Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Only mine didn't hatch like this. It is the worse nip I have seen, especially when it happen at 3wks. old. I didn't think they were strong enough, or that their jaws were hard enough to do such damage this young.

Anyway, here is Bobcat. I don't know if it's a boy or girl. I can't get the tail up enough to rotate to tell????

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Joel R

Coming some day.
www.SpikesAndScales.com

Joel,
Sure am sorry to see what happened there. I also have some toe/tail nips. They came from one particular clutch/bin of hypo-snows. I finally found the culprit...a one-dragon demolition derby all on his own. Although, I must say...I don't have any quite that bad, but still, they are bad enough. What do you do with dragons such as this?

Once most the clutch is gone & all nips are healed nicely then I usually put them out in a Scratch & Dent Sale. Don't worry, there are plenty of breeders out there waiting for those sales. They are looking for genes, not toes or tails. They also are bought up as pets. Some people are looking for an affordable pet & if it happens to have as much color as another but missing a couple toes and a smaller price tag, they are happy. lol

I have found a way to find the nippers. It works most the time.

It almost always is a male (not every time, but most) and is usually one of the largest (once again, not all the time).
But a good way to find them is to take a smaller dragon (usually one who has been nipped) and keep it out for a few min. then hold it by it's tail and dangle it over the bin. Move it back & fourth & you'll see the nipper targeting the little guy with is laser eyes. Sometimes they will even leap at the target dragon. lol.

Give it a shot next time. I usually put the nipper in solitary confinement once found. It can also be more than one nipper so keep an eye out even if you think you found him.

Later

Oh,, this is Capt. Hook He was a target dragon from last year. I have vowed to keep him as my buddy. He is now one of our educational partners.

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Joel R

Coming some day.
www.SpikesAndScales.com

It was a male...and one of the biggest ones in the bin/clutch. He has since been banned to a home of his own, but not before he did some major damage. That's a good idea...a scratch & dent sale. Most of these are good healthy eaters with color and/or are patternless hypos. Most nips & tails have healed over well...just hate that it happened, though. I have seen pics. of Cpt. Hook...he still looks quite healthy even though he is somewhat flawed. Good luck with him. Thanks for the info. Teresa

n/p
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Joel R

Coming some day.
www.SpikesAndScales.com

shes got nothin...but i love her

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"i wasn't born with enough middle fingers"

1.0 ball python- Azazel
1.0 columbian boa- Brooklyn
1.0 red blood python-Hiss
1.0 peach phase thayeri-Sancho
0.1 creamsicle corn- Pandora
0.1 partial stripe ghost corn- Raven
1.1 hognose- Pricilla and Odd
0.1 russian tortoise- Manja
0.1.1 leos- Boji and Kodama
0.1 beardie- Indie
1.0 BTS- Griffon
0.1 Iggy- Sunny
0.0.2 Red american toadlets with 0.0.7 legs total (er, i have one w/3....)
0.0.1 gray tree frog toadlet
0.0.6 land snails
0.0.2 millipedes of unknown species from TN
0.0.1 spotted slug
5.3 bettas
0.1 pacific parrolet- Mishka
1.1 cats- Cairo and Oberon
2.3 ratties Rizzo, Bounce, Bree, Blitzkreig, and Zelda

She's a doll.
My own "slightly used" dragons:
Spike: one missing foot, several missing toes, 1/3 tail missing
Dru: missing 1/2 her tail, several deformed toes
Maynard: missing all but a stub of his tail (When I got him he looked just like the teeny baby in the original post. He's a gorgeous red/orange guy now. And talk about attitude, sheesh.)
Erik: runt (almost caught up since rescue though!)
Lily: runt (not catching up as quick, but coming along finally)
and then there are Sam and Rose who, by possessing all of their limbs & digits and complete tails, are the odd dragons out.
I love every scratched and dented one of them, but of course I wish that their circumstances had been better to avoid them!

Best,
Michele

Just Kidding... Please read on.

Your Runt who has caught up is most likely what I call an "environmental" runt. In every group environment there is going to be a hierarchy and unfortunately some don't get to eat as much and just stay small. It is in no way genetic (there are genetic runts, don't take this wrong). I have personally seen "Runts" taken from a particular group and put into another to become the dominant one and get huge!
Unfortunately most of these guys get labeled "inbred, runt, genetic defects, etc"
I believe that the one or two days longer that some take to hatch can be enough to start that cycle or hierarchy to form.
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Joel R

Coming some day.
www.SpikesAndScales.com

They may well be! These little guys are rescues and I have no background on them other than that they looked normal when the original owner aquired them as hatchlings.

When I got them, 5 months or so ago, they had not eaten independently since the original owner got them. They were almost a year old and not much bigger than a two-three month old and a small one at that. They had to be syringe and force fed. After parasite treatment and some husbandry improvements, the male is a PIG and, while small for his age, no longer looks like a "dragon in miniature". The little female is still verrry small but at least she is eating independently and growing.

Best,
Michele