selling to amatures

[dean85]

recently a fellow heper and friend of mine told me that he was getting a pair of gaboons in a trade it made me wonder because a month earlier his girlfried said no snakes in her house but that changed but to go from a common boa to a pair of gaboons is a big step. what pisses me off is how easy people will sell hots to people who dont know what it is to make money or get a good trade.

thanx dean

[Gregg M]

I wonder if the girlfriend knows what he is getting......LOL....... On a serious note, does your friend know what he is getting into??? I cant see how you go from boas to gaboons...... I understand everyone needs to start somewhere but gaboons are not the place to start........ Take it from me, I know...... It is a very serious species and are not easy to handle in the slightest...... I dont care how aggressive a non venomous is, it will never get you ready for Bitis...... You might want to try and talk some sence into this friend...... Does he have a hot room or access to AV incase of a bite??? What about all the handling equipment??? Has he ever delt with venomous before??? Does he know the first thing about what the requirments are to keep gaboons healthy and to keep himself and others safe from being bitten??? Too bad there are not many gaboon envenomation pics out there to show your friend how serious they are....... Put it this way, if you dont die as a result, you will be missing a body part or three....... No hot is a good starter but gaboons are the poster child on what not to keep as a first ven....... Dont believe the hype about gaboons not being aggressive....... They can be just as nasty as any other snake species...... I have a few gaboons that are as BW says "Hell Spawn"....... And they get huge....... Just look at my pic gallery...... I am not trying to sound like I am above anyone because I keep gaboons, but it took me many years to get where I am and lots of time in research to learn how to keep them properly....... They dehydrate fast and WILL die if over heated...... I think I have gone on about this long enough.......

[enso]

Sounds like your friend is in way over his head. Tell him to go with the BCI instead. =P

[paul_le_snake]

hots dont belong in a house as a pet. no questions. simple as that.
cheers
paul

[Edwin]

Sorry, but gaboons are not good starter hots, and like Paul said, are not your everyday household pet. Stick with the bci, which I am also not too keen on, but it is a much better choice than a pair of gaboons.

Or just be like me and watch the Discovery Channel to get my fill of hots. :)

[BWSmith]

Gaboon Viper Envenomation (http://www.smw.ch/pdf200x/2001/03/smw-06142.pdf)

[SCReptiles]

Well, I would rather it be a pair of Gabbys then a pair of cobras, but really this is no snake to begin with. These are think bodied, powerful snakes. A few weeks ago, I watched one pulled an experienced rattlesnake handler all over a room. Anyone who has not worked extensively with venomous snakes can not control one of these monsters. Do you know the age of the snakes? If they are young, they will be short and not so hard to contain. I would suggest to your find he get a copperhead to work with before he tries anything with these Gabbys. Also, where are you guys from? Perhaps we can locate an experienced handler in your area to help show him the ropes?

[ETET]

Dean, your friend really don't know what he is getting into. Gregg gave you a very good info of why not to keep one. If your friend got the gaboons already, get someone experience to work with. Gaboons are always under-estimated, if you see how fast and powerful they strike or when they are pissed off, your friend will leave them to some experienced ones. The ambush and unpredictable nature of these big vipers make it a very challenging species to work with...

ETET

[BWSmith]

yup, the only warning they give you before a strike is a slight movement in their pupil. :o

[SCReptiles]

Yep, their bulky appearance is deceiving. Many experts claim the Gaboon has the fastest strike in the world.

[Gregg M]

Fast aint the word...... There are very few warning sings a gaboon gives before striking....... And an untrained eye will not pick up on any of them........ They rarely ever show a threat display....... They dont always hiss when disturbed and will sink fangs before you can think about moving out of the way...... If you see a gaboon strike at you, you have already been bitten...... And the accuracy is just about 100%........

[Vanan]

Dilating pupils? Interesting. Is it also true that with most sluggish ambush predators (snakes that is) they start hyperventilating too? Presumably to increase oxgyen flow to the muscles for a quick movement.

I'd sure like to know how close you'd have be to notice the pupils dilate though. Too close IMO. I guess that's why you never see it coming.

[Gregg M]

I would not say dilate, but more of a sudden eye twitch....... They do take in short fast breaths before a strike...... SOMETIMES...... Most of the time they react more like a mouse trap...... Rats barely touch the floor of the cage then out of nowhere........Bam, it is all over.....

[ETET]

Yes, their eyes twitch back and forth a bit and the side of the body a few short breath, occassionally, you may even see they contract their jaw muscles a bit (may be prepare for a strike); they not always shows these signs before a strike. I have a big female never shows any signs at all before a strike; when someone approaching her cage, a mouse live/dead inside the cage...etc., she stay motionless until the big strike comes. Actually they are quite alert about their surroundings but simply not moving at all....

ETET