Studying the stomach contents of vipers - experts Forum at VenomousReptiles.org

Studying the stomach contents of vipers	Reply
by Snake18 on April 8, 2006	Mail this to a friend!
I am thinking about conducting a study on the feeding of a population of Vipera berus. The aim of this project is to identify al the food items preffered by the vipers in relation to their size, age, sex (and other variables) and to the time of year. Now, sacrificing animals is tataly out of the question so can anybody help me find a paper that describes the tehnique which is used for analizing snake stomach contents ? Or at least, can some one describe the tehnique if they used it for their own studies ? I know that stomach flushing is used for amphibians and small lizards but I have no ideea of this would work with snakes. Anticipated thanks, Best regards, Alex S.

RE: Studying the stomach contents of vipers	Reply
by Nightflight99 on April 9, 2006	Mail this to a friend!
A much easier way that would be likely to produce a significant amount of data is to use museum specimens. Get in touch with one of the ecologists at your local university and propose a small study to get your feet wet. Museum curators are much more likely to grant you full access - especially if it is invasive - if you are operating under the guidance of a scientist. ~TE

RE: Studying the stomach contents of vipers	Reply
by earthguy on April 10, 2006	Mail this to a friend!
Alex, Museum studies are an excellent first step. The problem there is that you can't get any habitat data. It is possible to palpatate(push out the stomach contents) of a living snake. It isn't pleasant (for you or the snake), but it is a valid option. This isn't something to undertake lightly (it's dangerous for you, and potentially dangerous for the snake). Get an expert to show you how. Good luck with your research.

RE: Studying the stomach contents of vipers	Reply
by Snake18 on April 10, 2006	Mail this to a friend!
Hy guys, Thanks for the advice. Museum specimens are no help for me because I want to conduct an ecology study about a population of Vipera berus. Amongst the aspects I want to study is feeding. I want to check if the food items consumed by the adders differ in corelation with: the sex, size, morphology, collor(normal or melanistic) and age of the animal, the time of year and habittat. I figured it out. I decided not to force the snakes to regurcitate or defecate, it`s just to stressful. I was thinking about catching some adders and house them individualy for a couple of days till they defecate on their own, and then analise the faecal matter. What species exactly the snakes are eating is not that important, it`s enough if I figure out if they ate rodents, lizards, other snakes or amphibians. I also want to record the growth of the individuals and their movement in corelation to the perioud of year. Thanks once again for the help, Best regards, Alex S.

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