Puff adder as first hot?

Re: Puff adder as first hot?

Postby scott » Mon Jun 29, 2009 7:22 pm

thanks again guys,i will post pics as soon as i can,i will feed them on wed for the first time ,i bought them almost fully grown about 25cm long so im sure they are over feeding problems.
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Re: Puff adder as first hot?

Postby froot » Mon Jun 29, 2009 9:07 pm

That's great Scott. I have a few questions though.

Should you be feeding them this time of year?
What is your intended feeding shedule?
What are you intending to feed them?
The answers to these are all connected. You cannot feed B. caudalis like you would a corn snake or the like, you will lose them if you do. It's a more specialised species to keep alive, even hydrating them is not as easy as normal.
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Re: Puff adder as first hot?

Postby Whitelipp » Tue Jun 30, 2009 7:50 pm

Well said froot. Feed these guys once a week and their lifespan will definately be shortened.
These snakes are not easy to keep. Not the hardest but not as easy as corns are.
I still havent managed to get my caudalis to drink from water bowls.
They only drink when misted and you can't mist them in the eclosure cos then the humidity goes to high and they get respiratory infections.
They are not easy, but good luck.
Dont bite, strike!!!!

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Re: Puff adder as first hot?

Postby Zookeeper » Wed Jul 01, 2009 7:27 am

Whitelipp wrote:Well said froot. Feed these guys once a week and their lifespan will definately be shortened.
These snakes are not easy to keep. Not the hardest but not as easy as corns are.
I still havent managed to get my caudalis to drink from water bowls.
They only drink when misted and you can't mist them in the eclosure cos then the humidity goes to high and they get respiratory infections.
They are not easy, but good luck.

Strange that you had problems keeping these snakes.I had two for a couple of years until I gave them away to a friend.So easy to keep they never gave me any problems.I can`t understand why you want them to drink water from a bowl ,as for misting them I have never experienced any mist in there natural enviroment so why would you want to wet your horned adders.Why not just let this guy enjoy his new snakes?
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Re: Puff adder as first hot?

Postby Bushviper » Wed Jul 01, 2009 9:26 am

Zookeeper have you ever been to their natural environment. They have dew on them in the mornings and this is where most their moisture comes from. I have found them with dew on them in Central Namibia, Limpopo and Nothern Cape so I would imagine they have that over most of their range. Even the B. caudalis that occur in and around Pretoria drink dew drops.
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Re: Puff adder as first hot?

Postby Whitelipp » Wed Jul 01, 2009 5:00 pm

I dont have problems keeping these snakes at all just trying to shed some light on that they are not all that easy to keep.
My snakes are doing great and they should breed this season.
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Re: Puff adder as first hot?

Postby Zookeeper » Wed Jul 01, 2009 7:25 pm

Bushviper wrote:Zookeeper have you ever been to their natural environment. They have dew on them in the mornings and this is where most their moisture comes from.

Bushviper I have made a few trips through Northern Cape into Namibia so I have seen a few in there natural enviroment.The dew makes perfect sense,interesting that you found snakes that had dew on them.Do you not think that possibly the prey items provide the majority of the hydration ?
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Re: Puff adder as first hot?

Postby Loslappie » Thu Jul 02, 2009 7:33 am

Ive watched White lipped tree vipers do it, and its amzing to watch them "lick" dew off their bodies.
If it hasnt yet, it will!
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Re: Puff adder as first hot?

Postby Bushviper » Thu Jul 02, 2009 10:01 am

Early in the mornings it is easy to find the snakes as they come out to bask and then you find them still wet. Geckos etc do not have that much water in them.They also occur in areas where there is a fair bit of rain and I am sure like other snakes they drink when when the rain falls on them. If you go walking in Ellisras or anywhere near there in the morning your boots are soaked from the dew on the grass. The snake definately get wet and then dry out when the sun comes up.
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Re: Puff adder as first hot?

Postby Nasicornis » Thu Jul 02, 2009 10:19 am

scott wrote:thanks for all the good advice,i got a pair of horned adders,i believe they are the softest of hots.
im being assisted by some snake handlers ,so i will have to learn the hard way..


Scott, I am a bit concerned as I think you are being misled. Would you consider a snake responsible for most amputated fingers / toes etc to be the “softest”? I would rather then get a herald snake or a Eastern tiger snake (T. semianulates). Even then, no venomous snake can ever be considered more or less dangerous as anyone can be allergic to the venom of even a very mildly venomous animal and this can be fatal in itself. Please do take care not to get bitten as this species can be very misleading when it comes to the mood that they are in or in their acrobatic ability.
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Re: Puff adder as first hot?

Postby marc bt » Thu Jul 02, 2009 2:26 pm

As i always say the most venomous snake in the world is the one that just bit you..
a wiseman once said:"you can give a man a fish and feed him for a day, but teach him how to fish and feed him for the rest of his life.."
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Re: Puff adder as first hot?

Postby scott » Thu Jul 09, 2009 12:57 pm

thanks for all the advise,as for my horned pair they look really good(happy) they each had a small rat last week (which was a bit big) so i wont feed again for 2 weeks.
i have seen the one in the water bowl,maybe i should take them out for a swim soon.
there is so much different advise on the net,some say a bowl is fine,others say spray,and some a swim.
As for a bitis caudalis as first hot(no regrets yet?)and i do consider losing a finger or toe soft compaired to the damage some of the other hots do.
I think is just better to try not get bitting,as for marc bt qoute to true.
These are not only my first hots ,but also my first snakes so i absorb all you advise.
If i could figure out how to down load pics i would send you all pics for advise ,but cant seem to up load.
One question for now is how oftern should they eat and what size food.
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Re: Puff adder as first hot?

Postby marc bt » Thu Jul 09, 2009 1:29 pm

take a look at this for uploading pics:
viewtopic.php?f=29&t=6508.
How big are your snakes?
My horned adder is 33cm(female) and the male is 38cm. The female eats every 16-21 days and she eats a fuzzie mouse.
The male will eat a small rat pup.
Remember that their natural diet is geckos/lizards which contain alot less fat compared to a fuzzie/mouse. These guys are ambush predators so they don't do too much moving about which means a slow metabolism.
hopes this helps and good luck.
a wiseman once said:"you can give a man a fish and feed him for a day, but teach him how to fish and feed him for the rest of his life.."
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Re: Puff adder as first hot?

Postby Zookeeper » Thu Jul 09, 2009 1:40 pm

Scott make sure the snakes stay hydrated ,some poeple feel that these snakes slowly dehydrate in captivity.This could explain why snakes that seem to be doing well suddenly roll over and die after a couple of months.I would mist them once a week just to be on the safe side.If they take dead mice then you can always inject say 10ml water into each mouse.
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Re: Puff adder as first hot?

Postby Nasicornis » Thu Jul 09, 2009 1:58 pm

Scott, I wish you all the best with them but never get complacent. Remember that losing a finger may not seem as bad dying from a B. arietans bite but the chances of surviving and making a full recovery from the B. arietans bite (with proper care and prompt anti venom, if needed) is greater than not losing a digit from a B. caudalis as there is no anti venom produced for this species.

As mentioned by other members, hydration and proper feeding schedule is key to keeping these guys healthy. Mammals have a much higher volume of fat and protein to breakdown when ingested. Because they feed mainly on reptiles in the wild their digestive system (more especially liver and kidneys) can take a severe knock when a sudden "rush" of fat and protein is ingested and that is why the rest period is crucial in the feeding regiment.
If you don’t come right with uploading of the pics feel free to e-mail them me or other willing members so that we may assist you.
All the best with them.
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