worried about my viper

Geofft · 07-20-04, 05:19 PM

My males tail is much smaller then the females.... MUCH smaller... (thinner) And i keep finding half digested crickets on the ground. Is there anything i can do?

Geofft · 07-20-04, 07:04 PM

my adult male.... not baby

Linds · 07-20-04, 10:08 PM

Are they being housed together? If so, it is important to seperate them immediately. We need a little more info before we can help. What are his temps at? Extreme temperatures can cause animals to regurgitate their food. How long have you had him? If you have had him for a while, is this just recent, or has it been happening for a while? What kind of substrate if he on? Is it possible he has become impacted from it? Have you had a fecal tested for parasites?

Also, if you could please reduce your signature to the maximum allowance of 4 vertical lines (this includes spaces), it would be appreciated.

bidden · 07-21-04, 07:29 AM

what size crix are you feeding? don't feed anything larger than 1/4 in

as linds said, we need a little more info. temps, substrate, it would probably be good to separate from the female.

Geofft · 07-21-04, 09:17 AM

They are being housed together. I will work on separating them...The cricket he actually threw up, was pretty big for him... normally thay are small. But then how would that explain the tail width drop. He still looks alert, and he ate 3 little ones last night, and hasnt regugitated one yet. I have had him for a while, and he was always the one that ate the most. My temp in the hot area is 93-94. I have them on sand. However i doubt that this is the cause i always watch him eat, and he tends to make pretty clean strikes.

Thanks,
Geoff

bidden · 07-21-04, 09:40 AM

Just because you don't see him eating sand doesn't mean he's can't be impacted, have you noticed any sand in poo or lack of poo?

If he's regurged a crix he probably doesn't want to eat more, hence tail drop. that's just a guess. how often/how much do you feed?

If his size has dropped that much I would definatly separate and get him on papertowel.

Geofft · 07-21-04, 09:58 AM

His tail was thinner then the females from the beginning. There is always excrement. I cant really tell who its from. I feed everyother day, about 3-4 each.

manville · 07-21-04, 10:14 AM

Feeding sounds pretty good to me. I put my viper on sand too and i have no problem. If you want to go on the safe side, put them on paper towel.

bidden · 07-21-04, 10:17 AM

WHOAAAAAA!!! there's your problem right there....

You should be feeding 2-3 times that much every feeding!!!

Trust me, these little guys can gobble them down like no tomorrow. I feed about 10-15 each, every feeding. and mine are small compaired to some I have seen. Because they can take high temps and are small their metabolism is very fast, they can handle a lot of food, and need a lot of food to survive.

I would put him on papertowel, give him a couple crix a day for the next week or so.(this is to help him recover from the regurg) and then slowly start increasing the amount you feed for both.

Make sure they are the appropriate size, and you are supplimenting with calcium/D3.

Geofft · 07-21-04, 10:49 AM

oops.... I fed my leo about 2-3 crickets when he was little...a day....( I only feed him like 2x a week now.. cause hes really fat)

Will they really eat that much??? you said the babies should eat 20 or so per day? mine stop eating after 5-6 each... they just ignore them.

bidden · 07-21-04, 11:18 AM

my adults eat a good 20-25 every other day(there are 2 in the cage)

Babies I feed about 10 each a day.(I keep them in pairs so yes 20 for 2) I leave the cirx in their cage and will come back later and they will all be gone. What size are you feeding the babies, they probably won't be able to handle that many larger cirx.

If the crickets are the proper size they can handle a lot.

Leo are very different in feeding, they store their food a lot better than vipers.

Geofft · 07-21-04, 02:58 PM

a tail comparison... Male on left and female on right. The cricket in the pic was eaten right after by the female.

bidden · 07-21-04, 03:04 PM

cute little guys

Male does look a little too skinny.... female looks healthy, I cant tell if it's the way she's sitting but she almost looks gravid. have you found any more eggs yet?

That cricket looks like the perfect size, if you feed them that they should be alright.

Geofft · 07-21-04, 03:22 PM

no more eggs.... she only goes in the lay box to crap in it.... Heres another pic of the male

Geofft · 07-21-04, 03:23 PM

damn blurrieness