# Gaboon Vipers!! Puff Adders!!



## tattoo_rebel (Nov 13, 2006)

So I've been wanting to own hotz for some time now but i will admit krig's right and i really have no experience in venomous at all and that would be very irresponsible and dumb hahha so i'll just wait until he gets his license and he gets a gaboon so i can visit. and yes bro i don't expect you to trust e again that quick but hey i'm happy you're giving me a chance to show you how much your friendship is worth to me bro!! So people this is some eye candy for my homie Ulrik and for those of ya that love hotzzz!! Check out these cool vids I found on the net!!

Mods I tried using the you tube icon when doing the thread but don't know what happened, sorry 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_2bMBuZgts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vciqMuDcs4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGQymtHaz9c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noQkkXC_HQw

So my only comments on these guy the viper keeper, is that his vids are cool but he talks waaayyy too much and bores me he talks to his hots like if he were talking with a virgin or something like that hahahaha And tha last vid is just funny


----------



## Crotalus (Nov 13, 2006)

After see that puffadder video its no wonder people get tagged...


----------



## Gigas (Nov 13, 2006)

All members of the bitis genus are gymnasts, its not fat but pure muscle making up their girth


----------



## ShadowBlade (Nov 13, 2006)

Gigus said:


> All members of the bitis genus are gymnasts, its not fat but pure muscle making up their girth


Yeah, pure muscle that says 'freaking bite you'.


----------



## Midnightrdr456 (Nov 13, 2006)

even if you do start getting hots i would recommend starting small, like a copperhead.  Or even better is a nice hognose you could get now while you learn with your friend.


----------



## Kriegan (Nov 13, 2006)

tattoo_rebel said:


> he talks to his hots like if he were talking with a virgin or something like that hahahaha


LMAO!!  

Thanks for this good stuff mate, this has made my day!! 
 I'm completely speechless:drool: That female gaboon ist GORGEOUS!! You can get to hear the beautiful hissing in the background, even with this guy talking so much. Heck! I wouldn't talk while opening my hot's enclosures! Mine was still a baby and never had the chance to get that big 

But this guy is just a disaster waiting to happen WOW!! That 3rd video with the bitis arietans in the floor loose like that, and so close to him struggling...that just made my heart stop!! For all of you who are considering owning venomous snakes, please take note, this is why you need to have lots of years experience, and you need to know *when* to use a hook, and when you *need* to use a tong to restrain it!! You have to be 100% certain of what you're doing. This is very basic, THIS FOOLISH MISTAKE CAN NEVER HAPPEN, you can't afford to be stupid! YOU CAN NEVER EVER GET TOO CONFIDENT when owning hots, always very alert and cautious, never take ANY risks.  He could've get tagged so easily...good grief! I could just picture it coming next! Also, I would never even "allow" my gaboon to take a "stroll", that's just very dumb and looking for serious trouble. Gaboons can change mood VERY fast, even if well fed, so NEVER be an idiot and think gabonicas are placid and you can take them out to play!!:evil: 

However, I did enjoy when the gabonica showed her impressive fangs in the 2nd video!! LOL!! I had to wait until the 6th minute for that, but it was well worth the wait!! WOW!! BEAUTIFUL!!:worship: 

The last video was just very silly IMO, the flake who fed the cornsnake a live baby rat, should've just spared the poor snake all that struggle by feeding it a pre-killed one. That was very unnecesary, if you ask me 

Best regards,
Ulrich


----------



## Crotalus (Nov 13, 2006)

Gigus said:


> All members of the bitis genus are gymnasts, its not fat but pure muscle making up their girth


Gymnasts... no more like wrestlers. They are not the most agile snakes


----------



## Crotalus (Nov 13, 2006)

The puff on the floor is not so bad (they are not a mamba) - its when he try lift it out with too small hooks when its gets dangerous
Its very easy to avoid all that fuzz - place a high plastic barrel outside the terrarium, let the puff slide down and on with the lid.
Incredible.


----------



## Kriegan (Nov 13, 2006)

Crotalus said:


> The puff on the floor is not so bad (they are not a mamba) - its when he try lift it out with too small hooks when its gets dangerous
> Its very easy to avoid all that fuzz - place a high plastic barrel outside the terrarium, let the puff slide down and on with the lid.
> Incredible.


:clap: Exactly!! It escapes me how come this idiot gets to own venomous snakes when he has no idea of what he's doing and how to safely rehouse them, and yet he proudly films his stupidness and exposes himself on the internet!


