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View Full Version : Introducing little Misty!

Will0W783
02-28-12, 01:21 PM
Well I told myself I was not going to buy any more snakes at the Hamburg expo, but this little girl was too cute to pass up, and an excellent deal to boot. Misty is a green-phase Bothriechis schlegelii, or Eyelash palm pitviper. My fiance has a 2-year-old male that's been doing wonderful for us, and they are really neat snakes, so I jumped at the chance for this little girl.
Here she is in her deli cup at the show (she's a very light pale green, almost grey, with pink bands and brown spots).
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh115/Will0W783/51fb4a78.jpg

I got her home and settled her in, and took a few more shots- it's hard to get her in focus as she is sooo tiny. She's at most six inches long and about as thick as a shoelace.
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh115/Will0W783/6a52e13b.jpg
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh115/Will0W783/6e252fe3.jpg

And she took her first meal for me last night! The 1-day-old mouse pink looks so large in her little mouth. :p
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh115/Will0W783/2cd497f9.jpg
theapexgerman
02-28-12, 01:24 PM
Wow neat I know my coral snake is calm but what is the temperment of your viper
BarelyBreathing
02-28-12, 01:27 PM
Very pretty. Congratulations.
Will0W783
02-28-12, 01:32 PM
Eyelash viper temperaments tend to vary a lot. They are usually quite docile as babies, but tend to get grumpier as they grow. Our subadult male has days where he is perfectly calm and tractable, and then also days where he is striking and mouth-gaping like a fiend.

They ride a hook well though, as their instinct is to grab onto a perch and hold...the only thing you have to watch is that they like to climb the hooks, so always have a second hook handy.
theapexgerman
02-28-12, 01:36 PM
I was thinking of getting another hot but I can read my coral snake pretty good and I don't know bout a eyelas vioer
Will0W783
02-28-12, 01:38 PM
In my experience, arboreal snakes are quite easy to read- they mouth gape and form a very tight tense "S" shape when on edge. I have years of experience keeping non-venomous arboreals though, so the behavior of arboreal vipers is quite readable to me.
theapexgerman
02-28-12, 01:42 PM
I was going to get a GTP someday just to hard to take care of for me at the moment
alessia55
02-28-12, 01:42 PM
She's very cute- I can't wait to see how tiny she is in person! She'll be a good addition to your pack.
Will0W783
02-28-12, 01:46 PM
Thanks Alessia...she's a neat little thing. I love baby vipers, especially eyelashes...they look like they are wearing eyeliner and mascara. lol
SpOoKy
02-28-12, 04:55 PM
Very cute snake, congratulations :)
jarich
02-28-12, 05:41 PM
Such a cute, tiny little thing. Crazy to think of how lethal they are!
Hillsberry
02-28-12, 06:05 PM
Such an amazing little girl!! :D
jaleely
02-28-12, 09:01 PM
arrrgh...more squeeee! I LOVE HER!! I cant' believe she's so tiny! Can you take a pic next to like, a ruler or a quarter or something? That would look really cool! I'm just making grabby motions right now i want to cuddle her up!

And THAT is why i don't have hots...*lmao*
Rogue628
02-28-12, 11:53 PM
Awww!!! Such a sweet looking viper! Now I have another of your animals to drool over lol
Will0W783
02-29-12, 06:15 AM
Yep, can't cuddle these guys- they are adorable, but they'll cause a lot of pain. Eyelash vipers generally aren't lethal (they can be in some cases), but the severity of a bite varies with each person, the size of the snake, and how much venom it injected.
Their bites respond well to Polyvalent Crotaline Antivenom (Cro-Fab and the like), so there's good treatment, but I still wouldn't want to get hit.

They are cute little buggers though, and they stay cute- they look adorable even as adults. Pudgy cheeks and little eyelash-type scales. They look like little divas....and they act like it too! :-O
alessia55
03-03-12, 05:53 PM
Some photos of Misty that I got when I visited Kim's house today:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/alessia55/IMG_0670.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/alessia55/IMG_0673.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/alessia55/IMG_0667.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/alessia55/IMG_0669.jpg
youngster
03-03-12, 05:56 PM
She's tiny!!!! :D :D :D
Will0W783
03-03-12, 06:18 PM
Yep, she's an itty bitty girl. She kept striking at the camera, lol.
jaleely
03-03-12, 11:31 PM
i looooove her, looove! oh man i want one. Soo So cute.
Trent
03-04-12, 12:39 AM
Nice pics!!
Kayla90
03-04-12, 01:46 AM
She's soooo tiny... What is she eating right now? Half a pinky?
Rogue628
03-04-12, 01:54 AM
I love her eyes!
Will0W783
03-04-12, 08:27 AM
She actually eats a whole mouse pinky just fine. I pick the smaller pinks for her- but she will grow quickly. We've had Goblin for almost a year and he is now eating mouse hoppers. He was her size when we got him.
infernalis
03-04-12, 08:54 AM
Such a great looking little snake...

