to see among the ground and leaf litter. These guys are ambush predators that sit and wait for a meal to come walking through the game trail. They have the largest fangs of any venomous snake in the world. The fangs can grow up to two inches in length. Their natural habitat consists of dense forested areas and humid grassy areas.

LOCALITY

The West African gaboon viper inhabits Guinea, The Ivory Coast, Togo, Ghana, Cameroon, Benin, Angola, The Congo, and Gabon.

CAPTIVE HUSBANDRY

Keeping bitis species can be a very rewarding species to keep as long as every single requirement is met in order to keep them healthy and thriving. Correct temperature and humidity levels MUST be maintained and monitored every day.

TEMPERATURES

They live in tropical forests and do not do well in hot climates. They like it on the cool side. In some part of their range they almost never see direct sunlight in the wild.

DAY TIME TEMPS

On the cool end of the cage temps should be between 70 and 75 degrees.

On the warm end of the cage the temps should be between 75 to 85 degrees, maximum.

Temps at night can drop 5 to 8 degrees. I use light bulbs to heat the cage during the day and nothing at all for the night time. You can offer your animal a basking spot but they will hardly if ever use it.

HUMIDITY

The humidity levels for this species should be between 60% to 80%. You can allow it to drop a little if you will be cycling them for breeding…… This can only go on for a short period of time. Bitis’ can dehydrate very quickly. Too much humidity without proper ventilation can cause scale rot and upper respiratory infections. Too little and you will wind up with very jerky snake.

 HYDRATION

As mentioned above, the Bitis Gabonica can dehydrate very quickly. There are a few tricks I have learned over the years to keep them hydrated.

Always keep a clean supply of drinking water in the cage. Gaboons do not readily drink from standing water supplies but they will drink from one if they happen to stumble upon it in their travels.