RecoveryHigh hazard · Cytotoxic
Gaboon viper
Bitis gabonica
The largest venom yield and the longest fangs of any snake. Deceptively placid, which is precisely the danger — keepers get comfortable, and a cytotoxic bite from this species is limb-threatening even with antivenom.
- Experience level
- Expert only
- Native range
- West and Central African rainforest
- Adult size
- 4–5 ft (1.2–1.5 m), extremely heavy-bodied
- Lifespan
- 18–20 years
Care sheet
| Adult enclosure | 5 x 3 x 2 ft, floor space over height, shift box essential |
|---|---|
| Basking surface | 85–88°F (29–31°C) |
| Ambient | 78–82°F (26–28°C), night 72–75°F |
| Humidity | 70–80%, never allowed to dry out |
| Substrate | 4 in cypress mulch or coco husk over a drainage layer |
| Water | Large heavy bowl, serviced remotely, changed twice weekly |
| UVB | Low output only; forest-floor species |
- Weight is the hazard: a 20 lb viper cannot be safely hooked like a colubrid. Use a hook plus a shift box, or a snake-handling tube for veterinary work.
- Camouflage is total. Locate the animal visually before opening anything, every single time.
- Persistent high humidity with poor ventilation causes respiratory infections; ventilate above the substrate, not through it.
Safety & bite protocol
- Two experienced keepers, always. No exceptions, no quick jobs, no evening 'just the water bowl'.
- Fangs reach 2 in — heavy boots and standoff distance matter as much as tongs.
- Antivenom for Bitis species is not stocked by most hospitals. Identify a supplier and a hospital willing to administer it before acquiring the animal, and keep that written plan in the portal.
- Bite protocol: immediate 911, species name and antivenom name given to dispatch, pressure-immobilisation is contraindicated for cytotoxic bites, expect surgical involvement.
- Slow, quiet strikes with no warning display are normal. Never read stillness as safety.
Husbandry information only — not medical or legal advice. Permit rules, caging standards and antivenom availability differ by state, county and city.
Feeding
- Adults: one large rat or small rabbit every 3–4 weeks; they are extremely efficient feeders.
- Overfeeding is the commonest captive problem — weigh quarterly and adjust rather than feeding on a fixed calendar.
- Offer frozen-thawed on 36 in tongs with the animal located and a second keeper watching.
Breeding tips
- Season
- Cool and dry period, pair at the return of misting
- Gestation / incubation
- Live-bearing, 7–12 month gestation
- Clutch / litter
- 8–40+ neonates
- Only attempt with permits, an antivenom plan, and confirmed permitted homes for a potentially 40-strong litter.
- Cycle with a 6–8 week cooler, drier period (75°F day, 68°F night, reduced misting), then restore heat and humidity.
- Introduce under two-keeper conditions; courtship is slow and prolonged over weeks.
- Gestation is long and variable. Do not disturb a gravid female; log weights from photographs and refusals rather than handling.
- Neonates arrive large (8–12 in) and fully capable of a medically significant bite.
Neonates
- Individually locked tubs with high humidity, damp hide and a 84°F warm end.
- Most take a fuzzy mouse after the first shed; a few need scenting with chick down.
- Update the permit inventory and label every tub with hazard class the day the litter is born.
FAQ
Why is a calm species considered expert-only?
Because the consequence, not the temperament, sets the risk. Gaboon vipers deliver the largest venom volume of any snake through the longest fangs, and complacency around a placid animal is the documented cause of most bites.
Can I keep one without local antivenom?
You should not. Confirm in writing which hospital or supplier can obtain SAIMR polyvalent and how long it takes, and keep that plan with your permits before the animal arrives.
Keep the paperwork with the animal
Permits, liability insurance, vet records and apprenticeship hours all live in the venomous portal, with expiry alerts before anything lapses.