Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Welcome to kingsnake.com's message board system. Here you may share and discuss information with others about your favorite reptile and amphibian related topics such as care and feeding, caging requirements, permits and licenses, and more. Launched in 1997, the kingsnake.com message board system is one of the oldest and largest systems on the internet.

Click for 65% off Shipping with Reptiles 2 You
Click for ZooMed
Click for 65% off Shipping with Reptiles 2 You

" Runts "

IndigoSean Aug 16, 2011 07:44 PM

What are y'alls thoughts on "runts" of a litter? Will they grow to be smaller adults? Is it a sign that they are some how unhealthy?

Replies (4)

Eric East Aug 16, 2011 09:08 PM

>>What are y'alls thoughts on "runts" of a litter? Will they grow to be smaller adults? Is it a sign that they are some how unhealthy?

I've never owned a "runt" but I had a female that ended up being a dwarf. She was an 02 and had some sort of tail abnormality where there was a very drastic change in girth rather than a nice even taper. I posted pictures years ago and others mentioned seeing the same issue with other dwarf indigo's.
At around 3 years of age she was barely over 3' long and nearly as big around as my wrist.
Here are a few pics.
Image

Eric East Aug 16, 2011 09:09 PM

>>>>What are y'alls thoughts on "runts" of a litter? Will they grow to be smaller adults? Is it a sign that they are some how unhealthy?
>>
>>I've never owned a "runt" but I had a female that ended up being a dwarf. She was an 02 and had some sort of tail abnormality where there was a very drastic change in girth rather than a nice even taper. I posted pictures years ago and others mentioned seeing the same issue with other dwarf indigo's.
>>At around 3 years of age she was barely over 3' long and nearly as big around as my wrist.
>>Here are a few pics.
>>

Here's a close up of the tail
Image

Eric East Aug 16, 2011 09:14 PM

>>>>>>What are y'alls thoughts on "runts" of a litter? Will they grow to be smaller adults? Is it a sign that they are some how unhealthy?
>>>>
>>>>I've never owned a "runt" but I had a female that ended up being a dwarf. She was an 02 and had some sort of tail abnormality where there was a very drastic change in girth rather than a nice even taper. I posted pictures years ago and others mentioned seeing the same issue with other dwarf indigo's.
>>>>At around 3 years of age she was barely over 3' long and nearly as big around as my wrist.
>>>>Here are a few pics.
>>>>
>>
>>Here's a close up of the tail

For the 1st year she seemed to grow fine and then she just stopped gaining length and began putting on girth.
Here she is as a yearling with her sister from the next years hatch. BTW, the smaller one is the mother of the babies I just had hatch out.
>>

Image

TBrophy Aug 19, 2011 11:51 AM

I had a pair of easterns purchased from the "San Juan Snakeman" back in the 1990's and both grew to be runts. As adults, they were thick as a typical adult indigo, but only maybe 3' in length. Friend of mine many years ago had a runt Texas indigo. I believe runts crop up in indigos at a higher rate than other colubrids. I wonder if it has to do with a more limited available gene pool of captive breeders, than say cornsnakes or kingsnakes. I do not think the cause was environmental; mine ate anything and everything, they just never put on length, only girth!

Site Tools