My Ovophis monticola 2011

My dearest experienced brothers and sisters,

I hope I have chosen a correct place to ask questions.

I live in Hong Kong. On 25.09.11, I bought 2 Ovophis monticola from China and that guy bought it to Hong Kong for me to trade, and they are perfect arrival and alert.

I have used zoomed's forest floor bedding for them to maintain humidity and try my very best to lower night time temperature to about 17 degrees celsius by icing water outside their cage and normal temperature during day times.

But so far no feeding occurs, I put 1 day old pinky inside and tried baby african clawed frog as well, but nothing happened so far.

Kindly advise their best feeding regime and best way to have them feed and am I doing correctly? Lowering temperature cannot trigger their feeding response?

Many thanks!

With regards,
AJGC

Maybe Stefan Wennekes from this forum can help you out. I will send him a PM for you.

Cheers, Ro.

Thanks brother Bergh, I'll wait for he's reply.

I have use dead mices, and opened theire heads, so that blood comes out a little bit.
Than I try to tease them with the mices untill the strike sometimes, and when the hold them for only one second, remove yourself very slowly. It helps me with O. tonkinensis, a breeding from last year. Now it feeds everthing.

Peter van Issem wrote:: I have use dead mices, and opened theire heads, so that blood comes out a little bit.
Than I try to tease them with the mices untill the strike sometimes, and when the hold them for only one second, remove yourself very slowly. It helps me with O. tonkinensis, a breeding from last year. Now it feeds everthing.

Hi brother Peter,

If that's the case, then it seems that those brain stuff are really attractive to them. Ok just cut a cutter size wound or open a hole? And possibly without human hand smell right?

Before I tried teasing as well. but no luck, should I tease mainly from it's tail only or any other parts of the body including their mouth tip?

You think my temperatures are ok?

Thanks alot!

Hi Alexander,
yes, maby the brain stuff makes it atractive for them. Sometimes, with other species it works, when you only cut the skin a little bit, but sometimes you have to sqeez it a littel bit.
Washing of the dead mices can also help in some cases, our laboratory mices smel to much, so that washing can help. It has worked for me with Morelia viridis.

When I tease Ovophis or Acanthophis, I start with the tail, because some species atract pray with there tails! When this not worked, start to tease them on the head.

Temperature at night 17 °C ... I don´t drop then so much, because my Snakeroom is warmer than yours maby. Here Daytime actually is 26 °C at night around 23°C. I set the Box with Ovophis under a open Window, so it drops around 20°C , but actually not more. It fed and feed. In nature, the Temps can be much lower, but I´m not sure that the snakes like that. The have to be active, thats sure, but for degestation the will prefere a little bit higher temps. But this is my pers. opinion. Snakes of the higher lelevations ,,must´´ live under such conditions, but when the sun comes out, I sure the will have a place to warm up.
we se only Temps and Climate datas of such an region, but we know so less of the biology of our snakes. Who can say, what the doing the year?
Here in Europe you can find Vipera berus, sometimes in Spring the start to came out of hibernation when Snow still covers big parts of there Habitats, but I have never think about to but snow inside a Vivarium in Springtime ;-) Kidding you
Lower temperature for the Ovophis Group will be better than to high, thats a fact.

Peter van Issem wrote:: Hi Alexander,
yes, maby the brain stuff makes it atractive for them. Sometimes, with other species it works, when you only cut the skin a little bit, but sometimes you have to sqeez it a littel bit.
Washing of the dead mices can also help in some cases, our laboratory mices smel to much, so that washing can help. It has worked for me with Morelia viridis.

When I tease Ovophis or Acanthophis, I start with the tail, because some species atract pray with there tails! When this not worked, start to tease them on the head.