----------



## Arietans (Nov 14, 2006)

Puff Adders are actually awesome as first hots. They eat well, are very tolerant to husbandry mistakes (temps, humidity etc.), hook easily (although large ones require two hooks or the more dangerous hook-and-tail).


Copperheads are better, but due to availability here, few people get to start with them.


----------



## Midnightrdr456 (Nov 14, 2006)

yea copperheads for him would be easy to get in Georgia.  Plus if you do make a mistake.........**knock on wood**, i would much prefer to make that mistake with a snake that rarely kills with its venom.

But thats also why i say a snake such as a Hognose or False Water Cobra are even better to begin, they are aggressive so they can teach you how to be careful with out the danger of front fanged potentially deadly snakes.


----------



## Arietans (Nov 14, 2006)

Oh most definitely. Falsies, Copperheads are all better beginners. But we are limited to availability and the price tag.


----------



## Kriegan (Nov 14, 2006)

Yeah I agree too, copperheads would be a good start. But before he takes that big step, John first you need to be ready to assume the responsability of owning them, and provide it with an escape proof enclosure, which is not cheap at all, and invest in maintenance tools and supplies. Second, you need to acknowledge that a responsible venomous snake keeper, NEVER handles a hot without the proper training and equipment, and respects it for what it is. So definetely you have to get rid of the naive "yeah, hots are cool, and i wanted to take some pics of it in my hand, and out of the blue i got fanged":wall:  So you need to have very good judgement and plan everything out ahead of time, when there is a clear unavoidable need for maneuvering a situation in dealing with a snake outside of its enclosure like in the vids. You can not afford to be careless or get overly confident, because it takes but one simple mistake to wind up fanged by a hot snake, resulting in a fatal permanent injury... you have to be extremely careful.

If he really gets serious and responsible about this, and is willing to show matureness and not a wreckless attitude, then i will support him into getting one. For now, I'm just concerned that he might think hot keeping is a breeze, and anyone can get into it without knowing anything about them. I'd be 100%sure he knows what he's getting himself into, and can prepare himself for when the unexpected comes...just like when he was taking care of my sling and he just decided to ignore any instructions on how to care for it, and ended up very irresponsibly doing whatever he wanted, and ended up chasing it and ripping its leg off.


John if you show me with your actions, that you're ready and responsible enough for this, then i'll teach you everything you need to know when keeping venomous snakes.


----------



## Arietans (Nov 14, 2006)

Just finished watching the vids.
Awesome snakes.

Only a little critique (no ill intentions):

The first video is a perfect example of what your hot room should NOT look like. It is very cluttered, making it very difficult to catch a snake that wants to get away.

The second vid (I think) is a perfect example of how NOT to get a puffy out of a cage. He has two hooksticks, almost criss-crossed trying to manipulate an animal that is on the move. There are much easier and better ways of removing the animal.


----------



## Kriegan (Nov 14, 2006)

Arietans said:


> Just finished watching the vids.
> Awesome snakes.
> 
> Only a little critique (no ill intentions):
> ...


:clap: LOL!!! What's even more ridiculous to me, is that in his profile he claims he's "*An avid venomous snake keeper since I was 17. I have a collection of about 50 animals from around the world. These are videos of those animals in action doing their thing, which is being a predator and very dangerous", * so you would definetely expect a veteran keeper to know a lot better than that.

This is his profile page:http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=viperkeeper


----------



## Arietans (Nov 14, 2006)

While not as forward as Kriegan (no offence boss  ), I have the same sentiments. Those are bad examples of how to keep venomous reptiles. He may have a lot of experience, but people watching don't.


----------



## Kriegan (Nov 14, 2006)

Arietans said:


> While not as forward as Kriegan (no offence boss  ), I have the same sentiments. Those are bad examples of how to keep venomous reptiles. He may have a lot of experience, but people watching don't.


 None taken mate! I must admit i'm an obsessive perfectionist:wall:


----------



## Arietans (Nov 14, 2006)

> None taken mate! I must admit i'm an obsessive perfectionist


You say it like its a bad thing LOL


----------



## Kriegan (Nov 14, 2006)

Arietans said:


> You say it like its a bad thing LOL


When you're as demanding as i am, it can be very frustrating and dissapointing sometimes.


