Red Adder (Bitis rubida) - Captive care

Red adders occur on both well vegetated mountain slopes and flat stoney plateau-like terrain with scattered fynbos where they are active early morning and late afternoon. They rarely shuffle so a mixture of gravel and stone makes for a suitable substrate with scattered boulders and dried branches for cover. A hotspot on one side of the enclosure with a temperature gradient to the other side is necessary. Individuals from certain localities seem to enjoy warmer temps than those from other localities, so consider the lineage of the snake and try to accommodate for this. A hotspot of around 35° C should be fine. This species does well in captivity and seems to be more tolerant of temperature and humidity fluctuations than most other dwarf adder species. This coupled with their interesting personalities make them a pleasant species to keep.
Bitis rubida habitat - Western Cape
Neonate Red Adder (L. Klose)

Red adders mate in Spring and give birth in late summer. Winters can be extremely cold where these snakes occur, however cooling them to a low of around 12° C is more than sufficient for breeding purposes.

When putting pairs together to breed be careful when introducing more than one male with the female, as some keepers have reported males biting eachother as well as the female.

Females can give birth to as many as 12 babies which measure between 120-140mm in length. These snakes tend to do well and feed on pink mice from the start. They can be kept in a small well ventilated container until they are ready to be moved into a new enclosure.

Provide a bowl with fresh water as these snakes will drink from standing water.

Example: Bitis rubida enclosure
Weather - Clanwilliam, Western Cape (https://en.climate-data.org)
Weather - Sutherland, Northern Cape (https://en.climate-data.org)
Weather - Karoo, Western Cape (https://en.climate-data.org)

Please note: This information serves only as a suggestion and is based on input from various experienced keepers. It is important that you gather as much info from various sources before deciding how best to care for your snake. Be sure to check with your local authorities what permits may be required in your area.