Gaboon vipers

Hi

I want to get a pair of baby Gaboons ive only kept royals and carpet pythons though

Is it ok to just learn as i go with hook work? and are they ok for my first venomous snakes? Im 20 by the way.

any advice is appreciated:)

I think Gaboons aren't for first time hot owners granted I don't know anything bout hots just what I gather. You want to learn from someone who has kept lots of hots how to use the hooks an all that never learn as you go when a bite can do major harm

Wow is all I can say.
If you're looking into getting hots, try to find someone who can show you and allow you to work with theirs.

Gaboons are nothing like bps or carpet pythons..

One bite and you're dead..

Get some experience working with some highly aggressive non venemous snakes, find a mentor and study up. Then look into getting your own. Gabs may look fat and slow, but when they have the will they can mobe FAST and have a lightning quick strike response and potent venom


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No! Do not just get a pair a gaboons for your first hot. They get rather large and pack a nice punch. Like previously started learn from someone and then look into getting one on your own after a couple years working with hots. And if you were to just get a hot without any kind of training or knowledge at least get a copperhead, you are much more likely to survive a potential bite.

I just read a lot of the time about how people have taught themselves etc i mean surely a lot of it is common sense?

and im sure people have started with gaboons first off

why are they so bad to start with?

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Originally Posted by Bobby92

why are they so bad to start with?

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Because you dont have proper experience and training. They might be fine to start with AFTER you have practiced working with other snakes that bite, and learning and watching someone experienced deal with and handle other HOTs.


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3 inch fangs to start, with a rather potent venom. And like stated before, they can be extremely fast. You can learn on your own but it is not recommended and everyone here is just looking out for your best interest.

Want to get a hot?

Go find the angriest, nippiest gtp and keep it for a year.

Every time you get bit, write a note saying

I could've died
This could've been a hundred thousand dollar hospital bill
Etc.

Considering you only have limited experience in snakes, I wouldn't even contemplate getting a hot.

No Gabs are not perfect for a first hot take this from someone who has 1

Go have a look at my profile picture mate. That Gab is still a baby not very long and those fangs are just bigger than my 4ft Western diamondbacks fangs. They can move alot quicker than the two snakes that you dealt with and pack a much meaner punch to.

I had a gaboon as my first snake..

Do you own a house?

Until you do, don't keep venomous snakes.

The best advice I can give anyone who wants to keep hots is to get a hold of a large, fast, aggressive non-venomous snake and handle it regularly. Every time you get tagged, that could have been a funeral or at the very least tens of thousands of dollars spent on hospital bills.

But yes get experience with venomous under some experienced keeper if you can.

I don't believe there is any use in keeping any aggressive non venomous first. Only thing that will teach you is working with hots!

still wouldnt recomend a gab as a first though just my opinion. Def would recomend getting experience though with someone who has kept hots.

Ps. I agree only thing thats gonna get you used to hots are hots they are totally in a league of there own

I am opposed with getting a non venomous snake to "train" with, it can make you desensitized. And that will lead to a bite.

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Originally Posted by ChrisS

I am opposed with getting a non venomous snake to "train" with, it can make you desensitized. And that will lead to a bite.

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Same here!

You know the non venomous snake can't kill you, so you can pick up bad habits that will lead to you getting bitten with a hot.

When I was being mentored, I went straight into handling a 4ft crotalus molossus. No messing around with learning hook work on a GTP etc.

I had a gaboon as my first hot. I would suggest finding someone with hots in your area and see if they can help teach you the basics first. Also, never handle these snakes or let your guard down. The gaboons will follow you with their eyes and hit you before you can blink.

They are amazing snakes that should be respected and given space.

I believe there is some insurances that you can pay for that will cover exotic venomous snake bites. Make sure these snakes are locked up and no one can get to them. You are liable for anything these snakes do.


I've kept
Rhinos
Gaboons
Death adders
Various rattlers
White lip tree vipers

Get cbb baby gaboons. There are a few people that breed them and they are much calmer than wc.

