Info on Vipera Ammodytes

[Bez]

Hi
I was wondering if anyone could help me with some information on Vipera Ammodytes.(Eur long nosed horned vipers)
I saw a pair in the other day for sale and I think they are stunning snakes.
I have read up about them quite a bit.The one thing its says that they are protected ? Does that mean you cannot keep them ?
Do they make good pets (eat well, breed well in captivity) and how much should a pair of Juv gor for ? Dont want to get ripped off.

thanks

[Bushviper]

Dont get bitten by them. The bite is not fun.

They are protected in the wild over most of their range. There are various sub-species and these can get rather expensive. They are not exported from Europe as readily as in the past. It is legal to keep them here.

They are pretty easy to keep and require a nice cold period in winter if you want to breed them.

I have no idea what a pair should cost as they are not bred that often any more. They used to be really common but seem to have lost favour in the past years and are now quite sought after. Try contacting pythonadipsas on the forum as he is the viper expert and I think he will breed them too.

[Bez]

Thanks for the info. I def think I will get them.
I will try contact him thanks !!

[Pythonodipsas]

Hi Bez,

I keep a few Long-nosed vipers as well as other Euro vipers. They are very enjoyable and attractive. I am surprised that Euro vipers are not all that popular in SA...yet.

All euro vipers are protected by the Berne Convention and require paperwork in Europe. In South Africa they are legal and no paperwork is needed.

The common and affordable sub-species of long nosed viper is V. ammodytes meridionalis from Greece, Bulgaria and Western Turkey (European) . You should be able to get these for around 800 ea, but currently there are none available that i know of. These are great but a little less popular as they don't have the cleanest markings in the way that they are darkish and the body and head often has blotches and markings between the pattern.

More sought after are the nominate race: V. ammodytes ammodytes. These generally have uniform colored heads and brighter cleaner colors. Certain localities are favored and these include the Lake Scutari region on the border of Albania and Montenegro in Eastern Europe. Animals from this locality are bright orange or yellow, especially females. Males can be yellow, orange or silver with a bold dorsal zig-zag.

Another nice locality for the nominate race (V. ammodytes ammodytes) is the South Tyrol / Bolzano region of northern Italy. Females from this locality are usually a lovely silver grey color with a darker grey dorsal zig-zag. The males are often silver grey with a pitch black dorsal zigzag. This race is often called 'ruffoi' phase in the hobby. Some folks incorrectly refer to it as the subspecies called V. ammodytes ruffoi.

For this nominate race you could pay anything from 1500 to 2500 each, depending on color and locality. I think a friend has some Lake Scutari animals available if you are interested.

I wrote an article on keeping and breeding Euro vipers in Ultimate exotics magazine last year. You may be able to purchase a back copy via their website.

Basically the care of these vipers is easy - as they are very hardy and adaptable. They thrive on newspaper, or in a natural cage setup. You would keep them as you would keep any viper like copperheads, etc. In order to breed them they will need a winter hibernation period of 2 months at about 8 - 10 degrees.

Hope that helps.

Craig

[Bez]

Wow thanks for the info ! I don't think I could of got a better answer.
I think the ones I saw are the V. ammodytes ammodytes
The female was an orange color extreamlty bright
Clear markings and the male was dark silver with very distinct
Black clear markings.I think the pair is at 3500. If they still available I will post pics soon as I get them.
Otherwise Craig I will def give you a shout for a pair.
Not to sure why they not popular they are stunning snake.
Thanks again !!!

[Vipernhunter]

Vipera ammodytes is a nice snake. In Europe this is the most keeping Viper in the terrarium. Price is in European about 200-800 Rand. Colourfull Vipera ammodytes live in Croatia and Albania. The rest have different grey and brown colour. The venom is strong.
In European live different species.
Vipera ammodytes ammodytes (Italy, Austria, Romania, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia
Vipera ammodytes montandoni (East Romania, Bulgaria, West-Turkey)
Vipera ammodytes meridionalis (Greece and Mazedonia)

Vipera ammodytes ruffoi and Vipera ammodytes gregor wallneri is now Vipera ammodytes ammodytes. They look same and have same genetic

Keeping is easy.
Dry with a little rock. A spot light they need. In winter they hibernate about 5-9 degree for 2-3 month. In Austria (not Australia) they hibernate from Oktober to April. In South Greece they hibernate from end of november to beginning March.

They eat mice and bird. Babies eating Scolopendra, Lizzards. In terrarium it is easy to feed the babies with mice.

Vipera ammodytes get 5-15 babies.

Here picture from nice species I had.

[Bushviper]

Wow I have never seen some amazing contrasts in ammodytes. Thanks for that info too.

[Bez]

wow those are gorgeous !