Is that a "bite proof" glove??
Lankyrob
03-04-12, 01:09 PM
Looks like venomkeepers, i tried some last week - first time i have ever found gloves that fit me "off the rack" :)
millertime89
03-04-12, 03:04 PM
wow, I never realized she was so small!
Skumbo
03-04-12, 08:27 PM
Yep, can't cuddle these guys- they are adorable, but they'll cause a lot of pain. Eyelash vipers generally aren't lethal (they can be in some cases), but the severity of a bite varies with each person, the size of the snake, and how much venom it injected.
Their bites respond well to Polyvalent Crotaline Antivenom (Cro-Fab and the like), so there's good treatment, but I still wouldn't want to get hit.

They are cute little buggers though, and they stay cute- they look adorable even as adults. Pudgy cheeks and little eyelash-type scales. They look like little divas....and they act like it too! :-O

im assuming you'd have to keep all antivenoms for the kinds of snakes you have in your house at all times, yes?

I have far too much fun handling my snake, i'd get killed with a HOT lol
millertime89
03-04-12, 09:07 PM
im assuming you'd have to keep all antivenoms for the kinds of snakes you have in your house at all times, yes?

I have far too much fun handling my snake, i'd get killed with a HOT lol

No, very few hots keepers will keep their own anti-venin for various reasons. I don't think Kim does either.
Will0W783
03-05-12, 10:11 AM
Wayne, those are Hexarmor Venom Defender gloves. They are needlestick and puncture resistant down to a 25-gauge fineness. They are also tear and rip resistant. While they are not 100%, they are extremely good thick gloves and Misty's fangs are too small to get through the layers anyway.

I do not stock my own antivenin. I cannot get permits to keep it in stock privately, and if I could it would end up costing me about $10-20k for one bite's worth. Antivenin only keeps for about 2-3 years, so as long as my husbandry is good and I am careful, I should be better off not spending the money on it.
MoreliAddict
03-05-12, 10:14 AM
you have great taste, pit vipers and najas are my favorite hots.
Will0W783
03-06-12, 10:40 AM
They are my favorite too, Bimtha. I honestly can't get enough of the tree vipers, and my Shelby is by far one of the most interesting, albeit dangerous, snakes I have ever kept. Naja have such personality, don't they?
hellosugaree
03-27-12, 09:11 AM
Such a beautiful a snake! Super cute face. I can see how you couldn't avoid bringing her home. Also a really cute name and seems fitting. How dangerous a bite?
Will0W783
03-28-12, 12:40 PM
Hellosugaree,

It is hard to say for sure how "dangerous" a given specie's bite will be. There are many factors to consider: level of hemotoxicity (bleeding/hemorrhage risk), cytotoxicity (tissue damage/necrosis), and neurotoxicity (paralysis), and cardiotoxicity (heart damage/failure).

Bothriechis schlegelii, eyelash vipers, are generally considered a "medium" potency viper. They can and often do cause local necrosis, blistering, tissue damage, as well as systemic aches, pains, fever, vomiting, etc. The majority of bites, if treated with antivenin promptly, will not cause lasting disfigurement or impairment; however, that cannot be a guarantee. There are people who have been bitten and not even gone to the hospital, no antivenin, and recovered fully....but on the flip side, there are people who have died.

All vipers have primarily hemotoxic/cytotoxic venom. So the major concern is tissue damage, hemorrhaging and necrosis. Eyelash vipers are not cardiotoxic, except that excessive swelling and blistering can cause fluid balance changes and shock. Necrosis can lead to secondary infections that can be quite devastating.

Basically, don't be bitten. Their venom is neutralized by polyvalent crotalid antivenin (CroFab and the like), so most North American hospitals will have it or can get it quickly.