This thread is for one of my favorite snake species of all-time: the Wagler's pitviper, aka temple viper.
I am blessed to own a beautiful Malaysian phase adult female, and a neon green subadult female Sulawesi phase. Both girls are pleasant-mannered, awesome eating machines.
Wagler's are a very high humidity snake, and most problems that people have with acclimating them and successfully raising babies is because they misunderstand the sheer amount of hydration these animals require to thrive in captivity. In the wild, they spend their time in trees and bushes deep in the South American rainforest, often near bodies of water. I use the "aqua-cage" method of housing: I have watertight, ABS plastic cages, with no substrate and large water bowls. I use non-porous perches, lots of plastic vines and plants, and resin sculptures for decoration and perching. The cages are hooked into an automatic misting system which produces a fine, fog-like mist for 1 minute every 2 hours. This results in extra water which collects on the floor of the cage and is aerated with an airstone. The water is siphoned out once a month to prevent algae growth and bacteria. In addition, my Wagler's vipers enjoy weekly 45-60 minute soaks in warm water. They have incredibly slow metabolic rates, and are therefore fed once every 3-4 weeks. They will pass urates frequently, but can go 3-6 months without passing much fecal matter. They are given additional water with a tattoo-shop-style wash bottle, which allows me to dribble large droplets directly onto their noses for them to suck down.
My large Malaysian (black, green, yellow and white) female is named Bisa Ular, which means "venom snake" in Malay. The green Sulawesi female needs a name yet.
Here they are, Enjoy!
First is Bisa, my adult Malaysian phase:
Wonderful Wagler's!
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