Bolkar Viper — Fact Sheet

Montivipera bulgardaghica · Bolkar Viper

Full care guide

These are provisional active-season care targets, not measured tolerance limits. Read the full guide for the evidence, population scope and winter-cooling restrictions.

📋 Quick reference

🌿 Enclosure and decoration

120 × 60 × 60 cm for one adult; increase for a large individual. Use locked shift compartments, secondary containment and no direct handling. Humidity: 45-65%, with ventilation, dry resting ground and a locally moist retreat.

🌡️ Temperature

• Basking spot: 27-29 °C
• Warm zone: 20-25 °C
• Cool zone: 18-22 °C
• Night: 16-20 °C

🐁 Feeding

Thawed whole mice; adults approximately every 14-21 days, juveniles smaller meals often every 7-10 days. Adjust to body condition. No routine supplements or live rodents.

⚖️ Legal status

No specific CITES or EU wildlife-trade annex entry was found under the reviewed names. The Bern Convention’s Appendix III general reptile provision is relevant where applicable; ask the authority how older xanthina or bornmuelleri identifications affect a particular stock. Do not infer an exemption from taxonomic uncertainty.

☠️ Venom

Medically significant venom. A bite needs immediate emergency care even if symptoms seem mild. Keep the patient still, remove tight items and follow poison-centre advice; do not cut, suck, ice or tourniquet the wound.

🩺 Common problems

• Overheating: repeated attempts to leave the warm area or abnormal exposed resting warrant an immediate check of the cool retreat and room temperature.
• Respiratory infection: bubbles, wheezing or open-mouth breathing require prompt reptile-veterinary assessment.
• Dysecdysis and dehydration: review drinking access and the moist retreat; never attempt manual skin removal.
• Dermatitis: wet bedding and dirty retreats can damage ventral scales.
• Obesity, regurgitation and parasites: track body condition and meal history; persistent change needs diagnosis, not a larger meal or automatic deworming.