Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I brought my two Siamese- Morelet morphs in for the winter and they seem very lethargic and not eating well.

The crocs are a year old, and spent the first winter in the house eating well and seemingly in very good health. In the summer I took them outside and housed them in a pond, where they ate like pigs and grew quite large given the short three months. I also have an alligator that is about 4.5 feet long that was in an adjacent pond. All three did very well.

I brought them all in about three weeks ago. They are in a large enclosure, partitioned off so the gator has about 80% of the space, with the crocs having the rest. This is new to the crocs. They can not see each other, since a plywood partition separates them. The lighting is good, humidity high with temps around 85. They both have ponds with a heater to keep water temps up. The gator is extremely active, eating great and living it up. The crocs have checked out. One has only eaten once mouse in three weeks (he used to eat two rats every other day) while the other, the dominant one, has eaten a few mice, but far less than the rats they use to eat outside.

My question is what am I doing wrong or will they eventually adjust?

How long have you had them inside so far?

Chris
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Chris Law
U.A.P.P.E.A.L. (Uniting a Proactive Primate and Exotic Animal League)
Herpetoculture Element Representative

They've been inside for about three weeks.

I don't know, I've had my Spectacled caiman for nearly 10 years now, and he periodically goes through episodes of great appetite and episodes of no eating (sometimes for several weeks) and everything else in between.

I know I'm in trouble when he can't seem to figure out how to swallow a small rat, trying repeatedly to swallow back end first until it shreds and is rejected. Other times he'll grab a jumbo rat (back end), spin it around like a pro, and its gone....

He ate really well this year from February until August, now he seems to be spiraling down again. (this is normal for me, but strange because these periods are so inconsitant).

I'm sure it's just the stress of change and they will come around as long as conditions are correct.

My caiman can go off food for long times without showing much change in body mass. I'm just used to it (can get very frustrating, though)...

Rob

You stated that the crocs enclosure was 85°F which is toward the lower end of their preferred body temperature. Do you have a basking spot?
I'd recommend bumping the croc's enclosure temperature up to around 90-93°F. Do you have a "hide" in with the crocs? If not, adding one may help.

To add to what John White said - Where is the temperature 85 deg? Is the thermometer close to where the animal basks, or somewhere else. There can be quite a difference depending on where the temperature is being measured.

Bill

Thanks for all the advice... The enclosure--a large room-- is at 85 degrees. There is a basking area that has a max temp of 105. The one croc likes to bask just to the outside of the max range, around 90--94 degrees. The lamp is close to the ground, so there is a definate gradient of cooling/heating. I do not have a specific hiding area. The water tub acted as a sanctuary, I thought, but perhaps I need a more secure area to have them hide? The water is not as deep as the pond I had them in outside.

I'm going to go a different route than some of the other fellows.

I don't think you have a problem with your temps at all. I think what you simply have here is an adjustment problem.

First you have a lower water level and a limited hide area. If the water is not dep enough it probably isn't providing must security.

Whenever I move crocodilians, even long term animals, I always assume they will go off feed for awhile. They often seem to need time to adjust to the new confines. Some animals adjust fast, others slower. As an example I had an alligator that went off feed for approx 30 days if I moved him to a new enclosure. If I moved him out of his old enclosure and then back in he'd eat immediately. It was the new confines that seemed to unnerve him.

I see the same thing with most of the crocodilians I keep. The CB animals I have raised since birth are the least bothered, but it's a general rule.
The Ultimate Guide to Crocs

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CDieter
'Reason, observation, and experience; the holy trinity of science.'