Cape Cobra

Cape Cobra (Naja nivea)

Length:

The avarage length of a Cape cobra is 120 – 160 cm (max. 200 cm)

Zoological description:

Cape cobras are in colour higly variable from, yellow, through red, brown. And black. The head is relative big and wide and slightly distinct from the neck. When agitate, the Cape cobra will flatten his neck and stand up hissing, know his hood is clearly seen. The body is strongly build with a relatively long tail. The eye is big with a round pupil. The different colour variations or better know intermediates of the Cape cobra are bonded to a locality. The yellow colour form has a big geographic range over Botswana, the less known black phase is bonded to the North West Cape, Golden phase is on of the nicest colour varieties and is found quit commonly on the South West Cape, the speckled brown phase, but also the bright yellow colour phases are to be found on the South West Cape. The more and less Mahoney red colour phase is probely the most known and is found through out the whole Cape province.

Scalation:

- Dorsal scales on the midbody 21 (19)

- Ventral scales 195 – 227

- Subcaudal scale is paired

- Subcaudal scales 50 - 68

- Analplate is single

- Upper labials 7

- Upper labials to the eye 3 + 4

- Preoculairs 1

- Postoculairs 3, but can also be 4

- Lower labials 9 (8 – 10)

- Temporal 1+2 variable

Geographic Range:

The geographic range of the Cape cobra is bonded to Southern Africa . Cape cobras can be found throughout most of the Cape Province and neighbouring provinces like Western Lesotho , the Orange Free State , South-western Transvaal , but also true the South of the Kalahari and into Namibia .

Habitat:

The Cape cobra is a diurnal snake that is active during the day and the early evening. Even does this cobra has the smallest geographic range of all African cobras does it occur in a wide variety of habitats. Cape cobras are predominantly snakes of the dry country, do they occur from sea-level to heights of 2700 meters in Lesotho . They are also be found throughout the forests and dry bush land of the Cape Province and the high grasslands of the Orange Free State . In the Kalahari do they occur in the semi-dessert scrubland, in Karoo ( Cape Province ) are they also found on similar ground. Different habitats of the Cape cobra are the rocky hills and desert of Namibia .

Captive Behaviour:

Even when Cape cobras can become quit docile and tame snakes, are my animals always quit defensive, the reason for this is probably that I leave hem alone and only handle hem when necessary. Because of there diurnal behaviour is the Cape cobra a interesting snake in captivity. The Cape cobra is a curious snake that likes to check out every movement in and outside his enclosure.

My Cape cobras are mostly active during the morning and early evening. During the day they prefer to sunbath under the heat spot or they just hide under t elastic plants or rocks in there enclosure. I feed my Cape cobras mainly life preys that are be killed with one firm bite. I seldom see my cobras drink water, or even take a bath.

When I need to handle my Cape cobras is this quit easily, thy ride good on the hook and tailing them is not a problem ether, but they will attack everything that moves with wide open mouth. In compare to my other cobras do Cape cobras have a huge staying power, sometimes they will stand up, his and bite for over an hour when I’m working close to there enclosure.

Even when Cape cobras are supposed to be a terrestrial do my snakes clime often in the brunches and plastic plants in the enclosure.

Feeding:

In nature do Cape cobras feed on a wide variety of prey items like, amphibians, lizards, snakes (including there own species) and small mammals. In captivity are Cape cobras also easy snakes to feed. I try to feed my cobras also a wide variety of food items. I feed rodents like mice and rats, chicks and chicken eggs. Mice and rats are fed alive, the snakes move slowly towards there prey and bite it ones with lightning speed, what kills them quickly. After the prey died do they sniff it for quit a while before they start eating. I prefer to feed my Cape cobras small preys because of there feeding habit. It just looks like it that they don’t be bothered where they start eating if this is the head, back or mid body. I also feed chicks and I feed them out of a feeding tweezer. Eggs are fed on room temperature. Baby Cape cobras are fed with baby mice.

Breeding Cape Cobras :

Just like all species of Cobras of the genus, Naja are Cape cobras oviparous and lay after a gestation period of 60 – 90 days 8 – 20 eggs, the eggs measure a size of approximaly 58 – 69mm x 23 – 31mm, and are relatively big and long from size. The eggs will hatch in about 57 – 70 days after being laid. The hatchlings are 30 – 40 cm in length at birth.

I keep my Cape cobras in pairs and don’t give them a hibernation period to get them to mate. Because my snakeroom is placed on the east side of the house are there natural influences from outside in the winter months (October – March) the temperature in the room will go down at night till sometimes 15⁰C. The average day temperature in the snakeroom is around 25⁰C. Out of own experience can I tell that the Cape cobras mate in the months December and January, the snakes mate for a long time and I even have seen them mating for 28 hours in a row.

When the female wants to lay her eggs is she very untiring, and is she really searching for a spot to drop her eggs. In most enclosures she can not find a spot like that and do we need to create a place were she can lay her eggs. When I notice that she wants to lay her eggs (up coming shed prior of laying eggs) will I put a dark plastic container upside down in the enclosure under this container do I place a heath path and some moisture substrate. When see find the container I will not see her often anymore till she dropped her eggs (8 – 10 days after shedding).

The eggs are removed from the enclosure and put in to the incubator. I use a dry Incubator to hatch the eggs. To hatch the eggs do I keep the temperature on 29 - 30⁰C, with a humidity level of 70 – 80% and I can adjust this with spraying the eggs with water. After 60 -70 days will the eggs hatch under the circumstances I created. The hatchlings of the cape Cobras have a dark cross band around the neck which will fade away after they get older. The hatchlings will molt after 2 – 10 days after hatching.

Enclosure:

My Cape cobras are kept in enclosures of 120 x 50 x 50 cm. The enclosures are made from chip wood, and are build a sort off rack construction. The enclosure can be opened true glass plates in a slide rail, that can be locked with a glass showcase lock. Heating and lighting are done with a 60 watt spotlight on the right side of the enclosure, the bottom of the enclosure is also heated true the enclosure under need the enclosure of the Cape cobras. The average temperature in the enclosure is around 25 - 28⁰C and directly under the spotlight 34 - 38⁰C.

For substrate I use a mixture of sand, cocobark and peat, this mixture is a good absorber of fluids and faeces, but can also kept dry without producing allot of dust. As hiding place do I use a couple of three roots and some plastic plants that also are used for decoration of the cage. I also provide the snakes with a 1 litre water bowl, but the snakes hardly use this.

Captive bred 2001 Cape cobras all with different colours

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This page is not build to stimulate people to keep venomous snakes. All Captive information given on this page is based on own experience