Scary

[Shrimply]

The guy at my local reptile shop has just put a Gaboon Viper on display. It is absolutely massive but very beautiful. Has anyone else seen one of these snakes up close they really are amazing.

He asked me if I wanted to hold it ;D

[John Pilling]

I've seen a pair in a zoo, and it was amaizing. They are great looking snakes imho.

[lozzer]

I went to this place called nikki bryan reptiles and they had one on display they are really nice but i wouldn't want to get to close as they have the widest fang span then any other venomous snake.

[Amber]

I LOVE gaboon vipers... saw one in the zoo.

[Shrimply]

Great pic.

I really think they are amazing and look great up close but I don't think i would want to keep them. They are to dangerous and far to much hassle.

Just out of interest does any of the shops close to you have dangerous reptiles on display. I have been in a few others and they only stock harmless reptiles and I know some won't even stock Hognoses because they are rear fanged. But this guy has got a copperhead, a gaboon viper and an alligator on display. Although they all have prices on them none are for sale, he will not even sell large constrictors, however he is trying to get rid of a pair of water cobras cheap before they are put on to the DWA list.

[Amber]

I don't think I've ever been in a shop with venemous snakes... but I am wanting to visit coast to coast exotics, no venemous snakes I don't think... but a Caiman, yay! I don't think most shops should have venemous snakes, it can only encourage people to want to buy them...

[Shrimply]

Trust me nobody would be allowed to buy this guys snakes. Their part of his own collection and he would never give them up and on top of that there can't be that many people around that can be bothered to get the required documents.

As for the alligator it is part of a rescue. Since he is the only one with a license to keep them in Scotland the SSPCA phones him up and asks him to take any that are rescued, I think he has got about 4. When it gets bigger he will send it down to a friend in England who has a breeding program and releases the young back into the wild. I believe he has done some documentaries on channel 4.

They get a big crowd for feeding the alligator. They do it last thing on a Saturday so only people that want to see it are their. It will beg for food of one of the guys in the shop.

Coast to Coast exotics is only a couple of hours from where I live, Darlington, right . The person who runs it is supposed to be running an IHS show next year. As a trader the guy at the reptile shop is allowed to take 5 people with him and he said I could go along. ;D

Are you planning on buying anything?

[John Pilling]

Coast to coast seem's great, i often go to the website to see whats new, and i'm always impressed by the collection.

As to the venomous and the croc, i wouldn't take a croc on, but i would love a diamond back rattler, Don't know why, they just luck amazing imho, and are usually calm unless provoked (not a handleing snake tho). Their just 2 expencive for the dwa license, £375 a year from my local counsel which is a lot (but i've got a crap counsel). The other venoumous snake i would like is a south african puff adder, they can be handled gentler and are quite calm and are rear fanged so the risk is minamized for being bitten (their basicley an overgrown hognose).

[Shrimply]

I think the guy has got a diamond. Venomous snakes are very expensive as well.

[cornmorphs]

stunning animals, but sod holding one lol.

[cornmorphs]

i can get stuff like that, but its all dodgy really. theres a guy near me, hes like the english steve irwin.. total nutter lol, he keeps and breeds plenty of unusual stuff.
i've seen conbras in his house, that was enough for me

[lozzer]

Lol you should visit nikki bryan reptiles they have many venomous snakes,but they are way behind in herp prices as they charge £40 for a normal corn snake and they call themselves proffesional breeders huh.

[cornmorphs]

lol, yeah you get some of them.
ah well, think most of us dont need to use shops now. i cant remember the last time i bought anything from a reptile shop.

[Amber]

I wouldn't ever own anything seriously venemous, as pretty as they are I don't see how it could be worth the risk, if it escaped it might bite you, fine your fault, but what then if it got out of your house and bit other people?
I love good reptile shops, seeing people that really know what they are doing, and getting advice from them. I'm amazed how many of the big breeders/ shop owners know each other. I was in the snake shop today (got another bp, yay!) talking to the guy that owns the shop, he knows so much I just listen in amazement, because it's not the kind of knowledge you can read about, it's from experience.

[Vicki]

Pete Blake has a new shop in Bristol which has a fair few of venemous snakes. He does handling displays aswell. I got my JCP's off him a few weeks before he opened the shop but plan another trip soon

[Shrimply]

It really is amazing. Visiting the shop really is better than a reptile house. Today he had in some mangrove snakes, a thorny devil and a tiger reticulated python they really are all beautiful creatures and none of them are for sale. He hardly has room in the shop for stock he is actually selling.

He has also got in some pastel motley corns which are beautiful. The shop has got much better since I first went and only had a choice between normal and amel corns.

[meths]

Where is the shop shrimply? I might pop down one saturday and take a look - you're only about 40 miles away from me.

[Shrimply]

Unless you are in the area I wouldn't bother personally. Although he has some interesting animals it is a small shop and very crammed together. He does not have an awful lot of veraity either and his prices aren't great. He is able to get you nearly anything you want though. I am sure there are more interesting places in a 40 mile radius. If you do want to visit though contact me and I will do my best to dircte you.

Have you ever been in Gala before? If so getting you there will be no problems. You never know if you are down on a Satuarday you might meet me helping out. He is closed on Mondays and Sundays by the way.

By the way they have put some goldfish in the aligaters pond at first I thought it was really cruel to put live food in but it would appear the alligtor doesn't touch them ;D

[will1989]

the shop i go to is about 15 miles away from me in a big garden centre just outside newent stocks dwa animals and they are gogeous if i had the money and time i would love a gaboon ther are gorgeous. they also have a 14ft burmese and a 9ft tiger retic not for sale though. here a link not the best site in the world but still. www.rainforest-reptiles.co.uk