Hi Everybody,

I managed to get a lovely pair of B. worthingtoni earlier this year. I am keeping them rather cool (16 - 22 deg. centigrade) with an underfloor heater under one small corner of the aquarium. Here it can reach 32 degreees. The aquarium is a standard 2 foot (60cm) with a gauze/mesh lid for plenty ventilation. I have given plenty hiding spots and security (dead leaves and rocks). There is also a spot light in the day which shines only in one corner.

Now, my problem is the male ate only twice since I had him. Both times were in the first 2 weeks that i had him. He would not eat willingly these 2 times and needed to be 'teased'. Once he had bitten the rodent and got a 'taste', he would eat.

Now he has refused food for about 3/4 months and I am a little worried. His condition and behaviour are still normal in my eyes, although he is a little slender. Out of desperation I have even tried a live Hemidactylus gecko, which he didn't eat (Its still in his cage over a week).

He never sits on the heated areas or never basks under the lamp.

The female on the other hand eats willingly and very well. She is always on the hotspot. These animals are seperated each in their own aquarium. Their aquariums are next to each other. Do you think her pheremones are disturbing the male's appetite?

I just cant figure it out and dont want to stress the animal by force feeding. He is already a more irate animal than the female.

Has anybody had experience with these. Marco Buegel kindly advised me to raise the temperature and humidity. I did this but there has been no difference.

Thanks for reading and thanks in advance for any help.

Here is the stubborn male:


And the female thats does vey well.

Sad to hear that you still got the same old problem as we discussed last time

Don't think that pheromones are involved, but of course I can't proof it....

Male are always the problem, it doesn't matter if you keep schneider, peringueyi or caudalis - if an animals makes problem or isn't interested to eat on itsself, mostly it's one of the males.

But with worthingtoni you always got problems, have had some of them and friends of mine too - we all have had problems only with the males, never with females - the girls are great eatingmaschines.

In a few cases we had some luck with rising the temp and humidity a little bit, in other cases it didn't show any effect unfortunately

Maybe the males are more controlled by hormones and metabolic changes or something like that, then females are. Or maybe they prefer lizzards and skins as prey item, and only females are good rodent eaters ?!?

Did you try different sizes and colors in mice ?? Maybe that could als be a solution, especially if the are used to a special foor item you can't replace with a white laboratory mouse or something like that.

It's very difficult to work with worthingtoni, and it's the only one species ever, where I have had to say that I am not able to give them what they would need - so I decided to stop working with them.

Whish you all the best and better luck with them, then I have had in the past......

Cheers
Marco

Hi Marco, thanks for your reply.

You are right, many dwarf Bitis's males can be difficult. Yet I have always found they will still take lizards or geckos.

I have tried different mouse sizes and colours as you suggest, but they have all been laboratory mice. Maybe I should try a more wild type.

For about a week there has been a live Hemidactylus maboiua gecko in his cage and he hasn't taken that yet. I want to try a skink or lizard, but i havent found one yet.

I am hoping the male is maybe fasting. I have had snakes go off food for months and then start eating again. A Crotalus scuttelatus I once had, would refuse food for 6 months of the year (winter) without fail but lived for very long. I currently have a Cryptelytrops venustus male that also only eats every 2 months or so and he is healthy.

I will keep trying and post any developments here...

Thanks and Regards

Craig

Hi,

I have been to the habitat of Bitis worthingtoni.
Some interesting info on the temperatures may be:
At daytime temperature in the dry and wet season may go up to 35-40 degrees centigrade. Though in the shade lower of course.
At night time temperature drop considerably but during the wet season nights are warm (like 16-20 degrees). During dry season temperatures can drop much lower at night.

cheers

BTW your stubborn male is the most beautiful specimen I have ever seen! Congrats!

Just make sure to keep him hydrated. I've had males stop eating for up to 13 months and then one night start again and never miss a meal since then.