Protobothrops j. xanthomelas

Hello Jörg,

could you please post pictures from your Protobothrops jerdoni xanthomelas ? i would love to see them growing and also to see how they change their coloration within this time.

cheers
Mario

Hello Mario,
I have no web-space this time, I can only post a link to my little online album...

https://fotoalbum.web.de/gast/mb-bonedaddy/Protobothrops_j_xanthomelas

Protobothrops jerdonii xanthomelas is one of my favourites, my little Jewels... Wink

I have 3.3 adult and 0.0.2 - 8 month old.
My first three Jerdonii I get one week old in 09/2003 Babies from a WC female.

I hope to breed this nice Snake this year.

Regards, Michael

Thanks Michael,

i love them too - really jewels - sad, they dont do well here in the heat...
anyway, i will enjoy them by watching your beautiful pictures...

thanks

by the way: welcome to the board Michael!
you will be a serious addition to our little, very special family...

and if you want to post some picture - you can upload them here easily just follow this instructions!

CHEERS
Mario

Many thanks!

- I think the excessive temperature in the summer is not the problem for Jerdonii!

But Jerdonii need in the winter 3 to 6 °C. Jerdonii eats and dungs down to 10°C Very Happy

Guest

This is my pride and joy she's a sweety.[img] Protobothrops j. xanthomelas Imag0019

[/img]
Yet to find another nearly as gold!

Guest

She likes it cool and damp and dark. She'll only feed at night in the dark.

Guest

Is there anybody besides Michael and myself that keep this species if so, I'd like to see any pics. No two I've seen have looked the same. Interested in other variations.

Thanks
TJS

Hi Timothy,
I have a pair, captive-bred, 2 1/2 years old and I think ready to breed this year. I´ll take them out of hibernation today and I hope this winter was cold enough.
I have a number of fotos of my pair as babies and until last year and fotos of a number of others, including their parents. I´ll post some of them soon.

Rainer

Guest

Very nice to meet you Rainer. Nice to see others who appreciate these incredible vipers. I am hoping that I can find a male for my lil' girl soon shes ready next fall! Looking foward to those pics.

Thanks TJS

Here are the pictures I promised. I hope you´ll enjoy them.

They are nice and calm animals, neither offensive nor defensive, only the female comes close quite quickly when she is hungry.

Rainer

1) my female as a baby
Protobothrops j. xanthomelas Xanth_12

2) same female now
Protobothrops j. xanthomelas Xanth_13

3) female, front
Protobothrops j. xanthomelas Xanth_14

4) my male
Protobothrops j. xanthomelas Xanth_15

5) father of my female
Protobothrops j. xanthomelas Xanth_16

6) father of my male
Protobothrops j. xanthomelas Xanth_17

Guest

Awesome looking animals! The female you showed in neonate and full grown shots how old is she in the second picture?

Hi Timothy,

she is 2 1/2 years old on that foto.
The foto of the same female I post here now has been taken in december 2006 when she was 4 months old and starting to change colours. But she was already quite big at that time as she was a good feeder. My experience is that changing colour depends more on size than on age in P. jerdonii, it was the same in my P. j. bourreti.

Protobothrops j. xanthomelas Xanth_18

Cheers,
Rainer

Guest

Thanks for the info. My girl is about 1 and a half years old. Excellent feeder, but only in the dark.

Guest

Well since my last post in here have aquired another. About 4 months ago I picked another female from 04'. She is a screamer pics soon.

Guest

This is the eldest of my two females and a screamer!!!
Protobothrops j. xanthomelas Buttery2

That is something else. Wow I am speechless!

Guest

Thanks I have a another female that is turning out to look the same but is still young. To bad the red isn't showing better in the photo above it was a camera phone.
Protobothrops j. xanthomelas Copyofjery2

Protobothrops j. xanthomelas Copyofjery2

This is an older picture of my other female.

I would love to get some more detailed information on how guys are keeping these animals as i am worried that mine are perhaps being kept to warm especially over the South African summer.

Guest

Keep my girls at 77 degrees F during the day and about 72 F at night. They thrive in this range in my experience.

Hello Chris,

my P.j.xanthomelas can chose spots from 20 to 38° (Celsius) within their terrarium from spring into autumn.
In autumn I slowly cool them down, winter (from end of October until March) means 12-14° in the beginning, 5-10° in mid-winter and a bit warmer again towards spring. Last winter was a bit too warm outside and thus in my hibernation room. I think therefore they didn´t breed though they should have been mature finally last year.

I think summer in SA would not be the major problem but getting optimum winter temp will be impossible without additional cooling.

I wish you luck with your´s,
Rainer

Rainer thank you for such valuable information....it is incredible that this species is happy with temps as high as 38 in the summer and then as low as 5 in the winter.
Creating the very cold winter cooling period in SA is a problem that is easily over come.
The real problems are with the species that need a lower temp all year round.

Chris - I am working on a solution for that type of species - will keep you posted.
Raineer - SA can down to -5 in some places with no problem and typical Johannesburg winter has low's of below freezing.

Guest

There such an easy species to keep and maintain. One of my alltime favs.

The ones i have seem like little bullet proof eating machines. But with these smaller vipers when something seems to good to be true it usually is!!!
So its good to hear from other keepers that they are pretty hardy animals.
I am reluctant to feed them more than once every 14 days even though they would probably eat 3 x that amount and i will try to cool the females buy simply exposing them to our normal winter temperature drop and see what happens.
Although i am in Durban i am not right on the coast and the temps usually drop lower than 10 degrees for short periods over the winter.
If that doesn't work i will have to put more effort into cooling them the next time round.

Guest

Small? My girls are 3.4 and 4+ feet. Did u mean that yours are young? As for feeding my girls eat once a week and defacate 2 to 3 days following like clock work. Same routine for years.