Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey guys!
Im new to this message thread forum, just like to say Hi.
I do have something of a question for anyone with any Atheris knowledge. I have been keeping reptiles for about ten years, since I was 11, Born in Africa ther is nothign to do but explore the wild bush pretty much. From the beautiful Lamprophis aurorae to the common brown. From Causus rhombeatus
to the bad ass Bitis inornata and Dispholidus typhus. (I had to look one or two of those up cause I know you guys like all names in Sci. Anyways I have really grown a love for these animals. I came to this great country and found that reptile keeping was just as big as it was for me over there. So have finally come to the conclusion that I love the Atheris species and would like more and more knowledge just to get a better understanding of there creatures. I purchase a A. Squamigera from glades herp in San antonio on the 26 of Feb. (last month) She is a beauty and shed about a week ago. she has deficated but I have not been able to get a successfull feed. if this is no problem then I am not worried. She is in great health and I know I should have gotten a feeding history and anyother kind of history they could have given me but it just slipped my mind. I have read for hours on this species and was just looking for some more personal experience of you guys.
Thanks and sorry for the boring ass life story! lol

Africak
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"there can be only one ... one reptile that is"

In my experience most Atheris remain "tease feeders" through out their stay in captivity. By this I mean you must offer the prey item (dead and warm) to the snake using long tongs. You have to irratate them until they strike and hold onto the prey item. They often strike repeatedly but I have found if they don't hold on to they prey item they will probably not go after it later. In some of mine (long term captives) it takes several strikes and even a couple of hold ons to get them to feed. Are you misting you animal regularly---mine also do not go to water bowl for a drink and you have to drip water on them sufficiently to get them to drink. Good luck - the are great animals.

Have to agree with Bob, though the turquoise male I have right now is an avid feeder-except in the Winter. When the temp goes down outside he backs off from food. That I have him on heat (75-80F) is irrelevent. Also I keep mine on spagnum moss and mist daily. Works fine.

Frank
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"The luxury of not getting involved departed with the last lifeboat Skipper..."

Well I will get a pic of my setup just so you can see, but I have my girl on Sphagnum, moss too, mist daily and heat around 75 to 80. BOB, what is teh best way to tease feed, I dont want to, you know, scare the crapo out of her and make her completey unresponsive. She isnt a very avid striker and I think it might take some work. but I am will ing to try it all
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"there can be only one ... one reptile that is"

Tease feeding can be tricky. Get a long pair of tongs or tweezers. You might initially want to wear a thick leather glove on that hand. All aboreal snakes rely heavily on their tails and are very sensitive about it. That should be your target. The snake may bite and hold on the first time but usually not. Once the snake grabs the mouse, I try and do as little movement as possible. They are usually pretty rapid feeders and it will not take long before the mouse is consumed. I also think Atheris feed better on slightly smaller prey. They have low metabolic rates and one mouse every two week will sustain an adult. Good luck

News Flash! Three herper agree on something, film at 11!! LOL

I concur with Frank & Bob. Mine is a finicky eater too. I was talking to Andy (keeper at Zoo Atlanta) about their Squam two weeks ago. He would agree with us too. Glades Herps are where I purchased most of my animals. Dealers don't get much better than that.

Cheers!
Al

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The more people I meet...the better I like my venomous snakes.

She's a Beauty Phobos

Cheers
Dave
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"there can be only one ... one reptile that is"

They even glisten when gravid like this one.

I have several squams and all are good feeders and do not need tease feeding as they eventually conditioned themselves to activate into a feeding mode once the lid is taken off their tank. They are readily biting the air waiting for the fuzzy on the thongs. And get those 18 or 24 inch thongs unless you want to get bitten on the hand one day. Tapping at first got them going but now its a matter of trying to get it close to them before they strike and fall off their branch. Also, if they are impacted, they do not eat as well, so perhaps soaking or a good misting might release a good poop and make it want to eat again. And give Glades a call and ask to speak to who was responsible for feeding it and see how often it ate and when was the last time it fed. If it was a recent import, I suggest worming it just in case.

Dan

Forgot to attach the pic.

Here she is.

Holy Cow!! Nice snake Dan!!
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Save a Rattlesnake...Skin a Sweetwater resident alive!

Hi

There is a really good article floating around somewhere that is specifically about tease-feeding arboreal vipers. However, I cannot find it at the moment. Michael Jacobi did a pretty good, concise description of it here:
http://www.kingsnake.com/atheris/captivity.html#feeding
Try it out and master it because it is the only way to get the babies to feed (if you have any down the road). Adults should feed rather easily on their own (assuming their conditions are correct) with a little persuasion. Good luck.

Derek Morgan

These are really fascinating animals but just remember, there is no available antivenin so getting bit is not an option (and despite what circulates around the internet, a bite from this species can be fatal and at the very least, one of the most painful experiences you'll ever endure). I wouldn't worry too much about the reluctance to feed; these snakes just need time to acclimate to new surroundings. Since they don't feed very often (perhaps once every 3-4 weeks is plenty), you don't have to worry about getting them to feed right away; they can go months w/out any ill effect. Just give the animal plenty of quiet time and make sure you are providing the proper temps (we like to give our's a gradient of the low 70's on the cool side to the low 80's on the warm side with a SMALL, localized basking area that reaches the upper 80's; night temps drop to the upper 60's/low to mid 70's). We can usually get a stubborn feeder to take a live fuzzy that is allowed to crawl around the bottom of the cage. Another common method is to GENTLY tease feed the snake by offering a frozen/thawed pink/fuzzy via long forceps by just gently nudging or tapping the tip of the snake's mouth. YOu can usually get a good strike response by taking that same pink/fuzzy w/forceps and lightly bump the prey on the neck or tip of tail; that will really get them going and at that point, you want a strike and hold by the snake. Once feeding, this species will rarely give you any problems.

Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center
Lake Forest, IL

>>Hey guys!
>>Im new to this message thread forum, just like to say Hi.
>>I do have something of a question for anyone with any Atheris knowledge. I have been keeping reptiles for about ten years, since I was 11, Born in Africa ther is nothign to do but explore the wild bush pretty much. From the beautiful Lamprophis aurorae to the common brown. From Causus rhombeatus
>>to the bad ass Bitis inornata and Dispholidus typhus. (I had to look one or two of those up cause I know you guys like all names in Sci. Anyways I have really grown a love for these animals. I came to this great country and found that reptile keeping was just as big as it was for me over there. So have finally come to the conclusion that I love the Atheris species and would like more and more knowledge just to get a better understanding of there creatures. I purchase a A. Squamigera from glades herp in San antonio on the 26 of Feb. (last month) She is a beauty and shed about a week ago. she has deficated but I have not been able to get a successfull feed. if this is no problem then I am not worried. She is in great health and I know I should have gotten a feeding history and anyother kind of history they could have given me but it just slipped my mind. I have read for hours on this species and was just looking for some more personal experience of you guys.
>>Thanks and sorry for the boring ass life story! lol
>>
>>Africak
>>-----
>>"there can be only one ... one reptile that is"
-----
Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL