Razi’s Viper

🔤 Taxonomy

Macrovipera razii was described in 2018 from Iran and separated from the M. lebetina complex. It is not Montivipera latifii: the genera, ranges and legal entries must not be conflated. Keep original locality and any older identification with the current name.

📌 Description

A heavy-bodied blunt-nosed viper with variable grey, brown or very dark colour. The original adult holotype measured 127 cm including its tail. A practical 100–150 cm adult planning band is not a proven maximum; enlarge housing for the actual animal. Species-specific captive lifespan and reproduction data are sparse.

The table gives provisional active-season starting points, not measured species optima or safety limits. Enclosure dimensions are practical recommendations; increase them for larger animals. Reliable species-specific lifespan data are insufficient for a promise. These animals require an experienced, legally authorised venomous-snake facility, not ordinary pet handling.

📋 Quick reference

Parameter	Provisional active-season target
Adult length	100–150 cm
Enclosure, one adult	180 × 90 × 75 cm
Air	22–27°C
Basking surface	29–32°C
Cool retreat	20–24°C
Night air	18–22°C
Relative humidity	40–60%

☠️ Venom

Bite severity varies; a small wound or an apparently dry bite does not exclude delayed envenoming.

A large Macrovipera bite can cause severe envenoming. Comparative genus evidence includes progressive swelling, tissue injury, disturbed clotting, bleeding, shock and kidney injury. Direct razii clinical data are sparse; do not promise the same syndrome or antivenom response as M. lebetina. Arrange specialist advice for the documented species and origin before acquisition.

Call emergency services immediately, keep the person still, remove rings and tight items, and support the limb without compression. Do not cut, suck, apply ice or a tourniquet, or delay transport to capture the snake. Establish receiving-hospital and poison-centre arrangements before acquisition. Antivenom selection and administration belong to clinicians.

🌍 Distribution

Native to Iran, including Kerman and the central/southern Zagros region. The original description reports cold mountain habitat above 3,000 m and warmer, drier country near Lake Bakhtegan around 1,500 m, plus Bamoo foothills. Iranian origin therefore does not justify a uniform hot desert enclosure. The climate examples compare Kerman uplands and the Bamoo area; neither reproduces a sheltered burrow or the highest type locality.

Climate tables use WorldClim 2.1 regional grids for 1970–2000; relative humidity is derived from temperature and water-vapour pressure. The approximately 10-minute grid averages terrain and does not measure the snake’s mountain slope, perch or burrow.

Countries in the native range; shading does not show occupied habitat

🌡 Climate across the native range

Outdoor monthly averages show seasonal context, not enclosure settings or the temperature inside a shelter.

Kerman uplands — Iran

View location on Google Maps

Month	Min °C	Mean °C	Max °C	RH %
January	-3.7	2.1	8	48
February	-1.9	4.3	10.4	44
March	1.6	7.8	14.1	39
April	6.5	13.3	20.1	33
May	11.2	18.7	26.1	25
June	15.7	23.2	30.7	21
July	18.2	25.1	32	22
August	16.5	23.8	31	21
September	12.6	20.1	27.7	23
October	7	14.5	22	28
November	1.5	8.6	15.6	35
December	-1.9	4.6	11	41

Bamoo foothills — Iran

View location on Google Maps

Month	Min °C	Mean °C	Max °C	RH %
January	-1.9	4	9.9	55
February	-0.2	6.2	12.5	49
March	2.5	9.2	15.8	45
April	5.9	13.3	20.7	41
May	10.9	19.2	27.5	28
June	15.4	24.6	33.7	20
July	19.5	28	36.6	20
August	18.9	27.7	36.5	19
September	14.7	24	33.4	19
October	9.7	18.7	27.7	25
November	5	12.8	20.6	34
December	1.7	8.2	14.8	43

Weather data by WorldClim v2.1 · Monthly normals queried by Herpeton Academy from raster values; relative humidity is derived from vapor pressure and mean temperature.

Location references use GBIF.org occurrence data where available; original occurrence records retain their source dataset licenses.

⚖️ Legal status

No specific CITES or EU wildlife-trade listing was found for this species. Its native range is outside the Bern Convention’s European protection context. Absence from these trade lists does not establish lawful export or possession.

Checked 17 September 2026. Trade status does not authorise wild collection or possession. Confirm national protection, dangerous-animal permits, import, registration, transport, breeding and sale rules with the competent authority. Keep breeder identity, invoice, parentage, locality and transfer/import paperwork.

