Small headed pythons

[+Gecko~Gaze+]

..Lol, i think its an intergrade ...It's eaten twice for me, but he likes stuff that moves ( he goes for my fingers rather than the pinky) So I got a pair of mice so I can give him some live babies to get him feeding properly again...Thanks for asking

 

[Brodie]

wow

 

[Alexahnder]

Next time try using tweezers or tongs

 

[+Gecko~Gaze+]

Lol... I do use them...But they arent very long so it dosent really help...Im gonna shut-up now before I change this topic.

 

[ad]

Welcome back Belinda!
Well picked RR
lol

 

[ackie]

hey belinda.
i was once told of this theory about the bigger the food the bigger the head but was unsure. My mind was made up wen my 2 carpets both fed on the same sized mice but one had a bigger body and head. I think i will go with the theory of snakes heads grow at a certain rate no matter how quick their body grows in revilence to their feeding habits.

 

[Fuscus]

(Meanwhile, back at the topic and sorry for rubbing you the wrong way Fangs. And hello Belinda). I'll try and get some photos of some small-headed snakes for you Fangs, but no promises.
So pinhead syndrome may be caused by power feeding or a lack of food items that don't require jaw stretching (I like the sound of the second one but just can't see how the mechanics would work).
Another possible cause that wasn't discussed is inbreeding. Does anyone know of this going on?
Obesity may cause reproduction problems in snakes, exspecally males (Can anyone point to a photo of an obese snake, preferbly a carpet python so I can see what a fat snake looks like?)

 

[Guest]

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[Stevethepom]

snakes jaws dislocate?...didnt realise they would fuse together....if yours has to dislocate its jaw belle i`d take it to a vet asap, coz mine just has ligaments holding the jaw which stretch *shrug*

cheers
Pom

 

[Fangs]

(edited by Admin)

 

[NCHERPS]

Fuscus,
I have heard of one guy who had bred Olives in the UK who's hatchlings had particularly small heads for the species, this was noticable on the young from Hatch though, not as you described, at the yearling stage!
Interesting topic, but one thankfully that you don't come across to often in practice!
Have you got any pic's of the carpet you are concerned about?

Cheers Neil

 

[Fuscus]

Its a yearling water python that is the greedy eater and I am not (as yet) concerned about the animal, its the first snake I have ever kept and I am trying to avoid any future pitfalls. This post is basically a quest for knowledge.
The reason I asked for a photo of a carpet is that I am familar with the species as I have encountered 30+ while bushwalking in the Gold Coast hinterland. Most of the wilds I would describe as skinny compared to the captive animals I have seen. ONe snake was 3 meters plus but only as thick as my wrist (photo here -> http://150.101.58.70/thumbnails.php?id=Snake_Carpet_Python&num=02 ). I would just like to see a photo of an animal that is regarded by others as obese

 

[NCHERPS]

Alot of you might have seen this photo before, it is of a 13 yr old Burmese python called 'Baby', privately owned by an American bloke called Loius, he has a huge basement viv set up for the snake.
http://www.aussiepythons.com/module...ame=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php

Some might call this snake overweight compared with what a 20ft wild one might look like however, I would not call it Obese. One HUUUGGGGEEEE snake!

He feeds it chickens, not sure why he uses a small food source, maybe because they are leaner than pigs!! LOL!
Fuscus, I know it's not a photo of what you are looking for, just thought it was interesting!

Cheers,
Neil

 

[+Gecko~Gaze+]

snakes jaws dislocate?...didnt realise they would fuse together....if yours has to dislocate its jaw belle i`d take it to a vet asap, coz mine just has ligaments holding the jaw which stretch *shrug*

Thats what I meant...Came out wrong

 

[Fuscus]

Your right Neil, it is a great photo. Baby now lives in a reptile park according to this web site http://www.cbreptiles.co.uk/FIRSTTIMEFrame1Source1.htm
As for feeding her chicken, well, I wouldn't feed a snake that size anything that could be mistaken for me (i.e. any large mammal) because I could then be mistaken as food.

 

[NCHERPS]

LOL- Don't think you would have a prob unless you smelt like a pig! LOL! I know where your coming from though.

You come across very knowlegable about Reptiles, surprised this is your first snake, but I surpose knowledge comes from other places as well, not just keeping the things in captivity.

Happy Herping!

Neil

 

[NoOne]

You would have to feed a python that large on at least rabbits, it wouldn't get enough from chickens.
I'd go small lambs.

 

[NCHERPS]

NoOne,
You would have thought so wouldn't you, but it was chickens that the guy was feeding it, and it seemed to do pretty well on them, by the look of it anyway!

 

[Slateman]

I have to say from my short experiance 3.5 year. 2 snakes have smaller heads compare to body. I must admit that i fed them a lot more then others and one of them is my 2.5 year old female olive 4.5 kg and 2,5 metre long.
I think that the head will eventually catch up in next 2 years.

 

[Fuscus]

Thanks Neil, I've actually got two water pythons, a greedy eater who is the subject of this thread and a reluctent feeder. If reluctent doesn't eat then greedy gets her rat and greedy is growing a lot faster than reluctent.
Anyhow my (apparent) knowledge comes from a number of sources including lots of nature photography, a long term interest in animals and the fact I observe, not just look. I can identify most Australian birds by sight and have encountered heaps of wild coastals amongst other herps. And If I don't know something, I'll ask.