You can get anything you want regardless what we all tell you but don't be the person who ruins it for all those who keep these snakes.





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I have worked with 3 of the 5 large bitis. I absolutly love them. They are without question my favorite family of snakes followed closely by Atheris. I completely agree with the people here that have stated both that Bitis are not for beginners and that aggressive non venomous snakes are all but useless for training you to keep hots. I have been keeping reptiles for 20 years, and hots for almost 15. I have worked with many species of crotalus, aboreal vipers, many vipers both new and old world, and some elapids. And I can say that without question that gaboons, out of all the many 100's if not 1000's of animals I have worked with are probably the most challenging of all the specimens I have kept. They are without a doubt the most difficult to read in terms of what they are about to do. And adults are so heavy that they are very difficult to lift with even 2 hooks. And tailing a Bitis of any size is IMO an action that is very much taking your life in your hands. Find someone that can show you the ropes if you can. If you can't than I would advise you to at least start with a hot that will not more than likely result in a probably fatal bite if you do make a mistake. Gabs are awsome! But defiantly not be novice keepers. Be safe.

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Originally Posted by jason_ladouceur

I have worked with 3 of the 5 large bitis. I absolutly love them. They are without question my favorite family of snakes followed closely by Atheris. I completely agree with the people here that have stated both that Bitis are not for beginners and that aggressive non venomous snakes are all but useless for training you to keep hots. I have been keeping reptiles for 20 years, and hots for almost 15. I have worked with many species of crotalus, aboreal vipers, many vipers both new and old world, and some elapids. And I can say that without question that gaboons, out of all the many 100's if not 1000's of animals I have worked with are probably the most challenging of all the specimens I have kept. They are without a doubt the most difficult to read in terms of what they are about to do. And adults are so heavy that they are very difficult to lift with even 2 hooks. And tailing a Bitis of any size is IMO an action that is very much taking your life in your hands. Find someone that can show you the ropes if you can. If you can't than I would advise you to at least start with a hot that will not more than likely result in a probably fatal bite if you do make a mistake. Gabs are awsome! But defiantly not be novice keepers. Be safe.

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I agree with everything you've said, but I don't agree with them not being good for a first time hot keeper.

Many people keep atrox as a first hot, and although they aren't built as heavily, they generally are far more nutty and tricker to hook.

What makes a gaboon bad for a first hot? If you cannot bring yourself to not underestimate these snakes, do you deserve to keep any hots at all? You should always over estimate regardless of whether the snake shows defensive signals or not.

My two gabs were my first snakes, forget about venomous snakes. I didn't keep non venomous at all. But I had experience dealing with large gabs, puff adders etc.

A friend of mine has the perfect hook for large Bitis. It is almost shovel like, the hook is about 7 inches wide, and is perfect to take big Gaboons out on and they sit perfectly on it.

Many people do tail Gaboons, however I'm with you. I personally would not do it at all, they are far too 'athletic' when it comes to striking.

I will try to get a picture of the hook my friend has, it's really useful.

Have you come across any of the 'dwarf' gabs? A few of my friends have adult Gaboons that are 6-7 years old and are only 3 foot.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Crotalids

I agree with everything you've said, but I don't agree with them not being good for a first time hot keeper.

Many people keep atrox as a first hot, and although they aren't built as heavily, they generally are far more nutty and tricker to hook.

What makes a gaboon bad for a first hot? If you cannot bring yourself to not underestimate these snakes, do you deserve to keep any hots at all? You should always over estimate regardless of whether the snake shows defensive signals or not.

My two gabs were my first snakes, forget about venomous snakes. I didn't keep non venomous at all. But I had experience dealing with large gabs, puff adders etc.

A friend of mine has the perfect hook for large Bitis. It is almost shovel like, the hook is about 7 inches wide, and is perfect to take big Gaboons out on and they sit perfectly on it.

Many people do tail Gaboons, however I'm with you. I personally would not do it at all, they are far too 'athletic' when it comes to striking.

I will try to get a picture of the hook my friend has, it's really useful.