----------



## Crotalus (Nov 14, 2006)

Kriegan said:


> If he really gets serious and responsible about this, and is willing to show matureness and not a wreckless attitude, then i will support him into getting one.


Have he owned any snakes before I wonder? If not he should get a cornsnake and stop be encouraged to get hots.


----------



## Gigas (Nov 14, 2006)

Arietans said:


> The second vid (I think) is a perfect example of how NOT to get a puffy out of a cage. He has two hooksticks, almost criss-crossed trying to manipulate an animal that is on the move. There are much easier and better ways of removing the animal.


I've found time to look at the vids and I have never handled a bitis sp. have no experience with true venomous snakes but i have to say he did look to be a bit brutal with the puff adder, maybe others with hots will tell me its as hard as it looks but this guy didn't care from what height he dropped the adder from and didn't seem to try adapt an easier way of putting the snake in the plastic box other than throwing it in and trying to slam the lid on as hard as possible (with bare hands).

And in the vid where he feeds the gaboon is it not a bit silly making the snake strike out through the front of the enclosure?


----------



## tattoo_rebel (Nov 14, 2006)

Crotalus said:


> Have he owned any snakes before I wonder? If not he should get a cornsnake and stop be encouraged to get hots.


well crotalus you need to stop wandering cuz i currently have atm a small boa and 2 female lavender kingsnakes in my house and a big ball python that i keep in my shop and i've kept lots of corns throughout the years, so i do have experience in corns


----------



## tattoo_rebel (Nov 14, 2006)

Kriegan said:


> 'd be 100%sure he knows what he's getting himself into, and can prepare himself for when the unexpected comes...just like when he was taking care of my sling and he just decided to ignore any instructions on how to care for it, and ended up very irresponsibly doing whatever he wanted, and ended up chasing it and ripping its leg off.


  And I'm still very sorry and feel bad i left ya down like that bro, yeah i'll admit i was irresponsible and i was careless and didn't listen to ya but after all what happened i realized you're friendship really meant a lot to me and i wanted to redeem myself i'm not that same ignorant bro, i really learned from this one and at least i'm very grateful you decided to give me another chance lol of all the gang you and chris were the only homies that woke up 
and helped me move all tha heavy stuff at 3am and we all were crazy drunk hahaha good memories!! 

I was talking with kriegster this last night, and nahh that's too much responsability right there i'm not prepared or ready to own any hots and  frankly i don't have the money to invest in it or pay for that license and you need to have how much worth of insurance lol that's just ridiculous who can own it in this state lol i have to pay a lot in child support that you don't bro but yeah i definetely think i'm gonna listen to my homie and go ahead and buy some hooks and tongs and start practicing with my corns just like they were hots to feel comfortable and master them lol i did do my research to impress you krig hahah i found this website full of good info and they have a venomous forum just for that check it out you'll like it, there's this guy called BWsmith located georgia thas as perfectionist and disciplined as you lol very smart i was impressed redtailboas.com


----------



## Crotalus (Nov 14, 2006)

tattoo_rebel said:


> well crotalus you need to stop wandering cuz i currently have atm a small boa and 2 female lavender kingsnakes in my house and a big ball python that i keep in my shop and i've kept lots of corns throughout the years, so i do have experience in corns


Wandering no. Wondering yes.


----------



## Midnightrdr456 (Nov 14, 2006)

tattoo_rebel said:


> well crotalus you need to stop wandering cuz i currently have atm a small boa and 2 female lavender kingsnakes in my house and a big ball python that i keep in my shop and i've kept lots of corns throughout the years, so i do have experience in corns


no offense meant by this, but Boas, Kings and Corns in no way really prepare you for venomous.  Boas are notoriously tame for the most part, and Corns/king are basically the best beginner snake.  Try keeping a more aggessive non venomous, there are some impressive ones out there, maybe a tree python for example, or tree boa.


