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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