Have you come across any of the 'dwarf' gabs? A few of my friends have adult Gaboons that are 6-7 years old and are only 3 foot.

---

First up I assume that you are talking about crotalus atorx because I certainly hope that novice keepers are not trying to tackle bothrops as a first hot. And although I would agree that as a whole crotalus do not sit well on hooks, although I do currently have some vegrandis that sit very well. :cens0r:A mistake resulting in a bite from a C. Atorx would most likely be far less devestating than from a B. GABONICA or B. rhinoceros in addition most crotalus and certainly atrox make there intentions very well known to any one and are very easy IMO to read even for the most green of keepers so they are far less likely to take you by surprise. :cens0r: The hook you describe does sound like it would be at the very least much easier on the animal but my major problem with hooking large Bitis is just the shear weight of the animal. 30lbs at the end of a 4' hook is a lot of weight even if they are behaving them selves. As far as "dwarf" gabs go. B. GABONICA is by far the smaller of the 2 species and males may very well never exceed 3'. But I did have one female grow to just over 4' even though she was always feed on a very light diet. Once mature she was only feed very small rabbits every 3 or 4 months.:cens0r:

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Crotalids

I agree with everything you've said, but I don't agree with them not being good for a first time hot keeper.

Many people keep atrox as a first hot, and although they aren't built as heavily, they generally are far more nutty and tricker to hook.

What makes a gaboon bad for a first hot? If you cannot bring yourself to not underestimate these snakes, do you deserve to keep any hots at all? You should always over estimate regardless of whether the snake shows defensive signals or not.

My two gabs were my first snakes, forget about venomous snakes. I didn't keep non venomous at all. But I had experience dealing with large gabs, puff adders etc.

A friend of mine has the perfect hook for large Bitis. It is almost shovel like, the hook is about 7 inches wide, and is perfect to take big Gaboons out on and they sit perfectly on it.

Many people do tail Gaboons, however I'm with you. I personally would not do it at all, they are far too 'athletic' when it comes to striking.

I will try to get a picture of the hook my friend has, it's really useful.

Have you come across any of the 'dwarf' gabs? A few of my friends have adult Gaboons that are 6-7 years old and are only 3 foot.

---

First up I assume that you are talking about crotalus atorx because I certainly hope that novice keepers are not trying to tackle bothrops as a first hot. And although I would agree that as a whole crotalus do not sit well on hooks, although I do currently have some vegrandis that sit very well. :cens0r:A mistake resulting in a bite from a C. Atorx would most likely be far less devestating than from a B. GABONICA or B. rhinoceros in addition most crotalus and certainly atrox make there intentions very well known to any one and are very easy IMO to read even for the most green of keepers so they are far less likely to take you by surprise. :cens0r: The hook you describe does sound like it would be at the very least much easier on the animal but my major problem with hooking large Bitis is just the shear weight of the animal. 30lbs at the end of a 4' hook is a lot of weight even if they are behaving them selves. As far as "dwarf" gabs go. B. GABONICA is by far the smaller of the 2 species and males may very well never exceed 3'. But I did have one female grow to just over 4' even though she was always feed on a very light diet. Once mature she was only feed very small rabbits every 3 or 4 months.:cens0r:

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Crotalids

I agree with everything you've said, but I don't agree with them not being good for a first time hot keeper.

Many people keep atrox as a first hot, and although they aren't built as heavily, they generally are far more nutty and tricker to hook.

What makes a gaboon bad for a first hot? If you cannot bring yourself to not underestimate these snakes, do you deserve to keep any hots at all? You should always over estimate regardless of whether the snake shows defensive signals or not.

My two gabs were my first snakes, forget about venomous snakes. I didn't keep non venomous at all. But I had experience dealing with large gabs, puff adders etc.

A friend of mine has the perfect hook for large Bitis. It is almost shovel like, the hook is about 7 inches wide, and is perfect to take big Gaboons out on and they sit perfectly on it.

Many people do tail Gaboons, however I'm with you. I personally would not do it at all, they are far too 'athletic' when it comes to striking.

