How old is your Dasypeltis?

eil · 11-29-18, 07:42 AM

Hello all,

I have been doing research on the Dasypeltis crew, as I hope to acquire one within the next couple of years. However, the scant research I've found suggests they only live to be around 5 years old? This seems unlikely, so I thought I'd ask around and see how long your snakes have been with ya.

Thanks!

ClockwerkBonnet · 12-03-18, 12:03 AM

Welcome to the forum!

I'm not exactly sure what specimens are in the Dasypeltis group, as I am a novice, but I do have a species from the Lampropeltis genus. It's a 3-year old gray-banded king named Lincoln. I've had him since June 2015.

Scubadiver59 · 12-04-18, 05:22 PM

I have two female African Egg Eaters...one's larger/older than the other and I've only had mine about six months so I can't help you out much with your research.

One thing I will say for sure, is that they are picky eaters and the smaller of the two has been on a 2-3 month hunger strike; so much so, I'm thinking of force feeding her with a syringe & tube once I locate a good source for both.

Quote:

Originally Posted by eil

Hello all,
I have been doing research on the Dasypeltis crew, as I hope to acquire one within the next couple of years. However, the scant research I've found suggests they only live to be around 5 years old? This seems unlikely, so I thought I'd ask around and see how long your snakes have been with ya.

Thanks!

toddnbecka · 12-05-18, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scubadiver59

One thing I will say for sure, is that they are picky eaters and the smaller of the two has been on a 2-3 month hunger strike; so much so, I'm thinking of force feeding her with a syringe & tube once I locate a good source for both.

I've read that they'll "drink" eggs from a bowl, have you tried that on the picky eater?

ClockwerkBonnet · 12-05-18, 11:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toddnbecka

I've read that they'll "drink" eggs from a bowl, have you tried that on the picky eater?

Ewww, that's really gross sounding! XD

Good luck with the snake on the hunger strike, Scubadiver.

Scubadiver59 · 12-06-18, 04:39 PM

Not yet, but I'll try that tomorrow night.

I was thinking of asking someone where I can get a syringe/tube combination, or buy both separately, and do some force feeding of a "whisked" egg solution as a last resort.

Does anyone know of any sources for the syringes/tubes?

Quote:

Originally Posted by toddnbecka

I've read that they'll "drink" eggs from a bowl, have you tried that on the picky eater?

chairman · 12-08-18, 12:13 PM

They're a little pricey, but look into a "pinky pump."

https://www.lllreptile.com/products/451-pinky-pump

There's an example and a seller that carries it. I'm sure plenty of others sell them too. The product is more aggressive than you need but it is specifically designed to safely force feed snakes.

Scubadiver59 · 12-10-18, 05:57 PM

Not exactly what I was thinking about...thanks, but I'll keep looking.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chairman

They're a little pricey, but look into a "pinky pump."

https://www.lllreptile.com/products/451-pinky-pump

There's an example and a seller that carries it. I'm sure plenty of others sell them too. The product is more aggressive than you need but it is specifically designed to safely force feed snakes.