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albo trimer
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by ssshane on October 22, 2004
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i have had my viper since it was 2 weeks old. its now 16 mths old. it was eating one to two fuzzies every week and a half to two weeks. it has now been close to 70 days since eating. in the mean time, turning down 6 meals. i have cleaned everything: substrate, moss, plants and soil, cloroxed everything. i dont have night lights, or for that matter a day heat lamp. i have a day light, but no heat light. i do have a huge undertank heater. i have super strict laws in my county, so the vet may be out of the question.
i have had snakes for over ten years, so im not quite a newbee. there is plenty i dont know. i do know that. please help. he hasnt lost much size, he may have been over weight to start with.
i mist the tank frequently, so thats not an issue.
HELP
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RE: albo trimer
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by Frawgg on October 23, 2004
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I read your profile to see exactly what kind of viper you own and I presume it's a tree viper that you are inferring about the feeding problem. It "sounds" to me that the proper environmental climatic conditions are being met. As long as you provide/observe the snake consuming water, I wouldn't worry much. I have owned several snakes over the years that have gone off feeding for some reason or another, and as long water is provided at all times, they will get through this stage and resume feeding. A python that I once owned went off feeding for 6 months until he decided to eat once again.
Have any cold fronts passed your way recently? Animals (including snakes) have an uncanny ability to sense changes in the weather. If so, he might go into a state of torpidity, but I doubt that since you state that you are keeping proper tempertature parameters. Some species of snakes don't respond well to a cage that is placed in a high traffic area. Too much movement around its mini "world" is unsettling to him and that may have triggered his non-feeding response. Have you tried feeding different prey items? The eyelash viper that I had LOVED green tree frogs, but be careful since it was damned near a miracle to wean him over to pinkies. Go back to pinkies/fuzzies and see if that will trigger him to feed once again. If not, I'd try pinkies scented with tree frogs. If that doesn't work, take the skin off a tree frog and "clothe" the pinkie with it. If that fails, try a regular tree frog as a last resort. I wouldn't recommend getting your snake "hooked" on tree frogs since they can be hard to obtain and a bit expensive. (Also, I LIKE tree frogs since they eat bugs!) Mice are cheaper and easier to obtain. I've never tried this method, but I've heard that dipping mice in chicken broth will trigger some stubborn snakes into a feeding response.
Also try an irregular feeding pattern. Feeding your snakes once a week, every week, for years is not a natural occurence. In the wild, a snake NEVER knows when he is going to get its next meal and I try to simulate this in captivity as well. Monitor its bowel movements. When you have fed him heavily for a particular feeding period, don't feed again until he has had a healthy bowel movement (this will help your snake to avoid being constipated). Since I switched to an irregular feeding pattern, I haven't yet had a snake that has gone off feeding. (Knock on wood!) Lastly, don't worry! If the snake is obviously hydrated, my guess that it's just a matter of time before he starts to feed once again. I hope some of these suggestions help. Happy herpin'& be SAFE!
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RE: albo trimer
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by ALA_herp31 on October 23, 2004
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I have had a lot of snakes that have stoped feeding, the longest was from a Ball Python, she went a full 7 months without a meal. So i have learned not to feed in any serten order. At times i would let my snakes go a full 2 weeks without food, doing this seems to make the defference, dont ask me why. So the fact that she/he is not feeding and its only been 70 days dont realy couse any worry with me, but if she/he dose not start feeding withen the next month i would try senting a pinkie with tree frogs.....good luck i hope the snake starts eating again soon....let us know how it gose.......happy herping Wally
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RE: albo trimer
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by Trex on October 25, 2004
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I'm pretty sure he has a T. Albolabris, White Lipped Viper. I have two, T. Albolabris, as well as seven T. Popes, and two T. Gumprechts. All seem to be fussy eaters, but none has stopped eating yet. However, my atheris chlorechis (four of them) have stopped eating. It's been about two, almost three months now. They'll strike, kill the mouse, but refuse to eat it. At first, I thought all three females were gravid, because the male does eat, just not as frequently as before. I don't know, perhaps they are gravid and that's why mine have stopped?
I don't know the answer, but the T. Albolabris would normally be in the rainy season now and perhaps instinctively fasting?
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