I will try to get a picture of the hook my friend has, it's really useful.

Have you come across any of the 'dwarf' gabs? A few of my friends have adult Gaboons that are 6-7 years old and are only 3 foot.

---

First up I assume that you are talking about crotalus atorx because I certainly hope that novice keepers are not trying to tackle bothrops as a first hot. And although I would agree that as a whole crotalus do not sit well on hooks, although I do currently have some vegrandis that sit very well. :cens0r:A mistake resulting in a bite from a C. Atorx would most likely be far less devestating than from a B. GABONICA or B. rhinoceros in addition most crotalus and certainly atrox make there intentions very well known to any one and are very easy IMO to read even for the most green of keepers so they are far less likely to take you by surprise. :cens0r: The hook you describe does sound like it would be at the very least much easier on the animal but my major problem with hooking large Bitis is just the shear weight of the animal. 30lbs at the end of a 4' hook is a lot of weight even if they are behaving them selves. As far as "dwarf" gabs go. B. GABONICA is by far the smaller of the 2 species and males may very well never exceed 3'. But I did have one female grow to just over 4' even though she was always feed on a very light diet. Once mature she was only feed very small rabbits every 3 or 4 months.:cens0r:

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Crotalids

I agree with everything you've said, but I don't agree with them not being good for a first time hot keeper.

Many people keep atrox as a first hot, and although they aren't built as heavily, they generally are far more nutty and tricker to hook.

What makes a gaboon bad for a first hot? If you cannot bring yourself to not underestimate these snakes, do you deserve to keep any hots at all? You should always over estimate regardless of whether the snake shows defensive signals or not.

My two gabs were my first snakes, forget about venomous snakes. I didn't keep non venomous at all. But I had experience dealing with large gabs, puff adders etc.

A friend of mine has the perfect hook for large Bitis. It is almost shovel like, the hook is about 7 inches wide, and is perfect to take big Gaboons out on and they sit perfectly on it.

Many people do tail Gaboons, however I'm with you. I personally would not do it at all, they are far too 'athletic' when it comes to striking.

I will try to get a picture of the hook my friend has, it's really useful.

Have you come across any of the 'dwarf' gabs? A few of my friends have adult Gaboons that are 6-7 years old and are only 3 foot.

---

First up I assume that you are talking about crotalus atorx because I certainly hope that novice keepers are not trying to tackle bothrops as a first hot. And although I would agree that as a whole crotalus do not sit well on hooks, although I do currently have some vegrandis that sit very well. :cens0r:A mistake resulting in a bite from a C. Atorx would most likely be far less devestating than from a B. GABONICA or B. rhinoceros in addition most crotalus and certainly atrox make there intentions very well known to any one and are very easy IMO to read even for the most green of keepers so they are far less likely to take you by surprise. :cens0r: The hook you describe does sound like it would be at the very least much easier on the animal but my major problem with hooking large Bitis is just the shear weight of the animal. 30lbs at the end of a 4' hook is a lot of weight even if they are behaving them selves. As far as "dwarf" gabs go. B. GABONICA is by far the smaller of the 2 species and males may very well never exceed 3'. But I did have one female grow to just over 4' even though she was always feed on a very light diet. Once mature she was only feed very small rabbits every 3 or 4 months.:cens0r:

For those of you that keep venomous snakes. What happens if you get bit? Do local hospitals stock anti venom? Have you checked with them before you acquire the animal?

Seems like that would be a steep hospital bill.