----------



## Kriegan (Nov 14, 2006)

tattoo_rebel said:


> And I'm still very sorry and feel bad i left ya down like that bro, yeah i'll admit i was irresponsible and i was careless and didn't listen to ya but after all what happened i realized you're friendship really meant a lot to me and i wanted to redeem myself i'm not that same ignorant bro, i really learned from this one and at least i'm very grateful you decided to give me another chance lol of all the gang you and chris were the only homies that woke up
> and helped me move all tha heavy stuff at 3am and we all were crazy drunk hahaha good memories!!
> 
> I was talking with kriegster this last night, and nahh that's too much responsability right there i'm not prepared or ready to own any hots and  frankly i don't have the money to invest in it or pay for that license and you need to have how much worth of insurance lol that's just ridiculous who can own it in this state lol i have to pay a lot in child support that you don't bro but yeah i definetely think i'm gonna listen to my homie and go ahead and buy some hooks and tongs and start practicing with my corns just like they were hots to feel comfortable and master them lol i did do my research to impress you krig hahah i found this website full of good info and they have a venomous forum just for that check it out you'll like it, there's this guy called BWsmith located georgia thas as perfectionist and disciplined as you lol very smart i was impressed redtailboas.com



 Alright i have to say... it took me a while to descipher your paragraph, but i finally managed to! LOL!! Honestly mate, to put some comas and proofread your statements before you send them, doesn't hurt that much..does it?

It does take a lot of courage for someone to be truthful to himself, and admit what he's capable of, and what he's willing to do to accomplish this. I do think it's very mature and responsible of you that you can accept the fact that you're not ready to assume this serious responsability right now, and that does impress me, if you still feel it doesn't I don't want you to feel that I'm putting you down or belittling you, because i do believe with your own efforts, you can learn and develop skills later on that would make you feel more confident about yourself and what you can do. You're not dumb or retarded as you say, you just need to have better discipline, take life seriously, and organize yourself first. Don't rush anything or be so impulsive in wanting things to happen, just wait until you gain enough experience, the will, and the money to want to invest in this. 

And it's not redtailboas.com, did you mean redtailboas.net!:? 
Grrr:evil: I spent some time trying to figure that one out... But i'm glad i did, very informative, lots of venomous enthusiasts in one same forum sharing different thoughts and ideas, good stuff:clap: I also found this very informative sticky called Kindergarten through 12th grade hot keeping, and while i do have some minor disagreements, overall i think it resumes very diligently what venomous snake keeping is all about. Everyone considering keeping hots should spare the time to read the basics they would need to learn:

http://redtailboa.net/forums/t10981-k-through-12-hot-keeping.html

Also, I found a good example of how organized and clean your hot space should look like, it's not perfect and spotless, but i like the details he considers worth thinking about, 2 thumbs up for this guy, very well prepared!!:clap: 

http://redtailboa.net/forums/t11712-the-hot-room.html

Best regards,
Ulrich


----------



## Kriegan (Nov 14, 2006)

Gigus said:


> I've found time to look at the vids and I have never handled a bitis sp. have no experience with true venomous snakes but i have to say he did look to be a bit brutal with the puff adder, maybe others with hots will tell me its as hard as it looks but this guy didn't care from what height he dropped the adder from and didn't seem to try adapt an easier way of putting the snake in the plastic box other than throwing it in and trying to slam the lid on as hard as possible (with bare hands).


Since the puff was not long, he should've used a far deeper trash can to avoid this, it would've been much easier just to make him descend to a deeper bin. And i wouldn't have used those type of hooks to grab it, as soon as he repeatedly failed to put the puff in the shallow bin and things started to go wrong, i would've used the tongs to restrain it and not keep pushing my luck. Check out his face when he finishes that ordeal, i bet he's not doing that again...or at least i hope he figured out the easier and safer way by now.


----------



## tattoo_rebel (Nov 15, 2006)

Kriegan said:


> And it's not redtailboas.com, did you mean redtailboas.net!:?
> Grrr:evil: I spent some time trying to figure that one out...


OOPZ!!!!!My bad bro heheh i should've re-checked my post;P but you did found it see yar intelligent homie you don't need me to spell it right


----------



## tattoo_rebel (Nov 15, 2006)

Kriegan said:


> I don't want you to feel that I'm putting you down or belittling you, because i do believe with your own efforts, you can learn and develop skills later on that would make you feel more confident about yourself and what you can do. You're not dumb or retarded as you say, you just need to have better discipline, take life seriously, and organize yourself first.


