Nikolsky’s Viper — Fact Sheet
Vipera nikolskii · Nikolsky’s Viper
📋 At a glance
| Adult size | 50-80 cm |
| Lifespan | Insufficient species-specific data |
| Subspecies | Also treated as Vipera berus nikolskii |
| Origin | See locality and map in the full guide |
| Activity | Cathemeral |
| Difficulty | Expert |
| Legal | No separate CITES/EU listing; Bern and historical names require the full-guide check |
🏠 Enclosure
One adult: 100 × 60 × 50 cm; enlarge for larger animals. Relative humidity 55–70%, with dry rests, a locally moist refuge and water. Locked enclosure, locked room, protected servicing and separate quarantine of at least 90 days.
🌡️ Temperature
Provisional active-season values; not species tolerance limits. Locality-specific winter planning requires veterinary review.
- Basking spot: 28-30 °C
- Warm zone: 22-26 °C
- Cool zone: 18-22 °C
- Night: 18-22 °C
🪳 Feeding
Established adults: one modest thawed whole mouse every 10–14 days as a starting point; juveniles often 7–10 days with smaller prey. Adjust by body condition; whole rodents normally need no routine dusting.
🩺 Health — warning signs
- Watch for appetite loss, abnormal posture, injury, breathing issues, failed shedding or molting, and sustained weight loss.
☠️ Venom
Any bite is a medical emergency; small size or an apparently dry bite is not reassuring.
Move away and call emergency services. 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. Agree receiving-hospital and poison-centre arrangements before acquisition; antivenom selection and use belong to clinicians. A product labelled for another Vipera species cannot be assumed effective.
Neurotoxic phospholipases have been demonstrated experimentally in V. nikolskii. A 2026 study found variable antivenom recognition and failed neutralisation of its tested venom by the tested commercial V. berus antivenom in an animal assay. This is a warning against assuming cross-protection, not a clinical verdict on every antivenom product.