Venom extraction from large gaboon vipers (Bitis gabonica rhinoceros)

[SexyCubanKC]

@TheReptileGuy... I Tryed it... Should have listend

[fetus4666]

Bitis gabonica rhinoceros is one of the Most Beautiful snakes out there.I wish you & your family a long & prosperous life and hope you have loved ones that will carry on your Great Work.Thanks for all you do for Snakes & Reptiles first and foremost.Then Thanks for helping people. Funny how people make snakes villains yet if humans had venom ALL living things would suffer.SNAKES &REPTILES DON'T GO OUT OF THEIR WAY TO HARM OR HURT PEOPLE, PEOPLE WILL GO OUT OF THEIR WAY TO HURT & HARM EVERYTHING

[TheReptileguy300]

Dont try this at home!

[pheasanthunter123]

u should atleast were some gloves?

[kyreptilezoo]

@pheasanthunter123 Gloves are problematic because they make you loose dexterity, which you must have at 100% to pick up snakes in this way. Also, they are weak wherever there is a seam, which is in a lot of places for a glove. There are several incidents where people have been bitten using gloves; we are not proponents of them.

[whisky327]

@pheasanthunter123 ...I don't think that would matter...the snake has up to 2 1/2 inch-long fangs....

[dengarassassin]

@jman5431 Same here!

[Namdor2012]

Someone needs to invent a semi palmless glove so you can at least have some rear of the hand/thumb and forearm protection.

Just man can use his knowledge to fly into space protected but can't protect a man from a snake under controlled conditions.

[kyreptilezoo]

@Namdor2012 There are no gloves that work properly for handling snakes; see our above answer to pheasanthunter

[Namdor2012]

@kyreptilezoo AS i said someone needs to invent a solution as I CAN see that normal type gloves would be problomatic.

[kyreptilezoo]

@Namdor2012 Well, if someone does invent something new, we would be willing to try it. You do know that there are snake-handling gloves out there, right? Those are the ones we are referring to having the problems.

[DemonLDR]

@kyreptilezoo I know the ones you're talking about. I've tried them, and wasn't impressed. I was only handling a mohave rattler, and I didn't feel safe at all.

[ThyrmBloodaxe]

@kyreptilezoo a full body suit of armor might help. i imagine it'd be quite heavy though.

[kyreptilezoo]

@ThyrmBloodaxe lol

[utubenoob78]

that is a HUGE snake..... be careful not to get bitten ok ?

[carbonm306]

monster gabs. cant wait to get mine in a few weeks

[thitluocmamtom]

Man, it's big. Really.

[DebbeMay]

what happened to the handlers finger?

[kyreptilezoo]

@DebbeMay

The index finger which he is missing the most of was actually lost in a weight lifting accident.

[DebbeMay]

wow, he is so big.

[nelson48100]

those are some big gabbys, nice

[airless818]

I wish I had one!

[oso4309]

4:40 Ouch

[niko7583]

is there albino gaboon adders/vipers?

[kyreptilezoo]

@niko7583 There theoretically are albinos of everything, but I have not seen.

[scootkh]

THe extractor/collector needs to have a glass that is verticle. The holding device for the glass needs to be smaller so the snakes mouth can be opened. If you watch this, the snakes lower mouth cannot open properly. Otherwise, nice vid. Very informative. Beautiful snakes.

[kyreptilezoo]

@scootkh That is because these snakes are so large. It does not matter to the snake if its mouth is open or not.

[scootkh]

@kyreptilezoo Oh, ok...never did that myself. Just handled a few of them....when they move, it makes you jump.

[25thesnake]

nice video nice big gaboon vipers

[samhobson30]

DO they not make some sort of heavy duty gloves that a snake handler can wear to deflect a 'just in case scenario' that could occur?

[kyreptilezoo]

@samhobson30 yes, they do make gloves--- but the gloves are not really bite proof and there are a lot of complications- the first one being that they can not be sterilized between animals.

[nuclearboy78]

lazy viper.

[brownie420ntha719]

haha you gotta have balls of steel to do this, those are some bad ass gaboons man

[jman5431]

My favorite snake. There so thick and full of color. They bask around with out any fear of being harmed. I hope to own one one day.

[Dhragonfly]

big-ass snake!!

[viper8red]

Just the bite alone from that thing would sink 2-3" in your arm I bet and would be enough to cause serious trauma. Add that venom in there and it's lights out+game over!

[kyreptilezoo]

@viper8red The fangs are very large. However even for a snake this large antivenin would still be useful, you wouldn't automatically die.

[viper8red]

@kyreptilezoo Hopefully.. on that show envenomated there were people who spent a week in the hospital from a simple rattlesnake bite and barely lived. Everyone handles it different.

[kyreptilezoo]

@viper8red True- however sometimes the things on AP or such TV stations are greatly exaggerated. I would have to know the case personally to be able to comment-- of course if I did it would be violating HIPPA to discuss it. Suffice to say that infection or other complications can easily require hospitalization, but not necessarily be life threatening.