And it's not redtailboas.com, did you mean redtailboas.net!:? 
Grrr:evil: I spent some time trying to figure that one out...[/QUOTE]

OOPZ!!!!!My bad bro heheh i should've re-checked my post;P but you did found it see yar intelligent homie you don't need me to spell it right lol that's a tight website, i'm glad ya liked it, see that guy bwsmith lives in georgia and he has tha permit to keep them, so they'll probably make you wait and then give ya the permit as soon as you move to inspect the location, the room and all that stuff. You guys should look for an apt with three bedrooms so ya have more space for the hots;P lol You already talked to her about the idea of getting maybe a house with tha basement or garage? I think you should get both the gaboon and the naja first, or just the gaboon until you start over and get some more. heheh Now i'll be there every week wanting to check them out lol. Yeah i understand we're not gonna be so close and i don't expect ya trusting me so soon after i let ya down with tha sling man, like i said befpre, that coming from you means a lot to me and yeah i feel you do see me as an incompetent and a mediocre clown after what i did, but i'm trying hard to improve myself and now i see life very different and i'm more serious and i look up to ya a lot homie , you have skills and intelligence that i wish i'd had i don't know i always see ya doing something productive and confident and i feel like an ink airhead lol but i even care to clean my house before ya come over cause i know you'll just start cleaning up my mess and start lecturing about how no one can live in this dump lol but yeah i'm changing my lifestyle and i changed my mind about wanting to get into hotz right now, so yeah i'll just work my way up bro


----------



## Midnightrdr456 (Nov 15, 2006)

There is a redtailboas.com website also.  Though most of the people there are just boas, balls and some large pythons, barely anything about venomous really.

Also....a little puncuation never hurt anyone.  It takes alot to sit down and read your paragraphs.


----------



## Kriegan (Nov 15, 2006)

tattoo_rebel said:


> ...and i look up to ya a lot homie , you have skills and intelligence that i wish i'd had i don't know i always see ya doing something productive and confident and i feel like an ink airhead lol but i even care to clean my house before ya come over cause i know you'll just start cleaning up my mess and start lecturing about how no one can live in this dump lol...


You flatter me too much mate I'm starting to get scared you'll want to get married or something like that with all the nice things you say to me.  

I did found another interesting one for you last night called So you want a Hot? It discusses different reasons for wanting/not wanting to keep venomous, and it has some pics of a Western Diamondback bite. Notice one of the posts adresses wanting to own hots for the wrong reasons and because it's "kool":evil: 

http://www.redtailboas.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13333

You were also asking to see some venomous bites the other day, and i did found this too...WARNING THESE BITES ARE VERY EXPLICIT!!  I dunno if the one in the first link its fake or not, it does look terribly real and it definetely gives you a quick reality check, and makes you want to be even more cautious and alert when you're working with them. 

http://www.rattlesnakebite.org/rattlesnakepics.htm

http://www.venomousreptiles.org/libraries/Snakebite Photos/1 scroll the pages to see all the bite pics 

Best regards,
Ulrich


----------



## Crotalus (Nov 15, 2006)

This might be of interest :
http://vipersgarden.at/biss.html


----------



## Kriegan (Nov 15, 2006)

Crotalus said:


> This might be of interest :
> http://vipersgarden.at/biss.html


  LOL!! Vielen dank Lelle after seeing that right before dinner:wall: mir ist schlecht!! LOL! But very interesting indeed!


----------



## CID143ti (Nov 25, 2006)

Oh my lord!  I just saw this series of videos and wow!  Beautiful snakes...but wow, I can't believe the risks that were taken.  Why do things the risky way?


----------



## Jevans11428 (Nov 26, 2006)

ya the gabbys have a very qiuke strike but i would sat they would be one of the best hots to start with since they dont move very much, ive worked with cobras of all sorts and they ae really garter snaks with and attitude. what you really need to worry about is the fer de lance and the neotropicals so unless your messin around with those u really dont have to much to worry about


----------



## dtknow (Nov 26, 2006)

If that is the case(haven't bothered watching the vids), it is interesting that this guy is being presented to the internet public as a responsible hot keeper. A real guy needs to get on there and show them how it is really supposed to be done.


----------



## ErikH (Nov 26, 2006)

Those videos prove it is way too easy for idiots to obtain hots.  How he hasn't been bitten by now is just dumb luck.  Something else to think about before keeping hots:  Where is the nearest dose of antivenin for the species you are keeping?  No one plans on getting tagged, but  accidents happen even to the most careful.  After getting bitten, it would not be good to find out that the antivenin needs to be flown out from Florida and it will be 4 hours before the hospital can get it.


----------



## Gigas (Nov 26, 2006)

He's been bitten 2wice so far, once last year lol.

