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Atheris Hispida Enclosure
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by EPARR1 on June 2, 2007
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Well I have found the perfect viv for my bristly bush viper. Take a look.
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p184/Eparr1_photos/Viv.jpg
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p184/Eparr1_photos/Picture613.jpg
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p184/Eparr1_photos/Picture602.jpg
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p184/Eparr1_photos/Picture598.jpg
Yes it's a gun cabnet. LOL I picked it up at a yard sale for 50.00 not a bad deal. Anyways the little guy didn't seem happy in the smaller cage that was recommended so I bought this and now I see a major improvment in this snakes actions.
I still haven't got it to eat but hopefully this coming weeks. My temps are good I finally got that all worked out. I was having a little trouble getting the cool side down in the low 70's as recomended. The bigger cage was the only way to accomplish this and still have a basking spot. I thought I'd share my progress. Now if I can just get it to eat I will be overjoyed.
It's starting to look very promising so i'm not to worried at the moment any ideas,thoughts, and opinions are welcome.
Thanks
Eric G
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RE: Atheris Hispida Enclosure
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by Cro on June 3, 2007
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Eric, that is a great looking setup for the Atheris, and is a great use for the surplus gun cabnet!
Hope you get the snake to eat soon. What all have you tried up to this point to feed it ?
Best Regards JohnZ
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RE: Atheris Hispida Enclosure
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by EPARR1 on June 3, 2007
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John I have tried pinkies about everyway possible. I have also tried slugs with no luck that's it at them moment. Anyideas on what else I could try? I'm gonna try pinks again leter today so I hope it will eat for me.
I can say this snake is healthy and parasite free so now it's just a matter of getting it to eat. True to form not an easy task.
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RE: Atheris Hispida Enclosure
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by Cro on June 3, 2007
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Eric, I will make a few suggestions that will probably sound strange, but the worse that can happen is that they will not work. And hispida are strange and difficult snakes anyway, LOL !
One is to try Snails. Although it would seem that a slug and a snail are the same critter, there is a bit of a difference. If you can find garden snails and gently crush the shell, they could be washed off and offered with forcepts. They can sometimes be found early in the day in vegatable gardens. If you can not find large snails in the wild, then a pet store snail in the tropical fish section would be worth a try.
Another possibility would be the small edible black colored mollusks that resemble tiny conchs They are often found live in the fresh fish section of asian markets. Again, crush the shell and extract the live mollusk and offer it on forceps. I do not remember the common name that these are sold under.
Another thing you could try would be tiny frogs, like cricket frogs. You should also try live wiggling tadpoles offered on forceps. The tads do pose some rish of paracites, and could be frozen first and then re-thawed, however, the live wiggling tads seem to work best. Also, many snakes seem to know the difference between toad tadpoles and frog tadpoles, so strive to find frog tads, especially those of cricket frogs and tree frogs.
Small lizards could also be tried. Most tree dwelling snakes are known to eat lizards.
Another wierd idea is to try Catalpa/Catawba Worms fish bait stores or internet). Quite a few snakes feed on insects, especially when they are young. A bright green Catalpa Worm crawling up a limb would attract attention to itself, and quite possibly get eaten.
Atheris hispida is also know to feed on Earth Worms. You could try the common nightcrawler earthworm, Lumbricus terrestris, or the Belgian nightcrawler, Eisenia hortensis, which is often sold as fish bait, and sometimes called the Super Worm, because of its large size. Again, they could be offered on forceps.
If you find success with one of the above food items, then you might be able to use that food item to scent pinks and eventually get the snake to eat them. Remember, that it is very unlikely that a tree loving snake like a Atheris hispida would find a pink in the wild.
Another question comes to mind. Are you misting the cage every couple of days ? These snakes often do not drink from water bowls, and are prone to lap up dew for their water needs. That could be an important factor to consider also.
Best of luck with the snakes, and let me know if you try any of the above mentioned wierd food items, and if the snakes respond to them.
I am willing to be that if you try some of the above mentioned, you will find that the snakes eat one of the items like candy, LOL !
Best Regards JohnZ
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RE: Atheris Hispida Enclosure
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by EPARR1 on June 3, 2007
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John I will try those foods today I'll go out tonight and catch some frogs and night crawlers. I also mist/soak the cage every other day. I took notice after about a week of doing that the snake was drinking from the leaves. The water bowl is just incase but I figured it would not drink from it.
Well I get back with you on the feeding,
Thanks
Eric G.
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RE: Atheris Hispida Enclosure
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by EPARR1 on June 4, 2007
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Well I have tried night crawlers,superworms, also pinks again. The snake just doesn't seem interested. I spent about and hour holding food infront of it teasing ect with no luck. The little guy actually started to move away from me toward the end so I figured rather than cause more stress I'd let him settle for a few more days and try again.
I was thinking about buying about 10 house geckos and turning them loose in the cage. My thought is that he sees me holding the statsand maybe that is why he won't eat.
Anythoughts on the gecko idea? Good, bad, or otherwise.
Thanks
Eric G.
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RE: Atheris Hispida Enclosure
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by Cro on June 5, 2007
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Eric, it is quite possible that the snake is scared of the feeding procedure, especially if he starts moving away.
Getting some live geckos would be a great thing to try. That way he would have a chance of catching one of them himself, when he is ready to eat and hungry.
It is also possible that he wants to feed at night, and not during the day. Have you tried to offer a pink or small hopper or gecko to him with the cage dark ? Might be worth a try.
Also, it could take him a bit more time to be comfortable in his new enclosure.
Keep working with him. Good Luck.
Best Regards JohnZ
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RE: Atheris Hispida Enclosure
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by EPARR1 on June 5, 2007
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I will try all the above. Thank you for all the ideas really helps alot.
Eric G.
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