Not trying to jinx anyone, always wondered what would happen.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jason_ladouceur

First up I assume that you are talking about crotalus atorx because I certainly hope that novice keepers are not trying to tackle bothrops as a first hot. And although I would agree that as a whole crotalus do not sit well on hooks, although I do currently have some vegrandis that sit very well. :cens0r:A mistake resulting in a bite from a C. Atorx would most likely be far less devestating than from a B. GABONICA or B. rhinoceros in addition most crotalus and certainly atrox make there intentions very well known to any one and are very easy IMO to read even for the most green of keepers so they are far less likely to take you by surprise. :cens0r: The hook you describe does sound like it would be at the very least much easier on the animal but my major problem with hooking large Bitis is just the shear weight of the animal. 30lbs at the end of a 4' hook is a lot of weight even if they are behaving them selves. As far as "dwarf" gabs go. B. GABONICA is by far the smaller of the 2 species and males may very well never exceed 3'. But I did have one female grow to just over 4' even though she was always feed on a very light diet. Once mature she was only feed very small rabbits every 3 or 4 months.:cens0r:

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First up I assume that you are talking about crotalus atorx because I certainly hope that novice keepers are not trying to tackle bothrops as a first hot. And although I would agree that as a whole crotalus do not sit well on hooks, although I do currently have some vegrandis that sit very well. :cens0r:A mistake resulting in a bite from a C. Atorx would most likely be far less devestating than from a B. GABONICA or B. rhinoceros in addition most crotalus and certainly atrox make there intentions very well known to any one and are very easy IMO to read even for the most green of keepers so they are far less likely to take you by surprise. :cens0r: The hook you describe does sound like it would be at the very least much easier on the animal but my major problem with hooking large Bitis is just the shear weight of the animal. 30lbs at the end of a 4' hook is a lot of weight even if they are behaving them selves. As far as "dwarf" gabs go. B. GABONICA is by far the smaller of the 2 species and males may very well never exceed 3'. But I did have one female grow to just over 4' even though she was always feed on a very light diet. Once mature she was only feed very small rabbits every 3 or 4 months.:cens0r:

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First up I assume that you are talking about crotalus atorx because I certainly hope that novice keepers are not trying to tackle bothrops as a first hot. And although I would agree that as a whole crotalus do not sit well on hooks, although I do currently have some vegrandis that sit very well. :cens0r:A mistake resulting in a bite from a C. Atorx would most likely be far less devestating than from a B. GABONICA or B. rhinoceros in addition most crotalus and certainly atrox make there intentions very well known to any one and are very easy IMO to read even for the most green of keepers so they are far less likely to take you by surprise. :cens0r: The hook you describe does sound like it would be at the very least much easier on the animal but my major problem with hooking large Bitis is just the shear weight of the animal. 30lbs at the end of a 4' hook is a lot of weight even if they are behaving them selves. As far as "dwarf" gabs go. B. GABONICA is by far the smaller of the 2 species and males may very well never exceed 3'. But I did have one female grow to just over 4' even though she was always feed on a very light diet. Once mature she was only feed very small rabbits every 3 or 4 months.:cens0r:

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First up I assume that you are talking about crotalus atorx because I certainly hope that novice keepers are not trying to tackle bothrops as a first hot. And although I would agree that as a whole crotalus do not sit well on hooks, although I do currently have some vegrandis that sit very well. :cens0r:A mistake resulting in a bite from a C. Atorx would most likely be far less devestating than from a B. GABONICA or B. rhinoceros in addition most crotalus and certainly atrox make there intentions very well known to any one and are very easy IMO to read even for the most green of keepers so they are far less likely to take you by surprise. :cens0r: The hook you describe does sound like it would be at the very least much easier on the animal but my major problem with hooking large Bitis is just the shear weight of the animal. 30lbs at the end of a 4' hook is a lot of weight even if they are behaving them selves. As far as "dwarf" gabs go. B. GABONICA is by far the smaller of the 2 species and males may very well never exceed 3'. But I did have one female grow to just over 4' even though she was always feed on a very light diet. Once mature she was only feed very small rabbits every 3 or 4 months.:cens0r:

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Of course, rattlers on the whole make it clear where you stand.

But any venomous keeper, or prospective venomous keeper should not underestimate any snake whether or not they make their intentions clear or not.

I treat my Gaboons with exactly the same respect I would treat a Pygmy rattler or albolabris. Every time I have interaction with them I treat them as if they were going to explode and come at me. Every venomous keeper must have this mentality, beginner or experienced.

The weight granted can be an issue, but it is manageable with the hook I suggested.

