Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I purchased a male McMannus strain BT Cribo from the Tinley Park show 7 years ago and he has only reached a bit over 4 feet?? He feeds every 7 to 10 days on a medium rat and looks awesome, very healthy. Any ideas on the small size?

Have you always fed him every 7-10 days? I fed my baby Cribo's every day after or day of defecation, they grew like mad to 4' then slowed down. They put a lot of that food into growth in that first year. Now I feed every 5 days or so. I have also heard of some localities of BT's that are known for being smaller, as well as Dwarfism in Couperi which aren't to far off.

Does it look Dwarf? Standard sized head/girth but short length or is it just small?

Nate

Thanks Nate. Yes, I have always fed him using those time parameters. He does not look dwarf at all, just not super long. Has beautiful girth and proportions! He is an awesome snake.

I would assume he needed more food when growing, I would also wonder if He was a She. Either way cool snakes.

Nate

I think you may be right. Never sexed him myself. Bought from Great Lakes Zoological Supply who informed me of the strain. Prob just didnt feed him enough when he was a neo...thanx. Is my first cribo ever kept....lesson learned for my next one....a YT (I hope )

You may have heard about "dwarf" type D. couperi, several have been reported, about that length but often stouter than one would expect. They appear healthy otherwise, but are generally not chosen for breeders. I assume they are genetic "sports", or perhaps the short end of normal? Anyway, your cribo may exhibit the same. Some have suggested it is the result of inbreeding, but I am not convinced that is always the case. Is your animal length/girth proportional or is it "stout"? This is the first I have heard of this in a cribo.

I feed my Drys more often, but I doubt if that is what is limiting the size. Insufficient food after 7 years would probably result in a long, thin snake. Our captives tend to be thicker than wild caught animals. Interesting case...Vic

Length and girth are very proportional. He looks awesome. I will try to download a pic tonight to post. He looks amazing.

I think your "he" is a "she".

Both my females are small, one is 4" the other 5ish. My male is over 7".
The smallest female is a CBB back from 2001 and fed perfectly. So don't think it is due to under feeding. Some are just small. You wouldn't over feed a daughter because she was only 5" tall would you?