Rhombic Night Adder — Fact Sheet

Causus rhombeatus · Rhombic Night Adder

Full care guide and sources

📋 At a glance

🏠 Enclosure

One adult needs at least 90 x 50 x 45 cm; larger individuals need enough additional room to turn, travel and use every thermal zone. Use 8-12 cm of compactable soil and leaf litter with a moist hide but a dry surface option. Paper is safer during quarantine.

🪨 Substrate and furnishings

All furnishings must be fixed, visible during an animal count and compatible with the shift route. Avoid adhesive décor, sharp mesh, unstable rocks or branches, aromatic wood and inaccessible cavities. Each opening needs an independent mechanical lock and neonate-proof ventilation.

💡 Lighting

Provide 10-12 hours of broad visible light and complete darkness at night. Low-output UVB may be offered as a measured Ferguson Zone 1 opportunity, with full shade at the same temperature. Whole-prey nutrition does not make intense UVB appropriate.

🌡️ Temperature

• Basking spot: 29-31 °C
• Daytime air: 23-28 °C
• Cool zone: 21-24 °C
• Night: 19-23 °C

💧 Humidity and water

Use 50-70% RH as a working range and provide a sheltered microclimate around 70-80% during shedding. Humidity must not mean a continuously wet floor. Let exposed surfaces dry, preserve airflow and judge the setup by hydration, clean sheds and skin condition.

Supply a stable bowl of fresh water from a protected service point. Persistent condensation, sour substrate, mould or wet ventral skin indicates excessive moisture or inadequate ventilation.

🪳 Feeding

Offer a nutritionally planned whole-prey programme developed with an experienced institution; many individuals strongly prefer amphibians. Do not collect wild amphibians or improvise force-feeding. Captive-bred origin and a proven, lawful feeding history should be prerequisites to acquisition. Use feeding tongs only after the animal is secured in a known position; never hand-feed or leave live vertebrate prey unattended.

Whole prey normally supplies calcium and vitamins without dusting. Regurgitation, repeated refusal or weight change requires a review of prey size, temperature, disturbance and disease rather than repeated feeding attempts.

☠️ Safety

This species is venomous. Venom exposure can cause pain, swelling or other systemic effects, and severity varies with species, locality, bite site and the amount delivered. A small wound or apparently dry bite is not proof of safety; every bite or sting requires urgent medical assessment.

If an incident occurs, move away, call emergency services or a poison centre, keep the patient still, remove rings and other constricting items, and follow dispatcher instructions. Do not use a tourniquet, cut or suck the wound, apply ice or electricity, give alcohol or medicines as a home treatment, or attempt to catch the animal. Antivenom choice and dosing are hospital decisions; verify the relevant product and local availability in advance. Sources: WHO snakebite guidance and appropriate species-specific toxinology or medical references listed below.

🩺 Health — warning signs

Important risks include refusal of unsuitable prey, parasite burden in imports, dehydration, dermatitis, respiratory disease and stress from exposed housing. Refusal or immobility alone is not a diagnosis. Secure the animal before investigation, verify recorded temperatures and humidity, and arrange protected examination by an experienced reptile veterinarian. Never attempt hands-on home restraint or treatment.