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Hagen's pit viper
Trimeresurus hageni
A strikingly bright green, arboreal pit viper hailing from Southeast Asia. It is powerfully venomous and demands specialized, highly humid tropical terrarium environments.
Class:Squamata
Order:Squamata
Family:Viperidae
Subfamily:Crotalinae
Genus:Trimeresurus
Species:Trimeresurus hageni
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Environment
Terrestrial
Humidity
70 - 90 %
Day temperature
22 - 30 °C
Ambient temperature
22 - 30 °C
Night temperature
22 - 24 °C
Basking spot
29 - 30 °C
Adult size
130 cm
Minimum enclosure
>= 250 L
UVB
Low
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Hagen's Pit Viper is native to Southeast Asia, ranging through Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, and adjacent Indonesian islands. It inhabits pristine lowland tropical rainforests, dense riverine vegetation, and bamboo groves, staying on branches from near ground level up to several meters high.
Taxonomy and Genetics: Belonging to the family Viperidae, subfamily Crotalinae, and genus Trimeresurus. Scientifically classified as Trimeresurus hageni. It belongs to the complex of green Asian pit vipers and is closely related to Trimeresurus sumatranus, sharing overlapping habitats but differing in scale counts.
Behavior and Habits: Strictly solitary, nocturnal, and arboreal. It utilizes its strong prehensile tail to anchor itself to branches while waiting in ambush for prey. It has highly sensitive heat-sensing loreal pits located between the nostril and eye. The venom is primarily hemotoxic.
Morphology: Features a slender body and a large, distinct triangular head. The dorsal coloration is bright grass-green, sometimes with light green or yellow lateral spots. The eyes are pale green or yellowish with vertical pupils. Adults typically range from 80 to 100 cm in length.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: A vertically oriented enclosure measuring at least 60x50x90 cm is required. Furnish with a network of climbing branches of varying thicknesses, secure artificial or live plants (such as Philodendron or Pothos) to provide hiding spots and cover.
Lighting and Heating: Maintain daytime temperatures between 24-27°C (75-81°F), with a localized basking spot of 29-30°C (84-86°F). Nighttime temperatures should drop to 20-22°C (68-72°F). Install a 2-5% UVB light source on a 12-hour cycle.
Humidity and Hydration: Demands high humidity levels, between 70% and 80%. Mist the enclosure thoroughly once or twice daily with clean, reverse osmosis water. These snakes drink droplets from leaves; they rarely use standard water dishes, though one should still be present.
Feeding and Supplementation: Feed thawed mice or small rats of appropriate size every 10-14 days using extra-long feeding tongs. Juvenile specimens may prefer geckos or frogs. Supplementation is rarely necessary if rodents are gut-loaded, but calcium can be used monthly.
Compatibility: Strictly solitary and dangerously venomous. Must be housed individually in locked terrariums. Specialized handling tools, such as snake hooks and shifting cages, are mandatory. Direct handling is strictly forbidden due to bite risk.
Health and Common Diseases: Poor ventilation combined with high humidity causes respiratory tract infections and mouth rot (infectious stomatitis). Dehydration is a common issue if the snake refuses to drink from spray water; monitor skin folds for signs of dry skin.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Hagen's Pit Viper is native to Southeast Asia, ranging through Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, and adjacent Indonesian islands. It inhabits pristine lowland tropical rainforests, dense riverine vegetation, and bamboo groves, staying on branches from near ground level up to several meters high.
Origin
South and Southeast AsiaEast Asia
Reptile profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 130 cm
- Lifestyle/Microhabitat
- No verified data available
- Activity cycle
- No verified data available
- Sociality
- No verified data available
- Reproduction
- No verified data available
- Handling tolerance
- No verified data available
- Brumation
- No verified data available
- Molting
- No verified data available
The catalog's scalar value is 130 cm. The ReptTraits v1.2 source reports a maximum adult measurement of 130 cm for this species, recorded as total length (TL). These figures are not interchangeable: the first is the profile's editorial reference, whereas the second is a published maximum under a specific measurement convention; differences among sources can reflect sex, population, life stage and measuring method.
Image gallery
Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.
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