Armenian Steppe Viper — Fact Sheet

Vipera eriwanensis · Armenian Steppe Viper

Full care guide

Provisional active-season care targets, not measured tolerance limits. Read the guide before changing diet or seasonal temperatures.

📋 Quick reference

🌿 Enclosure and decoration

A starting enclosure of 90 × 50 × 50 cm gives one adult room to stretch and choose between covered warm and cool areas; enlarge it for unusually large individuals. Secure every vent and cable gap, including against neonatal escape. Keep the shift door visible and reachable through the protected servicing system.

🌡️ Heating and temperature

• Basking spot: 28-30 °C
• Warm zone: 20-25 °C
• Cool zone: 17-21 °C
• Night: 15-19 °C

🐁 Feeding

Treat prey acceptance as an acquisition criterion: steppe-viper diets can include insects as well as small vertebrates. Continue a documented successful diet instead of forcing a mouse-only conversion. For animals already eating whole thawed mice, a small adult meal every 10–14 days is a provisional start; juveniles generally need smaller meals every 7–10 days. Insect-fed animals require a separate breeder and veterinary nutrition plan, not the mouse schedule.

⚖️ Legal status

Checked 17 September 2026: no listing under this species name was found in the CITES Appendices or the current EU wildlife-trade annexes. The CITES/EU entry for Vipera ursinii is geographically restricted and explicitly excludes populations in the former USSR. This is not permission to capture or own a viper. National capture, possession, registration, import, transport and sale rules still require a separate check.

Bern Appendix III covers reptiles not in Appendix II; the species is not named separately in Appendix II. Historical names within the kaznakovi or ursinii complexes can complicate the legal interpretation. Before transfer, ask the competent authority to confirm the applicable scope for the documented taxon and locality. Retain invoices, breeder identity, parentage and all origin/import permits.

☠️ Venom

A bite requires immediate hospital assessment. Pain, progressive swelling and tissue injury are possible; clotting disturbance, bleeding, low blood pressure and other systemic effects cannot be excluded. Clinical evidence for these uncommon vipers is limited, and laboratory toxicity or insect-eating habits do not predict a harmless human bite. A small snake, slight marks or an apparently dry bite provide no reassurance.

Move away, call emergency services, remove rings and tight clothing, keep the person still and support the limb without compression. Do not cut, suck, ice or tourniquet the wound, and do not delay transport to capture the snake. The receiving hospital and poison centre must decide on antivenom: effectiveness of a product made for another viper cannot be assumed. Agree that emergency pathway before acquiring the animal.

🩺 Common problems

• Overheating: unusual exposed resting or repeated escape attempts warrant immediate checks of the cool hide and room.
• Respiratory infection: bubbles, wheezing or open-mouth breathing need prompt reptile-veterinary assessment.
• Dysecdysis, dehydration and dermatitis: check water access, refuge moisture and wet dirty substrate; do not manually strip skin.
• Obesity, impaction or parasites: track meals, stools and body condition; persistent change needs diagnosis.
• Reproductive problems: prolonged abnormal swelling, weakness or unsuccessful birth requires urgent veterinary advice.