[kkitchens20]

why is it that the handler only has four fingers

[kyreptilezoo]

@kkitchens20 The index finger was smashed in a weight lifting accident and had to be removed.

[fearingpredators]

Wow!look at the size of that fangs.I can't imagine how is the feeling when it bites my arm.Many people underestimate their abilities because of their lazy or reluctant movement but i disagree as they can cause a very serious bite.

[KevinLionMusic]

Strange body dam creepy =S

[KevinLionMusic]

He doesnt know how to handle her :S

[kyreptilezoo]

@KevinLionMusic What? These snakes hardly even struggle, they are pretty calm. What is your experience with large vipers?

[leirbag200592]

wowww that is my favorite viper and exellent manipulation

[armandin2048]

That is a HUGE viper!!, definitely don't want to have one hanging of my foot in the wild.

[chiconspiracy]

Those have got to be pretty strong considering how thick they are. Do they not actually struggle that much when restrained compared to say, a bothrops? They look like the powerlifters of the venomous snake world.

[kyreptilezoo]

@chiconspiracy Sometimes they do struggle.

[fluffie504]

He Could Have Been More Gently With It :(

[kyreptilezoo]

@fluffie504 How so? Please give us your ideas. What experience do you have with large, heavy-bodied vipers?

[fluffie504]

@kyreptilezoo I Work At The Zoo In The Reptile Department , I Work With Snakes A Little Larger Than This, But We Never Squeeze Their Heads :(

[kyreptilezoo]

@fluffie504 What zoo? I don't know of any that extract venom, in which case there would be no reason to pick them up this way. Again, how would you do it differently? The venom is used for medical research, we are not just doing this to make YouTube videos.

[fluffie504]

@kyreptilezoo The Audubon Zoo In New Orleans, And U Know Wat Sorry My Opinion Is Making You Feel This Way

[kyreptilezoo]

@fluffie504 Ask David about us. I don't think zoo people think we are treating the snakes harshly- remember that zoos don't extract venom, so there is not a need to pick snakes up like this. Not bashing zoos at all- their mission is just different than ours.

[wowplayer685]

@fluffie504 dude i would like to see you milk a snake you would most likely die if you weren't handling it like that

[VireoIbis]

Fat and strange and beautiful.

[HowitzeRBlendeR]

is this the biggest viper head you have? this thing is huge!!!

[kyreptilezoo]

@HowitzeRBlendeR Not sure if it is the largest, but it is probably close.

[HowitzeRBlendeR]

@kyreptilezoo what's the largest one :D

[kyreptilezoo]

@HowitzeRBlendeR We have a puff adder (Bitis arietans) that is also about this big, but I'm not sure which is the larger one.

[ApexSerpents]

Wow I really love those animals but I'd be too afraid to work with one. Excting video thanks for sharing!

[Boasandpythons]

Gabbys are so beautiful.

[kyreptilezoo]

The fangs are probably between 1-1.5 inches on these snakes.

[2ndRCHAret]

Wow the volume of venom looks massive. Is that a 2 inch set of fangs I see there ??

[GaboonViper5]

Beautiful Snake. Is the Rattlesnake in the background a Timber, Neotropical, or just a Eastern Diamondback.

[kyreptilezoo]

@GaboonViper5 It is probably a western diamondback you are hearing.

[theopat1999]

I was watching a program called eyewitness and they where doing a documentry on reptiles and I saw this one person extracting from a Gaboon viper, was that you?

[kyreptilezoo]

@theopat1999 Not sure... we did some footage with gaboons for Nat Geo during Snake Wranglers, they could have sold or used that. We'll have to watch for the show and see if it is!

[tier88]

is gaboon vipers agresev snakes ??? ... just hev experiens of snakes of 2 ½ years . end can you tam them?

[kyreptilezoo]

@tier88 No snake is truly aggressive, but all can bite when they feel threatened. You can not tame snakes, they are always wild animals.

[kyreptilezoo]

@tyrannosaurking Its Gaboon viper

[kyreptilezoo]

@vincentredbull No venomous snake should ever be held except with a hook or other tools- never use your hands!

[Fourteen88SoCal]

someone needs to tell that rattlesnake to chill out!

[kyreptilezoo]

@Fourteen88SoCal It does get old to hear them rattling on and on.. but that's how they are. :) I wish we could tell them to chill sometimes.

[Fourteen88SoCal]

@kyreptilezoo lol

[ToonandBBfan]

Look at the size of that!!!!!

I pity anyone who gets tagged by such a large viper!

Great video - Thanks

[HardjumperR]

holy crap those gaboons are huge

but really nice vid man

[btbayne]

Is that full grown? Cause it looks pretty big i mean the head is the size of your hand right.

[kyreptilezoo]

@btbayne Pretty much full grown. Have seen a few larger.

[Vid12]

do not be fooled, these snakes look fat and sluggish, but they can strike lightning quick!

[dixington]

those are the largest gaboon vipers i've ever seen. They look very strong judging by the way you grabbed the head. I wanna hug them and cuddle them.

