# Head-Shaking Viper My Rhinocerous



## *o* (Apr 12, 2007)

here is my rhino. 
The head-shaking viper!




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## Jade01 (Feb 21, 2007)

aww that's amazing, beautiful colours


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## stuartdouglas (Mar 5, 2008)

If it's shaking its head it's letting you know that it's stressed! Cover the viv and leave it completely alone for a couple of weeks. _Bitis_ sp are especially prone to stress and the head shaking is a manifestation of it. Stress in these snakes is a killer!!!


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## *o* (Apr 12, 2007)

stuartdouglas said:


> If it's shaking its head it's letting you know that it's stressed! Cover the viv and leave it completely alone for a couple of weeks. _Bitis_ sp are especially prone to stress and the head shaking is a manifestation of it. Stress in these snakes is a killer!!!


I know I know.
she shakes her head, when I opened her viv to feed her and nothing to do to her other days.
I even come close to her viv normaly.


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## chondro13 (Aug 18, 2008)

Shes beautiful! Hopefully she will chill out soon : victory:


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## andy2086 (Dec 26, 2008)

What a beaut! Good luck with getting her calm :2thumb:


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## zail (Nov 30, 2008)

wow! beautiful snake you have there


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## ScottGB (May 12, 2008)

She's ace. I love the rhino vipers with that colouration. How much was she????


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## Declan123 (Dec 29, 2007)

Doesn't Al (viperkeeper) rhino head bob? Doesn't seem stressed. But. What do I know


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

i've seen head shaking and trembling in the past so many times.... bci's and many other snakes... i don't know if it's the same thing as here but i've noticed it and made a mental note... i've never heard of it being discussed though. what i hav e seen was a brief, kind of con vulsive thing just involving it's head and neck... then it would pass.... as if nothing was wrong. with this i always just wrote it off because the snakes concerned were always alright afterwards... 

but what i saw was just a pronounced tremble... for maybe 10-20 seconds... probably not even what you guys are talking about...

wait, i remember a copperhead doing that too years ago.... 

likely nothing though...


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## stuartdouglas (Mar 5, 2008)

Declan123 said:


> Doesn't Al (viperkeeper) rhino head bob? Doesn't seem stressed. But. What do I know


 
Speak to Alan Hyde, he is a wealth of knowledge about _Bitis_ sp. It was him that told me that the bobbing and head shaking was a sign of stress in them


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## Declan123 (Dec 29, 2007)

learn somthing new everyday. Could it mean two things..... Like dogs barking in excitment and in defence?? Or to put it in better context, like snakes having Different tongue flicks.... Defencive and curiosity?


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

i swear i've seen a variety of snakes have a spasm or something with their head now and them.... like an involuntary shiver... that happens when their heads are resting and then as quickly as it happens it's gone... it just caught my eye.... are we talking the same thing?


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## Rikki (Mar 27, 2007)

Declan123 said:


> learn somthing new everyday. Could it mean two things..... Like dogs barking in excitment and in defence?? Or to put it in better context, like snakes having Different tongue flicks.... Defencive and curiosity?


It is thought the back and forth head movements are a response to movement up to 6m away. That's according to Froesch (1967), so there could well be new ideas!


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## Rikki (Mar 27, 2007)

HABU said:


> i swear i've seen a variety of snakes have a spasm or something with their head now and them.... like an involuntary shiver... that happens when their heads are resting and then as quickly as it happens it's gone... it just caught my eye.... are we talking the same thing?


I think they mean a peculiar head bobbing by this species, which looks like a conscious movement. Althoguh I have seen that involuntary 'shivering' too.


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## paulrimmer69 (Oct 26, 2008)

Declan123 said:


> Doesn't Al (viperkeeper) rhino head bob? Doesn't seem stressed. But. What do I know


i think mr sniffles has died :sad::sad:


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## Al Hyde (Jan 6, 2008)

I've kept high numbers of nasicornis since 1990, and i'm almost 100% that head shaking is a sign of stress, or situations that are causing the animal to be stressed.

The head shaking always coincides with when the animal is feeling vunerable, exposed or threatened , I have never observed head bobbing naturally without human interaction. Animals that exhibit this behaviour in captivity seem to die prematurely at a much younger age than those that do not head shake.

The less interaction you have with a captive rhino the better it will do. Aside from feeding, hygiene and the rare cases of administering medication my rhinos are left completely alone.
This snake has a history of apparently thriving well with regular interaction only to roll over and die between the ages 1-6. When kept with minimum stress they can survive to the age of 14-18 years


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