Viper questions - housing, heating, where to buy, how active?

[ggg111]

Hi all - I am thinking about buying a Viper because of several reasons including, from my reading, they do fine with an undertank heater and have the same requirements as my leos.

A few questions:

How big should a tank be for 1 male? 5 gallons? 10 gallons?
How are they being handled? Tame and curious/slow, or super jumpy and fast?
Am I rite that they don't need lights and just a UTH?
Also, and most importantly, how active are they during the day? My leos sleep all day and wanted something that was fun to watch and was more active?
Also, do they need hides?

I know these are some random questions and I appreciate all input - there aren't too many resources on them.

Oh, and where can I buy one!? :main_laugh:

Thank you in advance for takling the time to answer

 

[bluedevil19]

HI,
I have a breeding trio of Vipers and keep them in a short 10 gall, same lenght as a 10 gall but half as tall. Im using calci sand, a cave, log and fake leaves for my set up with a water dish of course. 75 watt normal light bulb for day and a 60 watt moonlight for night. I mist their egg laying spot when they start to get fat from eggs being inside them. Check your local reptile show if reptile stores dont have any for sale. My three adults are very tame and wont squirm when i hold them, I have three babies that hatched in the last 3 weeks and they dont like to be held yet but i have to work with them more..

i Hope i helped you out a bunch

 

[ggg111]

Cool thanks. How active are they during the day and do they hide when the sleep or do they just sleep in the open? Thanks for responding.

 

[lpcad]

Hi all - I am thinking about buying a Viper because of several reasons including, from my reading, they do fine with an undertank heater and have the same requirements as my leos.

A few questions:

How big should a tank be for 1 male? 5 gallons? 10 gallons?
How are they being handled? Tame and curious/slow, or super jumpy and fast?
Am I rite that they don't need lights and just a UTH?
Also, and most importantly, how active are they during the day? My leos sleep all day and wanted something that was fun to watch and was more active?
Also, do they need hides?

I know these are some random questions and I appreciate all input - there aren't too many resources on them.

Oh, and where can I buy one!? :main_laugh:

Thank you in advance for takling the time to answer

They will do fine with an under tank heater, but you may need a rheostat or thermostat. Viper geckos do need a thermal gradient. You want to have a hot spot around 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool side of the cage can be room temp. They do not, from my experience need any special lighting, but they do need light to recognize a photo period.

If you only plan on one gecko, a five gallon tank will be big enough for him.
You will need a screen top or secure lid of some sort.

Viper geckos are fine to handle. They generally do not bite and are not very flighty as adults. Vipers are generally very docile but they are very quick, so you will want to handle him while sitting on the floor or over his enclosure. You don't want to accidentally drop your viper gecko.

Viper geckos are nocturnal. You may see him out during the day, but he will do a lot of hiding during the day.

Yes, they need places to hide.

As far as acquiring a viper gecko. There are several members here on GF that are working with them. I would suggest putting up a classified ad.

 

[ggg111]

thanks a ton

 

[bluedevil19]

i have two babies for sale that just hatched but i dont know how to ship living things lol

 

[RadReptiles831]

Hi bluedevil19 how much are you selling them for. I would like one and you could sell the other one to ggg111. Try shipyourreptiles.com