I hooked an adult Bitis gabonica with this hook on the first day I started to handle venomous snakes, and it was a 'walk in the park'.

With regards to size, two of my friends have Bitis rhinoceros females that have maxed out at 3 ft and a guy in Europe has one that is maxed out at 2 foot.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 3skulls

For those of you that keep venomous snakes. What happens if you get bit? Do local hospitals stock anti venom? Have you checked with them before you acquire the animal?

Seems like that would be a steep hospital bill.

Not trying to jinx anyone, always wondered what would happen.

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In the UK we have one of the best antivenom producing facilities in the world.

We aren't allowed to stock our own anti venom. The bill is footed by the tax payer as our healthcare is free.

We have nearly all anti venoms available to us if a bite was to occur. And would be flown or driven to the hospital where you are admitted.

I live a couple of hours away from The Reptile Zoo in Kentucky. I know he does a ton of milking there. I wonder how many lives he has saved with his work?
We can't have venomous in the city limits.

Just wondered how that worked.

My hats off to the ones who work with them. Some amazing animals for sure.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Crotalids

Of course, rattlers on the whole make it clear where you stand.

But any venomous keeper, or prospective venomous keeper should not underestimate any snake whether or not they make their intentions clear or not.

I treat my Gaboons with exactly the same respect I would treat a Pygmy rattler or albolabris. Every time I have interaction with them I treat them as if they were going to explode and come at me. Every venomous keeper must have this mentality, beginner or experienced.

The weight granted can be an issue, but it is manageable with the hook I suggested.

I hooked an adult Bitis gabonica with this hook on the first day I started to handle venomous snakes, and it was a 'walk in the park'.

With regards to size, two of my friends have Bitis rhinoceros females that have maxed out at 3 ft and a guy in Europe has one that is maxed out at 2 foot.

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Wow. Sorry about the multiple posts. I really don't know what happened there lol. 3' adult westerns is something I have never seen or even heard of until now. Very interesting. The large size of westerns is a big part of why I have always chosen to work with eastern's. I %100 agree with you, if you put yourself in the strike range of any hot you should assume that they are going to bite regardless of what species your dealing with. This is IMO the only responsible way to deal with hots for any keeper regardless of their experience level.

Id still recomend for the begginer something smaller and more manegable than a Gab for a first hot. Mine was a Copperhead nice and small and easy to work with it broke me into hots just nicely. Everyone to there own though this is just how i see it whatever you do start off with stay safe.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jason_ladouceur

Wow. Sorry about the multiple posts. I really don't know what happened there lol. 3' adult westerns is something I have never seen or even heard of until now. Very interesting. The large size of westerns is a big part of why I have always chosen to work with eastern's. I %100 agree with you, if you put yourself in the strike range of any hot you should assume that they are going to bite regardless of what species your dealing with. This is IMO the only responsible way to deal with hots for any keeper regardless of their experience level.

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Here you go Randy has one that's only 2ft and it was born in 1999. Peter Pastor also has a 6 year old pair that are only 80cm.

This thread is lacking pics.

http://www.venomland.net/t183-my-fem...s-g-rhinoceros

Realised I didn't put the link lol.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 3skulls

This thread is lacking pics.

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My female is in shed at the moment, once she's shed il get some pics of her and the male.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Crotalids

http://www.venomland.net/t183-my-fem...s-g-rhinoceros

Realised I didn't put the link lol.

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Those are very nice westerns. Love all the pink. It's funny, some of both the nicest and ugliest gab's I've seen are westerns. I would say that on average eastern's are the nicer of the 2 but without a doubt the nicest gab I've ever seen was a western. The background colour on that animal was almost completely white.

Gabs have always been my favorite snake species since I saw one at the zoo as a kid.

Don't know that I'll ever keep them, but I love the discussion, this is some fascinating stuff!

