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Vipera ammodytes feeding
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by Snake17 on April 24, 2004
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PLEASE HELP ME !!! I have a wild caught adult male Nose Horned Viper(Vipera ammodytes ammodytes). For the first months it didn`t give me any problems but since December or so it constantly refused to eat. I have no ideea what is wrong with it. I have never had feeding problems with Vipera ammodytes befor. I force-fed it a lizard 2 weeks ago and it didn`t regurgitate it. Now I gave it a live mouse but it completely ignores it. This is realy strange because every time I move near the glass of the cage it looks interested in movement like in feeding. Please help me on this one. What could be wrong with it or how could I get it to feed? The cage is set up to look as clos to it`s natural habbitat as possible. I also have an adult female Vipera ammodytes meridionalis which I recently caught in Greece and I hope this one won`t give me problems. I never had this subspecies befor.
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RE: Vipera ammodytes feeding
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by schlangenbauer on April 24, 2004
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Hello there,
in fact there's no problem with that subspecies in captivity - but in nature they hibernate from about october until march - certainly without feeding.
So you better had hibernated them in a dark cold room at tempertures about 8 to 10°C for 10 to 15 weeks.
In europe we usually practise hibernation in the cellar - but I'm not sure if many houses in the US have one. If you haven't got such a cold room in your house a fridge can be a good alternative.
Regards, Peter
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RE: Vipera ammodytes feeding
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by Snake17 on April 24, 2004
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Thanks for the tip. I live in Romania and I don`t have a cellar. I live in an apartament. I realy have no place where I could hibernate the viper except for tthe refrigerator where the temperature is 4-8 degrees Celcius.
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RE: Vipera ammodytes feeding
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by Phobos on April 24, 2004
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Hi Alex:
You might try feeding it at night time, introducing the mouse using a flashlight with a red filter that won't disturb the snake.
Snakes sometimes prefer food of a different color than you are presenting. I color the mouse with food dye because some snakes don't like the "white mouse" that is common here. I make it as dark as possible.
Just some ideas...good luck
Al
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RE: Vipera ammodytes feeding
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by Snake17 on April 25, 2004
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I tried feeding it at night, I tried live and dead mice, small and big. I think I`ll try to put it to hibernate for a couple of weeks in my fridge though. That could also stimulate him for reproduction later with the female meridionalis I caught recently. I don`t know how many people have a cross breed between Vipera ammodytes ammodytes & Vipera ammodytes meridionalis. I`m making them a realy big terrarium where than would feel much better I think. Thanks a lot for the advice. I hope it will eat by it`s self cause I realy don`t enjoy force-feeding my snakes even though I have to do that wit Vipera berus for examle wich , from what I have heard are like EDBs in captivity. Thanks again.
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RE: Vipera ammodytes feeding
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by schlangenbauer on April 26, 2004
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".... That could also stimulate him for reproduction later with the female meridionalis I caught recently. I don`t know how many people have a cross breed between Vipera ammodytes ammodytes & Vipera ammodytes meridionalis...."
That's not a good idea - you should not cross different subspecies. It will be nice little bastards for sure but it nevertheless will be genetic waste and nobody needs that!
I keep all my snakes in groups, seperated for the several species, subspecies and habitat-forms - and in my opinion that's the best way to do.
If I got such a "problem" (which is fortuneatly impossible by keeping each form seperated from the others) there was only one cage to keep that bastard-offspring in - the freezer....
Regards, Peter
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RE: Vipera ammodytes feeding
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by Snake17 on April 26, 2004
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Hey, what did you mean by 'bastard'? Excuse me please, my english is not perfect. If by that you ment sterile that won`t be the case because only if you cross-breed 2 different species not subspecies will the offspring be sterile. You know that they are cross-breeding cottons and coppers in the states, don`t you? I also saw cross breeds between Lampropeltis & Elaphe. Realy don`t know how they achieved that. I saw it on the net. If I will have ofspring they are just for my personal collection. I usualy keep my snakes separated too. I would like to inform you that Vipera ursinii moldavica that lives in Romania is a cross-breed between Vipera ursinii renardi & Vipera ursinii rakosiensis. Or so it is thought. Another example: 2 species of river frogs here are undestingueshible because of the cross breeding of the two that took place in the wild. Now they are classed into 3 'species': the interbreed which is sterile and the other 2 ones. But nobody can tell them apart. Weir isn`t it? Thanks for the advice though. Alex.
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RE: Vipera ammodytes feeding
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by schlangenbauer on April 27, 2004
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Hey,
I obviously know that there are intergrades of several species where their habitats overlap out in the field - but I do not think that it would be necessary to practise such in captivity.
I also know that some herp-keepers in the states (and for sure in any other country) do cross-breeding between several subspecies and also between species for building "designer-herps" or (like you wanted to do) just because the right parner for their herp is missing - but that's what I don't like.
In my opinion it would be the best way to keep all of them as "clean" as they are in nature so that one is really able to say for example: "That's a real Southern Copperhead, there you have a Franklin Mts. Banded Rock-Rattler, this one is a Prairie Rattler from western Texas ...."
Only my 2 cents...
Peter
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RE: Vipera ammodytes feeding
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by Snake17 on April 27, 2004
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I realy apreciate your 2 cents, thanks for taking your time. The reason for which I would do this is not because the right partner is missing but so in a year I would have 3 cages: Vipera ammodytes ammodytes, Vipera ammodytes meridonalis & Vipera ammodytes ammodytes X Vipera ammodytes meridionalis. All I want in this case is what you said, a design herp. Honestly, I don`t find it imoral or anything so I may give it a go. Of course I respect you conceps and opinions and thanks for shairing them with me. My regards, Alex S. Take care
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