🤌 Husbandry

The heavy body needs broad floor space, firmly fixed stonework and a robust isolation compartment. The table is a provisional active-season protocol inferred from the original range ecology and comparative Macrovipera management, not a tested razii optimum. Cooler-origin stock needs particularly careful summer room control.

House individually in a locked enclosure inside a locked, escape-resistant room. A lockable shift compartment must permit visual confirmation and isolation before water changes or cleaning. Have trained backup staff, a written escape plan and a reptile veterinarian ready. No free handling or improvised restraint.

Use at least 90 days of separate quarantine as a working minimum, extended by the veterinarian when needed. Start with paper substrate and dedicated tools; record feeding, sheds, faeces and body condition. Unknown-origin animals, weight loss or abnormal stools justify veterinary assessment and parasite testing. Obtain weights only by an established protected procedure.

💡 Lighting

Provide 12–14 hours of visible light in the active season and darkness at night. Keep full shade available. No species-specific UVB optimum is established; if low-level UVB is used, measure exposure and review the arrangement with the veterinarian using the UV-Tool reference. Guard lamps and adjust seasonal day length gradually, in step with the approved winter plan.

🌡 Heating and temperature

Use the separate air, surface and cool-retreat values in the table as provisional starting points. Thermostat-controlled, guarded heating should warm only part of the enclosure. Measure the basking surface and both retreats independently; check the coolest area during summer room-temperature peaks. A heater thermostat cannot correct an overheated room.

Adjust photoperiod and seasonal temperatures gradually from documented locality and breeder records. Do not prescribe refrigerator brumation from outdoor winter averages. Only healthy, established adults should enter a veterinarian-approved seasonal breeding programme; newly acquired, thin or sick animals and juveniles require separate decisions.

💧 Humidity and water

Measure relative humidity near the resting animal, using the table as a provisional band. Keep a slightly moist refuge alongside dry resting surfaces; avoid wetting the whole floor. Ventilation and local moisture are more useful than chasing a single percentage. Supply fresh water continuously in a stable bowl, serviced only after isolation. Persistent poor sheds require a hydration and health review, not forced soaking or peeling.

🌿 Enclosure and decoration

Give the snake enough uninterrupted floor length to stretch fully. Secure ventilation mesh, doors and cable entries, checking gaps against the smallest animal present. Place cover in both thermal zones and fix stones against collapse. After quarantine, 5–8 cm of compactable soil mixed with washed sand, with a little leaf litter, can provide firm footing and local moisture. Keep most of the surface dry. Avoid sharp gravel, aromatic wood and inaccessible cavities; paper remains useful for sick animals.

🐁 Feeding

The original field study directly recorded bird prey, including see-see partridge; do not present rodents as the only natural food. For established animals accepting commercially bred whole rodents or appropriate birds, modest thawed meals every 14–21 days are a provisional adult starting point, with smaller juvenile meals often every 7–10 days. Confirm the breeder’s actual diet, track body condition and avoid oversized rats or routine overfeeding. Whole-prey variety must remain nutritionally balanced.

Keep whole vertebrate prey no wider than the snake’s widest body section and offer it through the established protected feeding system. Avoid live rodents, substrate-coated food and disturbance after meals. Oversized prey, dehydration and inadequate warmth increase digestive problems and substrate-ingestion risk. Routine dusting is not normally needed for a complete whole-vertebrate diet; mixed and insect-based diets need their own veterinary plan. Never force-feed at home.

🥚 Breeding

This species lays eggs. Use only mature, healthy, documented stock; arrange professional sex determination and a protected pairing/separation procedure. Provide an accessible secure laying refuge and prepare individual escape-proof neonatal housing before pairing. No universal incubation temperature, duration, clutch size or maturity age is prescribed here: obtain a documented lineage protocol with the collection veterinarian. Do not improvise from live-bearing viper care.

🩺 Common problems

Persistent exposed resting or attempts to escape the warm zone warrant an immediate temperature check. Wheezing, bubbles or open-mouth breathing suggest respiratory disease; abnormal belly scales may indicate dermatitis. Repeated poor sheds, regurgitation, weight loss or abnormal faeces require a reptile veterinarian to distinguish dehydration, dietary problems, parasites and other illness. Do not deworm or restrain a venomous snake yourself; arrange secure professional transport.

📌 Conclusion

Proceed only when lawful provenance, the demonstrated diet, suitable secure housing and a written medical plan are all in place. The documented locality and individual records should drive revisions to this provisional care plan.

📚 Sources and further reading

ReptiFiles was checked first on 17 September 2026; no species-specific guide was found. Older husbandry reports inform comparison, not modern handling, drug treatment or blanket reproduction instructions.