And you can never have too many pics :gj:

I dug up a couple of old pics of a B. GABONICA I used to own.
First is her as a juvinile. She was w.c so I'm not sure her exact age here but if I had to guess I'd say she was over a year at least. Sorry the picture is a bit blurry.
http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...age_175402.jpg

And then a picture of her after I'd had her almost 10 years. Defiantly not a baby anymore. She was close to 4' in this picture.
http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...onto-viper.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jason_ladouceur

I dug up a couple of old pics of a B. GABONICA I used to own.
First is her as a juvinile. She was w.c so I'm not sure her exact age here but if I had to guess I'd say she was over a year at least. Sorry the picture is a bit blurry.
http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...age_175402.jpg

And then a picture of her after I'd had her almost 10 years. Defiantly not a baby anymore. She was close to 4' in this picture.
http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...onto-viper.jpg

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Nice! Do you still keep gabs?

I have to admit i prefer rhinoceros. But I like all Gaboons anyway, it's the little horns that make them more attractive to me lol.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Crotalids

Nice! Do you still keep gabs?

I have to admit i prefer rhinoceros. But I like all Gaboons anyway, it's the little horns that make them more attractive to me lol.

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Sadly I do not have any in my collection at the moment. Right now the only Bitis I keep is a lone male puff. But I will definatly be adding more gabs to the collection as soon as I find some. I would love a pair of eastern's but they are really hard to find here unfortunately. :(

If you want a hot snake first get a fast aggressive snake, Gonyosomas are known for being good practice snakes, so are olive pythons. If you can go at least a year without getting bitten by the snake you can start thinking about getting a hot one. Talk to a lot of handlers, they offer classes on how to handle hots, and see if you can find someone willing to let you practice with there snakes.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Faolan

If you want a hot snake first get a fast aggressive snake, Gonyosomas are known for being good practice snakes, so are olive pythons. If you can go at least a year without getting bitten by the snake you can start thinking about getting a hot one. Talk to a lot of handlers, they offer classes on how to handle hots, and see if you can find someone willing to let you practice with there snakes.

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There is no point in any aggressive non venomous snake.

What's the point? Nothing will get you into the correct mentality as working with a venomous snake.

Nothing wrong with learning with venomous snakes.

The first snake I ever handled was a 4ft Crotalus molossus. To be honest venomous keeping is 90% in the mind and 10% skill.

You don't need any skill to hook a lot of venomous snakes, they're a piece of cake. What matters most, is your mentality!

those things do back flip strikes! i saw it on youtube

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Originally Posted by cory9oh4

those things do back flip strikes! i saw it on youtube

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Yep. And it's even more impressive in person. :)

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Originally Posted by jason_ladouceur

Yep. And it's even more impressive in person. :)

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It's even more impressive when they completely loose their cool, forget about their striking capabilities. When a Gab is pissed off it's incredible just how fast they can actually move (as I'm sure you know), it really annoys me when people say Gaboons are slow. Lazy is a better word.

Not to mention, when they flip out, they're can be difficult to deal with because of their strength. I've had the pleasure of seeing my female flip out about 5 times over the past year and half - she's a cranky one that's for sure, considering I've only had interaction with her maybe 20 times or so! A Gaboon keeper isn't a Gaboon keeper until they've truly witnessed a Gab at full flow! :)

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Originally Posted by Crotalids

It's even more impressive when they completely loose their cool, forget about their striking capabilities. When a Gab is pissed off it's incredible just how fast they can actually move (as I'm sure you know), it really annoys me when people say Gaboons are slow. Lazy is a better word.

Not to mention, when they flip out, they're can be difficult to deal with because of their strength. I've had the pleasure of seeing my female flip out about 5 times over the past year and half - she's a cranky one that's for sure, considering I've only had interaction with her maybe 20 times or so! A Gaboon keeper isn't a Gaboon keeper until they've truly witnessed a Gab at full flow! :)

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Couldn't agree more. I'm always trying to explain to people that underestimating any of the large Bitis, although easy to do can be a fatal mistake. Trying to "convince" a large angry gaboon to do anything other then what it wants to is one of the most challenging and terrifying challenges a keeper of most any snake can face.

I really enjoyed reading this post. I was wondering if the fella ever did get a gaboon viper or start working with hots.