I worked with 1 Dwarf. It may be the "dwarfiest" ever too.
1)Were they of typical size as neonates? If so, when did you begin to suspect that something was wrong?
It was a slow to start feeder, but did eat on its own. I can't say exactly when I thought something was wrong as it was more of a process of becoming more and more convinced through the evidence I saw that it wasn't going to be normal.
2)Were they typical feeders or were they abnormal feeders? I know this is a tough question since some neonates are difficult to get started.
Mine was tough to start, but never needed force feeding. It just never seemed to grow. It had a typical indigo feeding response, it just couldn't eat as much
3)How large did they end up being as adults, and is there a minimum acceptable size that they animal would be accepted as simply a smallish "normal" specimen?
I gave mine away at, if I remember correctly, 3 years. It was barely 2 feet long, very thick, with heavily overlapping and curved scales. If it had been another species, I might have considered breeding it to see if it was genetic. Since it was an indigo, it wasn't something I thought was good for the hobby.
As for a smallish normal, my opinion is 6 feet for a male, 5 feet for a female is probably underdeveloped.
4)Did their girth appear normal for their length or were they overly heavy bodied?
No, Mine was short, stalky, not as flexible, could not eat normal sized meals for an indigo. The most telling feature for me with the scales overlapped heavily and were curved concavely in the center and folded back at the tips. I had to help her shed most of the time when she was an adult since the scales pinched on each other.
She was also the only survivor in a clutch of eggs that belonged to a friend who has not worked with indigos for many years. He incubated them at 83 degrees (the likely problem?).
Doug T
Doug Taylor Reptiles