[dixington]

I wanna hug it and cuddle it

[kyreptilezoo]

@eldonfitz Yes. No because there is plenty of the coral snake antivenom from Mexico available in the USA. In fact we have 60 vials here.

[xxxdoc]

Wow those are beautifull and A lil Big lol

[AT304]

WOW!!! When I first saw those snakes, I thought of the movie "Jaws".....instead of "we're going to need a bigger boat" the line should be "we're going to need a bigger funnel!"

How much (oz or cc's) of venom do you average when you milk these guys? And what is that buzzing that I hear in the background......are these housed in the same area as rattlesnakes? Not exactly the fastest snake when it comes to locomotion....then again, with fangs that long........

Thanks for sharing!

[kyreptilezoo]

@AT304 Lol. These big gaboons don't give as much venom as you would think- I think we got perhaps .7 or .8g from them. We don't measure wet venom as it is lyophilized before it is sold. For some reference, a paperclip weighs about a gram, so these snakes gave less than a paperclip's worth.

And yes, those are rattlesnakes in the same building you hear rattling.

[kyreptilezoo]

@AT304 Average about 300 to 500 mg per extraction. There are some rattlesnakes in the same building.

[Indianriverreptilezo]

Nice vid :)

[nonplayerzealot4]

There was a woman in Southern California who died after being bitten by her pet GV.

12-12-1999: L.A. Zoo volunteer dies after "pet" Gaboon viper bites her. Woman lives in home with 12 snakes, 10 of them dangerous, and 6 flesh-eating piranha fish. She is found with 2 puncture wounds on back of hand. Viper has longest fangs of any snake, according to Los Angeles Zoo officials. (The Orange County Register)

[1softkiss]

Gorgeous Gaboons!!!! My favorites of all the 'hots" along with the Boomslangs. You are totally correct in saying snakes aren't aggressive they are defensive as snakes would prefer to avoid humans. Excellent extraction video!!

[turdspooning]

It looks like the larger Gaboons are much easier to work with that some of the more flighty Elapids. Is this true?

[kyreptilezoo]

@turdspooning Yes and no. They are difficult in different ways.

[scribbledillusion]

Jebus those are some monstrous sized snakes. I would NOT want to be bitten by either. Gaboon vipers will probably remain one of my favorite venomous snakes. :D

[ctnpythons]

#1 Snake on my list!So beautiful!Thats why i keep Borneo short tails.AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!

[MrMathew8]

That is awesome. That is the prettiest snake. Love the coloring.

[Tarzan07330]

damn! that's A LOT of venom!!!!!

[draikflame44]

beautiful snakes :) they look well cared for.

[mykidsdad36]

Those are some large W.African Gaboon's - the girth looks as large as a man's Biceps! And the fangs, Man!..... They actually remind in size (speaking of the circumference) of the straws they use in the capri -sun fruit pouches, you know - the drinks in a plastic pouch, where insert a small pointed straw? Yes, thats about the same size as theose fangs - the bite would certainly be IM all the way through & possibly out the other side (ha ha) more of a stab, than a bite! Great Footage as always!

[mythical86]

seems like they aren't really very aggressive

[kyreptilezoo]

@mythical86 Snakes are defensive and not aggressive.

[TheVenomousGame]

HELL YEAH!!!!!Good job,like we know it from you.

[MintyModF1]

Nice! Deffinately a species I would like...Even without the venom, those fangs would be pretty painful just by theirself!

[Paytontengar]

DDDAAAMMMNNN thosethings are big

[jeffxl12]

i'd rather be mauled by a lion oh my and I love snakes. I watch viperkeeper but his isn't that big thank god. are those fangs 3-4" long?

[kyreptilezoo]

@jeffxl12 About 1 1/2 to 2 inches for the fangs.

[jaytdark1991]

@kyreptilezoo i like viperkeeper too and i love snakes, but what ur doing is good for medical reasearch but think bout the snake, god gave them that venom for them to defend themselves, not for us to take away.

[kyreptilezoo]

@jaytdark1991 We're not taking it away- snakes make more venom all the time in the venom gland- while it is stressful for them to be extracted from it does not hurt them and they make more venom. It is primarily used for prey acquisition, not defense, though.

[michaeltruitt2000]

have you been bit by a gaboon viper????????

[kyreptilezoo]

@michaeltruitt2000 NO.

[michaeltruitt2000]

@kyreptilezoo GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!

[michaeltruitt2000]

@kyreptilezoo what have you been bit by???????????

[kyreptilezoo]

@michaeltruitt2000 Over about 30 years: copperhead, cottonmouth, desert horned viper, lancehead viper, mojave rattlesnake, western diamondback rattlesnake, indian cobra, king cobra. I try not to dwell on my mistakes but rather focus on the good I can do by providing venoms for medical research.

[YouWM]

wow, huge snakes.

[chiconspiracy]

They have to have the largest head on a venomous snake.

[totalwombatfan]

Beautifuly gabby!

[WizzleThump]

HUGE!