Horned Adders

[Bushviper]

Geckos are not plentiful up here on the highveld. I hope to get some from the warmer climates or else I must go tipping anthills to find Pachydactylus affinis which should be the right size.

Otherwise it is forcefeeding but not like Phobos. It may not be fatal but this is what a horned adder bite can look like:









I will pin them down with a sponge .... I am a bit of a sissy I suppose.

[phobos]

Yikes! That hurts! Was that a bite by and adult?

I'll still work with the babies they way I have been. I have been warned.

Cheers!

Al

[snake_freak]

Ouwww!!! The fasciotomy looks like the most painful part about it. If anyone does get bitten and develops compartment syndrome make sure your doctor reads this (see link) before they start slicing you up (it's for rattlesnake envenomation but I'm sure the same applies).

http://www2.us.elsevierhealth.com/inst/serve?action=searchDB&searchDBfor=art&artType=fullfree&id=as019606440400280x&special=hilite&query=%5Bcontribs%5D%28dart%2C%29

[phobos]

I will pin them down with a sponge .... I am a bit of a sissy I suppose.

Hey Mate.. I would never think anyone was a "sissy" for avoiding having their fingers look like that..

Good Luck with your babies.

Cheers!

Al

[Bushviper]

Those were two different bites, both just a nick from an adult.

The one caused pretty bad neurotoxic effects which really amazed me. Dizzyness, loss of balance, nausea, and bad stomach cramps.

Anyway so I started force feeding rat pup "drumsticks". This got boring so I tried rat pup tails and then mouse pinkies which was pretty easy.

I really tried to avoid the sharp end by using a sponge etc but after about 10 or so the fingers were getting much easier to use and the snakes are so chilled it was not a problem.








This is how idiots get bitten. Gotta learn to concentrate till the end of the process!

[MrG]

Success can come at a price,But they have to eat dont they?
They are beautifull.

[phobos]

Very pretty little babies

I don't let them lay on my hand like that. I just feed them and put them back to digest.

Glad things are going well.

Al

[froot]

Wouldn't it be better to wear something like a welding glove while pinning it down?

[drummer]

stoked, mine just took its first pink on its own!! yeah, progress...

no more gecko catching, i think i was creating another extinction my way

how often do you feed yours at that size? I heard you should feed them min. every two weeks. No shorter gaps????

whats your guys take on that?

[Bushviper]

A welding glove is risky because you cannot feel the pressure and hurt them easily.

I feed mine every 5 days while they are this size. I need them big enough to feed on pinks by themselves in the shortest time possible.

Once they are eating on their own every time you offer them food you can feed once a week and then skip a week after every third feed.

[drummer]

thanks, i think i have learned the most off this thread than any other...

[malan]

My female is doing very well, she has doubled in size, dispite the fact that she has had half the amount of meals as the male, who has hardly grown at all! I am gona try them on pinks next week. I have been feeding every 2nd second week & when i put the food in they go straight in to feeding mode. Coiled up with the tail tip up & wriggling. And when they strike, they get airborn, cartwheel & sumasolt!
I have heard a saying before that goes,"A hungry snake, is a healthy snake." & I believe it to be true. I would much rather slitely under feed than over feed.
Bush Viper, have all of those pretty little babies got homes?

[elapid]

My babies

[Kouthia]

nice

[Bushbaby]

Elapid that substrate is completely wrong. They come from areas which have fine sand which is almost powder like. Try getting some washed play sand or sand washed down to the side of roads.

They look nice although I cannot make out the horns on the head.

-Posted by Bushviper-