A brief intro, and some photos

[botis]

Hello, all. I'm new here, so I'll briefly introduce myself. I'm Brian, and I live in southeast Michigan. I'm 32, and a life long reptile lover. I'v kept a variety of herps, starting about 5 -6 years of age. At 10, I was bitten on the shoe by a small Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake (not envenomated), and since then, I've been completely fascinated by vipers. A little over 3 years ago, I began keeping them, myself. Among the vipers, the arboreals are what I'm truely passionate about. Well, enough about me, here are some photos from my collection. Enjoy.

http://i769.photobucket.com/albums/xx332/botis1313/021-2.jpg
http://i769.photobucket.com/albums/xx332/botis1313/012-2.jpg
http://i769.photobucket.com/albums/xx332/botis1313/020-2.jpg
http://i769.photobucket.com/albums/xx332/botis1313/030-2.jpg
http://i769.photobucket.com/albums/xx332/botis1313/045-2.jpg
http://i769.photobucket.com/albums/xx332/botis1313/084-2.jpg

A couple baby Eyelash vipers that I produced last fall
http://i769.photobucket.com/albums/xx332/botis1313/024-2.jpg

http://i769.photobucket.com/albums/xx332/botis1313/121-2-1.jpg

[infernalis]

sSnakeSs.com - Rules (http://www.ssnakess.com/index.php?page=rules)

http://www.thamfriends.com/mat.jpg

[CK SandBoas]

Hi there, welcome to the forum! You have some truly gorgeous snakes in your collection!

[alessia55]

Welcome to the forum. You've got some amazing snakes. Could you give the names of all of them? A lot of us aren't familiar with all the venomous snakes. :) Thanks!

[shaunyboy]

hello and welcome

that's a very impressive collection you have there

the head shape and eyes in the first picture,the eyes again in the third pic

those are some of the most beautiful snakes i've ever seen mate

stunning...!!

cheers shaun

[jaleely]

These are wonderful! It's awesome to see some more hot keepers. I have not seen a hot I didn't like, though I don't own any. You've produced some beauties!

[botis]

Thanks, everyone :)

The first 3 pictures are all Eyelash Vipers (Bothriechis schlegelii).
The 4th is a male Siamese Penninsula Pitviper (Popeia fucata).
The 5th is a male Variable Bush Viper (Atheris squamigera).
The 6th is a female Wetar Island Pitviper (Cryptelytrops insularis).

[alessia55]

Thanks, everyone :)

The first 3 pictures are all Eyelash Vipers (Bothriechis schlegelii).
The 4th is a male Siamese Penninsula Pitviper (Popeia fucata).
The 5th is a male Variable Bush Viper (Atheris squamigera).
The 6th is a female Wetar Island Pitviper (Cryptelytrops insularis).

Thanks!! Very awesome. Don't be shy. Feel free to post more photos and tell us more about them.

[BarelyBreathing]

Now this is a hot thread! Wow!

[Rogue628]

Welcome! Those are some really amazing vipers! Please tell us more about them. Alot of us like to live vicariously through pics and stories of hot keepers :)

[Louis Jacobsz]

Stunning animals man !

The colour of the first Bothriechis schlegelii is amazing !

Thanks for sharing !

Regards.

[botis]

Thanks, again, for all the nice comments. If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask. I'm always happy to share my experiences. Here's a few more photos for you all.

'10 female Eyelash Viper
http://i769.photobucket.com/albums/xx332/botis1313/007-2.jpg

'10 male Wetar Island Pitviper
http://i769.photobucket.com/albums/xx332/botis1313/022-2.jpg

'07 female Eyelash Viper, mother of the babies pictured.
http://i769.photobucket.com/albums/xx332/botis1313/008-2.jpg

'10 Female Beautifull Pitviper (Cryptelytrops venustus)
http://i769.photobucket.com/albums/xx332/botis1313/015-2.jpg

The eyelash pair from the 2nd photo, copulating earlier this spring
http://i769.photobucket.com/albums/xx332/botis1313/034-2.jpg

[jarich]

Wow, that Christmas coloured pitviper is amazing! All really beautiful snakes. Welcome to the forum

[marvelfreak]

Beautiful animals.

[exwizard]

Welcome! Those are some really amazing vipers! Please tell us more about them. Alot of us like to live vicariously through pics and stories of hot keepers :)Im one of those. There is no way I will ever own a hot, much less a slough of them, but they are some of the prettiest snakes around and this applies to your collection as well. Thank you and welcome to this forum.

