Sexing Hots

[ryuki_ukiyo]

If not too troublesome, can any of u guys provide me with the details on how to sex my newly acquired baby snakes as listed below:

1. Bitis Gabonica (0.0.2)
2. Bitis Nasicornis (0.0.2)

What are the safest method available? What is the probe depth for each male and female specimen? Which sex is larger? What are their maturity age?

I've been trying to find the answer but to no success lately due to time constraint. I figure i can get better/faster results by asking in forums.

note: from my readings from books and internet (where else?!), i know that there are two types/areas of gaboon vipers (west and east). but what about rhino vipers? how many types/areas are available in the market? If there are more than one type/areas, what are the distinct features available so that i can better distinguish the nasicornis specimens?

Thanks in advance for any replies.


regards
-ryuki-

[ETET]

ryuki,

Actually you don't have to probe gabonica/nasicornis to sex them; the male has obvious longer tail and female has short tail. I never sex them by probe as this will stress them and you too especially they are babies. I wonder your supplier didn't sex them for you.

For gabonica they live in Sudan, Uganda, Tanganyika, Congo, Gaboon, Angola, Zambia, eastern Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Zululand; nasicornis live in Sudan, western Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Congo. More reliable method to tell where they come from is from the scale count, since some of their distribution are overlap, hybrid sometime occurs. For more reading try this: Venomous Snakes " Snakes in the terrarium" By Ludwig Trutnau & Dangerous Snakes of Africa : Natural History. Hope this may help, good luck!

ETET

[ryuki_ukiyo]

ETET,

"the male has obvious longer tail and female has short tail." Can u be more specific? I've had baby pythons that possesses the obvious longer tail and shorter tail and both turned out to be males after probing. i just don't want to take the chance as the supplier is actually giving me 30 days money back guarantee is i am not satisfied with the purchase. btw she dare not to sex the snakes knowing what type of damage bitis can do with their bites.

maybe i should rephrase my questions pertaining to areas.... i know which one is east african gaboon and west african gaboon by just simply looking at the triangular stripes below the eyes of the gabonica (east possess two stripes and west possess only one stripe), but what about nasicornis? there must be some locality features that i can relate in order to determine their origin. i've seen pictures of baby rhino of red or green (among others). do they originate from the same area? or are they from different locality?

[ryuki_ukiyo]

plus...how long will each specimen take to reach sexual maturity? what is each specimen clutch size? thanks

[ryuki_ukiyo]

can somebody just post pix on the different length of tails between male and female for the two species? seriously guys....need help coz i don't want to end up having all male or all female vipers....thanks...

[ETET]

ryuki,

I don't have any tail pic of my gabonica, may be you can post some pics of yours and we can tell their sex.

ETET

[ryuki_ukiyo]

my sucky digi cam is still at the store, being fix. i dropped it during my jungle trekking.....haha. hope to post pix by next week....regards

[Gary O]

There is a guy that runs this site. http://www.bitisgabonica.com/

He knows more about Bitis then anyone I know. Maybe he can hook you up with a few pics too.