Darth Vader!

[Will0W783]

Some shots of my new little baby West African Gaboon viper, Darth Vader. I love this little guy; he's quite huffy and will bob his head up and down and chuff at me when I'm in the room. He seems fairly curious and so far seems pretty easy-going for the most part. He's LOUD whenever I disturb him though. Nothing hisses like a Bitis!

Eating:
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh115/Will0W783/20131211_192806_zpsda0414ca.jpg (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/Will0W783/media/20131211_192806_zpsda0414ca.jpg.html)

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh115/Will0W783/20131211_192811_zps4d4c1ec3.jpg (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/Will0W783/media/20131211_192811_zps4d4c1ec3.jpg.html)

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh115/Will0W783/20131211_192748_RichtoneHDR_zps2148a0e5.jpg (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/Will0W783/media/20131211_192748_RichtoneHDR_zps2148a0e5.jpg.html)

[Will0W783]

Getting a soak and new bedding today:
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh115/Will0W783/20131215_180428_zps92e21dd3.jpg (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/Will0W783/media/20131215_180428_zps92e21dd3.jpg.html)

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh115/Will0W783/20131215_181015_zps3c5f9c83.jpg (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/Will0W783/media/20131215_181015_zps3c5f9c83.jpg.html)

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh115/Will0W783/20131215_181026_zps78cdde6f.jpg (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/Will0W783/media/20131215_181026_zps78cdde6f.jpg.html)

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh115/Will0W783/20131215_181128_zps1ffe0d69.jpg (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/Will0W783/media/20131215_181128_zps1ffe0d69.jpg.html)

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh115/Will0W783/20131215_181142_zpsb74308dc.jpg (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/Will0W783/media/20131215_181142_zpsb74308dc.jpg.html)

[RyanReptile]

What a beauty!

[alessia55]

He's beautiful, Kim.

[Will0W783]

Thanks!!! I'm really happy....I'm enjoying working with Bitis a lot. They are full of personality and very beautiful.
I'm just hoping he stays as agreeable in temperament when he's a 3-5 foot 30 lb sausage of a snake!

[shaunyboy]

good looking snake Kimberly.....

i love his head shape and the size of his head

cheers shaun

[Will0W783]

Thanks Shaunyboy! I can't wait until he's an adult: 4-5 feet and 30 pounds; that will be impressive!

[sharthun]

Awesome snake!!:)

[MizCandice]

Look at that head! So pretty :) !

[drumcrush]

Wow, really nice snake!

[guyabano]

That's really cool. Gaboons have always been amongst my favorite venomous snakes.

[venom_king]

i dunno why but hots eating.....is just awesome!!....my mum on the other hand..hates it!!

[Jinxygirl]

Handsome boy :) I love the patterning on Gaboons.

[venom_king]

^^^^same awesome patterns for a awesome species of snake!!! GO BITIS...sorry

[CK SandBoas]

Beautiful Gaboon, and I love his name!:D

[venom_king]

i know right with that deep breathing gabbys do they do sound like darth himself!!

[Will0W783]

Thanks guys! He does sound exactly like Darth Vader with his huffing and puffing.

[Will0W783]

I set him up in a more permanent enclosure now. He's got a 1' x 2' PM Herps cage with nice mulch bedding and leaf litter to bury himself in, and a heat lamp providing a basking area. I will have to get more pictures.

[venom_king]

whats i like feeding a gabby when you can't see them buried in/under the leaves?? just a thought :p

[Will0W783]

You look for the head. They will usually lie with just the head sticking out from under the leaf litter. Do not open the cage unless you know where the animal is. Unfortunately, the majority of people underestimate exactly what a motivated Gabby is capable of. These fat, sluggish-looking snakes can unleash mind-numbing feats of acrobatics when they want to.

I feed using very long (18") hemostats, and crack open the cage door only enough to fit the food/tongs through and then shut the door against the tongs. I then make the prey move along as if it was alive, towards the resting Gaboon. I watch their eyes- that's a Gabby's tell; it will dilate its pupils and follow the food with its eyes when it's excited. When I get the food near it, it will strike with incredible force and hold onto the food. Then I just let go and remove the tongs.

I'll try to snap some pictures tonight of Amadallah resting in her litter, so you can see what she looks like. Vader doesn't seem to bury himself yet; he will either lie right out in the open, or hide underneath his log. I know where to look for them, and it's the work of a minute or two to scan the cage and locate the Gabby.

[venom_king]

awesome i love seeing gabbys in the leaf litter...your right people do think that gabbys, rhinos and puff adders etc are slow movers..but any person that has kept/keeps or knows about them can tell you something else..and well you just have to take every single precaution you can with a species of snake that has 6 inch long fangs and a nasty bite

[Will0W783]

Um, they do not have 6-inch long fangs. The record is 5.08 cm, or 2 inches.

[venom_king]

sorry bout that got so many numbers running through my head....feeding day for my lot

[Trollbie]

Such a cutie!

[marvelfreak]

He stunning Kimberly.