The White-lipped Bamboo Pit Viper (scientific name: Cryptelytrops albolabris) has a triangular head and a slender neck, resembling a branding iron. It has fine scales on the top of its head and cheek pits on the sides of its snout. The upper jaw only has venomous fangs. The body is bright green on the back with inconspicuous black bands, and yellowish-white on the belly. There is a white stripe on the outermost edge of the body from the neck to the tail, and the upper lip is yellowish-white. The nasal scales are large, and there are usually no scales between the nasal scales and the cheek pits.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Viperidae
Genus: Trimeresurus
Species: Cryptelytrops albolabris
Distribution: Southern China and Southeast Asia.
The White-lipped Bamboo Pit Viper snake species is distributed in southern China and Southeast Asia. In China, it is found in Fujian (several counties around Fuzhou, including the suburbs of Fuzhou), Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Hong Kong, and Macau. Outside of China, it is found in Nepal, northeastern India, Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and in the central United States and the Hawaiian Islands.
It is not recommended to raise them. The White-lipped Bamboo Pit Viper has a small venom yield when it bites, with an average of about 30 milligrams of venom released each time. Its venom is primarily characterized by hemorrhagic changes, and few people die from poisoning. There are usually two bite marks (occasionally, there may only be one), with a spacing of 0.3-0.8 centimeters. The wound has a small amount of oozing blood, severe pain, a burning-like sensation, local redness and swelling, and can quickly progress to ulceration. Its typical characteristics are the presence of multiple blood blisters, which appear early; systemic symptoms are generally rare. Systemic symptoms include nausea, dizziness, and abdominal distension and pain. Some patients may experience vomiting or bloody stools, and severe cases can result in toxic shock. In Fujian, Taiwan, Guangdong, and other provinces, the White-lipped Bamboo Pit Viper is the primary snake species responsible for snakebite injuries. Although bites from the White-lipped Bamboo Pit Viper are not life-threatening, there are many cases of bites, thus posing significant hazards.
First, common disease: oral inflammation
1. Cause of illness: After hibernation in spring, snakes are weak in physique. At this time, if the humidity of the snake nest is too high and the environmental conditions are poor, the oral bacteria of the snake will multiply in large numbers, and the snake is prone to oral inflammation. At the same time, when snakes eat fish or rodent food, they may be injured by fish bones or rodent claws, which can also cause this disease. This disease is contagious. If not treated in time, it will quickly spread to the entire snake group.
2. Symptoms: Swelling of the snake's forehead. Opening the snake's mouth, you can see that the inside is ulcerated and there is a thick secretion. The snake lifts its head, opens its mouth slightly, and cannot hold its breath.
3. Treatment method: Use a degreased cotton swab to wipe off its purulent secretion. Then disinfect with rifampicin solution or boric acid solution. Then apply gentian violet potion or ice boron powder to the snake once or twice a day for about 10 days to recover. If the snake does not open its mouth, a chopstick can be used to open the snake's mouth for observation and treatment.
4. Disease prevention: If the humidity of the snake nest is high, the snake nest should be cleaned and disinfected in the sun. The snake can also be moved to the sun to naturally alleviate the snake's condition. The bedding of the snake nest should also be replaced.
Second, common disease: acute pneumonia
1. Cause of illness: The high temperature and humidity of the snake nest, the large temperature difference between hot and cold, and poor air mobility are the main causes of snakes getting pneumonia. Snakes with poor physique or not recovering after giving birth are more prone to infection. If not treated in time, it may endanger the entire group of snakes within 3-5 days, causing a large number of snake deaths. This is a highly contagious disease, and sometimes even strong snakes are difficult to avoid.
2. Symptoms: Snakes with respiratory distress, loss of appetite, often stay outside the nest, even if you put the snake back into the nest, it will crawl out again. If you check the mouth, you can't see any secretions.
3. Treatment method: Inject penicillin 100,000 units for adult snakes twice a day. When injecting, the needle can be inserted into the back muscles of the snake, with a slightly parallel angle to the snake's body. Or feed the snake with erythromycin tablets, 0.2 grams each time, three times a day. If this disease is treated in a timely and appropriate manner, the diseased snake can recover in 8 to 14 days.
4. Disease prevention: Increase shade facilities in the snake farm. After removing the snakes from the snake nest, flush the snake nest with a 1:1000 potassium permanganate solution or bleach solution. After the snake nest is cooled and dried, put the snake back. When the weather changes suddenly and cold wave comes, windproof and warm work should be done.
Third, common disease: loss of appetite in snakes
In addition to other diseases in snakes, the deterioration and monotony of food often cause snakes to lose their appetite. Anorexic snakes eat very little or even do not eat at all. In the long run, it will seriously affect the normal growth of snakes.
1. Treatment method: Anorexic snakes can be fed with 5-20ml of complex vitamin B solution every day. At the same time, feed the snake with liquid food such as egg or fresh loach.
2. Disease prevention: The fed food should be fresh. Pay attention to a diversified diet; postpartum feeding should be timely; the snake's activity place should be spacious; at the same time, parasites should be expelled. Other possible diseases in snakes include enteritis, mold disease, scale worm disease, stick insect disease, roundworm disease, etc. During the breeding process, it is necessary to observe and search for relevant information to treat the disease accordingly.
Snakes are animals with limited self-healing ability for diseases, so in the breeding process, we must pay attention to the changes in snakes. If there are signs of illness, it is necessary to separate the sick snake from other snakes for breeding, so as to minimize the chance of transmission.
Food Requirements for White-lipped Bamboo Pit Viper
The White-lipped Bamboo Pit Viper (scientific name: Cryptelytrops albolabris) has a triangular head and a slender neck, resembling a branding iron. It has fine scales on the top of its head and cheek pits on the sides of its snout. The upper jaw only has
feeding mainly occurs in captivity, and the feeding method is also simple. Just throw the food in the feeding box and the snake will eat it by itself. White-lipped Bamboo Pit Viper likes to eat milk rats and small white mice that have just grown fur.
When raising White-lipped Bamboo Pit Viper, it is important to note that the snake likes to wrap and climb, so you must put one or more vines with fake leaves in the box. White-lipped Bamboo Pit Viper has a higher humidity requirement, so it should be sprayed with water regularly to increase humidity. White-lipped Bamboo Pit Viper is a snake that is active at night, so it is best to feed it in the evening. If the White-lipped Bamboo Pit Viper refuses to eat, the following feeding methods can be used.
1. Start with the smallest milk rat. When feeding, the rat's head should always face the snake's head. The reason is simple, snakes always swallow food from the head.
2. The purpose of the impact is to provoke it, not to scare it. If the snake is very nervous and wants to run away, stop immediately, rest for a while, and then continue.
3. After it bites the food, quietly wait regardless of whether it eats or not. Do not touch it or move the snake box. It swallows very slowly, so you have to wait until it is completely in the abdomen before moving the snake box. If the rat is only in the neck and immediately moved, it will make it vomit the food, making it difficult to feed it again.
4. Within 3 minutes after feeding, use the smallest milk rat to feed it again to deepen its impression. Feed it once every 5 days after feeding.
5. White-lipped Bamboo Pit Viper cannot be force-fed like a Five-Step Snake, otherwise it may vomit the food and die.
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