Viper Geckos -- how much?

how much are they?? (Axe, this is directed at you of course.)

I think i want one...

lmao! You're obsessed UNFLUX!

Those are awsome lol

Hehe, you can pick them up for about 50 bucks or so if you shop around. Their care is probably the easiest and most simplistic of any reptile.

You can actually keep them in colonies too providing you have enough space for them and plenty of hiding places for when they want to be alone.

They're one of the few species of reptiles where you can actually keep several males together - although, you'll want with all males and no females, or more females than males, in the enclosure. When breeding season hits, even though they usually won't fight, the stress over competition for breeding can make them feel a little depressed (which can cause parasites, quit eating, etc. and these lil guys are kinda delicate & hard to medicate or force-feed, so best to try & prevent those problems from happening)..

You can happily keep 3 or 4 of them in a 10 gallon tank, washed playsand from home depot (aside from only being $3 for a 50lb bag, and therefore much cheaper than any of the "reptile safe" sands at pet stores, it's a HELL of a lot safer). Avoid "Calci-Sand" and the other pet store substrates at all costs. They are the worst products in the industry, and cause impaction in many hundreds of reptiles per year.

You don't need to buy expensive UVB lighting (and as these are essentially crepuscular/nocturnal reptiles, it's been suggested that UVB might actually be harmful for them - especially having no eyelids). They'll eat small crickets & mealworms, you just need a good temperature in the warm end for them to digest, they'll need a humid hide too, so that they can shed good without getting bits of skin drying up around toes, etc.

All in all, you're looking at around $100 or less to acquire a single animal, and setup the housing. If you want more than a single individual animal, the cost goes up for the actual price of the animals themselves, plus extra hiding spots (caves, etc.)

If you check the web links on my site, there should be a few care sheets available for them there. But I'll be more than happy to answer any questions you have here too

Unflux's logos and themes change each season I think. The last two I recall was the grunge period, the water dropplet period. I think there was an ice period too wasn't there? Now of course, it is reptile season

lol

I like your new look unflux. and Ive been wondering something.. Ive been able to sign in just fine recently. I used to always get the Invalid_Sessions error but now It dont even ask me to sign in. I just come to the site and Im already signed it... hmm..

Hey btw, Unflux, had you noticed that was the photo I used for my own avatar too?

yes i had -- which is why my avatar is different now...
I had originally made one using just the eye as well, but it
wasn't until I viewed it on the board that I realized yours was
the same! I didn't want to be a copycat, so I changed it
to just the rock...which I actuially like a lot. So it worked out well.

as for the little guys, I have several aquariums in my house, and
1 isn't being used at the moment. It's a 20g-long -- should be
perfect! I can't wait, it's gonna be fun.

Do they like water? like if I partitioned the tank into a section
where it has a small pond with tetras in it or something?? or do
they more or less need tons of leafy areas?? I'd like to get
some ideas on how their typical environment is set up so I can
start planning. Got any pics? ideas?

For some reason I am getting this image of Unflux incorporating his past seasons with the reptile season. I wouldn't be suprised if you start seeing water mixed in with the reptile photos. Hopefully he doesn't go too far to incorporate ice and reptiles together lol.

hey bigweb -- do the letters FO mean anything to you?

a 20 long will be perfect for a nice lil colony

As for liking water, not really... they're from Afghanistan, which is kinda dry

But, they do like a humid hide, and will usually get the fluids they need from licking off the sides of that. There's info in the Leopard Gecko section on my site how to make one of those, just make a smaller one for the vipers, heh.

Mostly, washed playsand as the main substrate, lots of rocks & caves, and that's basically it.

Let me have a hunt around and see what kinda enclosure setups I can find that would be cool for 'em.

Actually yes they do

FANTASTIC OPINION

Thanks dude! Glad you liked it.

axe - i really appreciate all the info, thx. I guess the green-ish
coloring of the photos I assumed they were tropical (rain forest).

I'm cool with sand and rocks though...but what about something more
like what I just described? I know I can go to your site and look, I
definitely will, but if you can suggest somewhere to start would be
great. I like trees and leaves and (as bigweb pointed out) water. I'm
a huge fan of water and trees, and as I said, I have 3 aquariums already.

Speaking of bigweb....