But he does have Atheris though :drool:


----------



## Selenops (Dec 15, 2006)

If I lived in a state where it was legal to own venomous reptiles... my dreamsnake... is the Crotalus cerastes... the Sidewinder. 

I've known people who have collected hots and these little beauties have always caught my eyes. I was in near tears when a friend had shown me his and had to practically damn near pry me away physically from the terrarium.

He even playfully demonstrated defensive posturing by tapping in a light raps on the glass high above the coiled rattler and to hear that minute insect-like "buzz" of the rattle and that triangular head motioning back and forth investigating, then curiously exploring that corner of the terrarium was like a glowing religious experience.

He had three specimens ranging between 2 1/2' to 1' in length.

There was other venomous snakes there such as Pacific Rattlers, Western Diamondbacks, etc.

But C. cerastes are a small and more managable species in my estimates. I am in love with these little guys.


----------



## SouthernStyle (Jan 7, 2007)

tattoo_rebel said:


> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vciqMuDcs4



DEFINATELY SOMETHING I wouldnt want to play with~ Look @ how Fast that Damn thing Strikes!  The Video Thread above is SERIOUSLY kick ass though!


----------



## Hedorah99 (Jan 7, 2007)

You know at a "Hot's included" reptile show, i was told a Gaboon Viper would make a great first hot. Other than the massive hemolytic venom load and the 1 1/2" to 2" fangs, not to mention the ability to strike something directly behind them and the blinding speed they can exhibit when it counts, I cannot think of a reason not to buy one. ;P 

But here are several

http://www.snakemaster.com/gaboon/
http://www.cobras.org/gaboon_bite.htm
http://www.tigerhomes.org/animal/poisonous-snake-bites.cfm

I love Gaboon vipers and think they are one fo the most beautiful snakes in the world, but they defnitly need to be respected.


----------



## Hedorah99 (Jan 7, 2007)

ErikH said:


> Those videos prove it is way too easy for idiots to obtain hots.  How he hasn't been bitten by now is just dumb luck.  Something else to think about before keeping hots:  Where is the nearest dose of antivenin for the species you are keeping?  No one plans on getting tagged, but  accidents happen even to the most careful.  After getting bitten, it would not be good to find out that the antivenin needs to be flown out from Florida and it will be 4 hours before the hospital can get it.


A guy in West Haven was bitten by his pet cobra a few years ago. The genius was trying to manually de-louse it. It tagged him on the thumb. The paramedics called the zoo I worked at asking for anti-venom treatments. They were shocked to hear we have none, because we don't have any venemous snakes. He had to be driven to the Bronx, New York where the closest treatments could be found. From what I understand he made it through Ok but lost a chunk of his thumb due to necrosis. If the Bronx had none, his next options would have been Boston or Philidelphia I believe.


----------



## Selenops (Jan 7, 2007)

Caring for "hot" scorpions is one thing, I have large tweezers, a pair of hemostats, multitude sized cups, and various objects or devices of animal control. The motor skills of these fascinating creatures can be swift as the wind or sluggish as a slug but they can never scale smooth perpendicular surfaces without some kind of assistance.

Out here in California (now I hope this information doesn't stir up immature or amateur morons), it is perfectly legal to possess a "hot" snake native to the state and one is only allowed to collect two specimens per a native state species. Yet, "hot" snakes can not be exported or imported (native or otherwise). 

(Anybody correct if I have any bit of misinformation in that statement and I have been in contact with the DFW about these issues though that doesn't mean I haven't overlooked a detail somebody else can smack me upside the head with.)

So, someday I'll have Crotalus cerastes when I've grown accustomed to the proper management and care of one (or two).

And there are probably those that are in a state of denial no doubt and wished I hadn't brought the subject forward.


----------



## Arietans (Jan 9, 2007)

> You know at a "Hot's included" reptile show, i was told a Gaboon Viper would make a great first hot. Other than the massive hemolytic venom load and the 1 1/2" to 2" fangs, not to mention the ability to strike something directly behind them and the blinding speed they can exhibit when it counts, I cannot think of a reason not to buy one.


Both Gaboons and Puff Adders make incredibly good first hot snakes. They are hardy, handle easily and eat like pigs. 

People getting tagged by Puffs and Gaboons most certainly did something stupid, like trying to pin a large Gaboon. Handling these snakes is best with the double hook method. Restraining is done with a tube.

The only problem you have with it is AV. Here it is readily available. In any event, you shouldn't be getting close enough to get bit in the first place.


----------