[Morgan says]

Wow they are absolutely breath taking. Their colors are stunning. I love looking through this forum to see all of the people who are interested enough to care for such amazing creatures. When you do have to handle these guys how do you go about doing that?

[Frozenflame]

they are fascinating! have always been fascinated by vipers and their brilliant colors and deadliness... could never keep one though lol

[GarterPython]

at Morgan Says = I don't actually keep them but I am guessing that he uses a snake hook and gloves.

[jaleely]

The '10 Female Beautifull Pitviper (Cryptelytrops venustus) is AMAZING. Love!!!!
I wish I trusted myself with hots! I can't even not get bitten by my silly ones lol

[botis]

It's all about the color for me, too :) As far as handling is concerned, hooks are the primary tool, usually two. I have a set of tubes, and a couple pinsticks that I occasionally use. I also have a pair of gloves, but I never use them. The loss of dexterity that comes with wearing snake gloves is just not worth the limited amount of added protection they provide, in my opinion. I would also add that I never remove my hots from their enclosures, except for cage cleaning and the like. I also never put my hands on them unless I absolutely have to. Unfortunately, with 40 or so vipers in my care, I do have pin and grab them from time to time. It's not fun, but it comes with the territory. Definitely something to think about for anyone considering keeping venomous snakes.

Btw: I get bit all the time by some of my more aggressive non-vens. You have to take on a completely different mindset when working with something that can kill you. That's why I laugh when people say that working with aggressive non-venomous snakes, and not getting bitten, will prepare you handle a hot. Their mannerisms, and most importantly, their strike speed, are not comparable. I'll have to take a video of my Gaboon eating, sometime. His strike is, literally, faster than the eye can see.

[Wama]

WOW and Welcome. Stunning collection

[jaleely]

I would love to see a video!
The strike posture of some of my non-hots is very telling, and i'm usually pretty good at not getting bit...however recently i was "nommed" by my hognose snake and couldn't get him off *lol* he hooked right onto my finger.
Just chilling out in my hand while I wiped out his tank. Next thing i knew he was chewing *lol*

I am actually very proud of myself for "reading" my snakes as well as i do, but i just know it only takes that one time of reading incorrectly or not being on top of it, and i'm just klutzy enough to pull that off around a hot.

Love the vipers though. I have not seen a hot i didn't like the look of.

[botis]

That's one of the more dangerous aspects of the viperids. They are supremely addapted ambush predators, and their "tells" can be very subtle. Their pupils will dialate, their respiration will increase, they will flick their tongues more rapidly, but they often won't move a muscle. At a time of their choosing, they explode into action. Anything in range, and targeted, has no time to react.

This isn't my video, but it's a good illustration as to what I'm talking about.

Scary Short: "Say Ahhhhhh" - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVy_kW44bV0&feature=plcp)

[Will0W783]

Hello and welcome! I see you're another arboreal viper lover! I too am just enamored with these beauties. I LOVE your Wetar and venustus! And you have a beautiful selection of eyelash vipers. I have two green eyelashes, 2 Wagler's temple vipers and a horned bush viper, along with a rattler and cobra.

[botis]

Hi, there. I've seen some of your photos, very nice. I'd love to add a few wags to my collection, but all I ever run across are imports and ltc. No matter how nice the animal, I won't touch anything that's not cbb. I've been taking a lot of pictures, lately, so here's a few more for you all to check out.

'10 Female Eyelash viper
http://i769.photobucket.com/albums/xx332/botis1313/164-2.jpg

'09 male Variable Bush Viper
http://i769.photobucket.com/albums/xx332/botis1313/066-2.jpg

Some more of last years baby Eyelash Vipers
http://i769.photobucket.com/albums/xx332/botis1313/044-2-1.jpg
http://i769.photobucket.com/albums/xx332/botis1313/072-2.jpg
http://i769.photobucket.com/albums/xx332/botis1313/012-2-1.jpg
http://i769.photobucket.com/albums/xx332/botis1313/096-2-1.jpg

Dam and Sire to last years babies, both born in '07
http://i769.photobucket.com/albums/xx332/botis1313/054-2-1.jpg
http://i769.photobucket.com/albums/xx332/botis1313/120-2.jpg

[exwizard]

Man I am completely in awe of what Ive seen so far in your collection. All I got to say is "wow!"

[jaleely]

ah i love them, love them! I can't get enough.
That video was funny, too....Hoooooollleeeee sheeeeeet! LOL

And you are right about the subtlety of their "tells". That video is a good example. We could tell she was primed, but there was just *no* warning.

Aaaaand that is why i have to live vicariously through others...lol

You have some amazing specimens though! I just love them.