Temperature at night 17 °C ... I don´t drop then so much, because my Snakeroom is warmer than yours maby. Here Daytime actually is 26 °C at night around 23°C. I set the Box with Ovophis under a open Window, so it drops around 20°C , but actually not more. It fed and feed. In nature, the Temps can be much lower, but I´m not sure that the snakes like that. The have to be active, thats sure, but for degestation the will prefere a little bit higher temps. But this is my pers. opinion. Snakes of the higher lelevations ,,must´´ live under such conditions, but when the sun comes out, I sure the will have a place to warm up.
we se only Temps and Climate datas of such an region, but we know so less of the biology of our snakes. Who can say, what the doing the year?
Here in Europe you can find Vipera berus, sometimes in Spring the start to came out of hibernation when Snow still covers big parts of there Habitats, but I have never think about to but snow inside a Vivarium in Springtime ;-) Kidding you
Lower temperature for the Ovophis Group will be better than to high, thats a fact.

Hi brother Peter,

Really thanks for your detailed advise. I will try it out and brain "cut open" the brain and tease them all the way and see response.

Because of some tropical species, one part of my reptile room is a bit higher in temperature. I have raised the temperature for Ovophis to around 25 degrees celsius now and see their performance later.

By the way, washing means? Use water or rub the whole body with brain stuff?

With regards,
AJGC

yes, wash the body with water. When you breed mices by your self, you will know the smel of the mices. Wild mices don´t smel like laboratory mices. The smel but not so strong.

I see bro Peter,

But breeding mice here in my place is I think a bit of trouble...........

I'm aware that this is not the right place to talk about this, but I'm interested to know how many types or genus of hots you are keeping?

Yes, you are right. This is not the right place to talk about Numbers of snakes and so on, it´s you post, and let us follow your treat.
But, I keep some differend species of differend asian Pitvipers genuses , european Vipers and the elapid Genus Acanthophis.

Let us know, when your monticola hast start feeding. Good luck!

Ok bro Peter,

I'll let you know when they feed this way and that collection of yours is really great.

Just now something ringed in my brain, I forgot to ask whether to heat the dead pinkie or not? So that they can use their heat pits as well?

From your experience, what is the longest time of teasing before they strike?

With regards,
AJGC

Frozen mices I do temperate in luke warm water, not so hot - to hot you got an special soup ;-)

Noramly the strike after 2 or 3 times of teasing, but on some days, the don´t want to bite. Than you can stop teasing - this snake will never feed on such days.
give them time, my O. tonkinensis needs for there first meal nearly 3 Months! I start teasing after around 10 weeks. Let them shedd there skin, maby the 2nd shed also...

Peter van Issem wrote:: Frozen mices I do temperate in luke warm water, not so hot - to hot you got an special soup ;-)

Noramly the strike after 2 or 3 times of teasing, but on some days, the don´t want to bite. Than you can stop teasing - this snake will never feed on such days.
give them time, my O. tonkinensis needs for there first meal nearly 3 Months! I start teasing after around 10 weeks. Let them shedd there skin, maby the 2nd shed also...

Thanks brother Peter,

After detailed study here, I found that mine are actually O. tonkinensis. It's really incredible to know that they have their first meal nearly 3 months. For me, I will feel pain in my heart.

Ok, I'll do temparate the mice first, but I don't wash them in direct water. I put them in a plastic bowl, then this whole bowl put in another hot water bowl, heating was done without direct washing, this is ok right?

Hahahahaha, then I have chance of wasting mice in these weeks right? But for babies, do you think it's no good to their health if they eat in nearly after 3 months? I will monitor their shedding as well.

With regards,
AJGC

Yes, it sound hard, but when the snake looks ok, the will have no problems at all.

Sometimes, in nature, snakes are born near the end of the year. After this, sometimes bad weather conditions came very fast, so that the have no chance to feed before hibernatin. The go in hibernation without anny meal, and after months the emerge very healty.

I got the O. tonkinensis last year, short time (1-2 weeks) after the was hatched, I start to give them food, but the snbakes don´t want to eat something. I wait and wait, try and wait.
Changes boxes, conditions and so on. But nothing works. Start teasing - nothing goes.
And than, one day after teasing it works for the very first time. Now, it grows up and shedd there skin and all is fine now. When it grows up like the last months I´m satisfied.

Your way to temperate them sounds ok for me, now lets try it.

Hi Brother Peter,

Yesterday no luck for them to eat...... hahahahaha!

Heated up the pinky. The first one I teased don't respond at all, open the brain no respond as well.

The second one I teased also no respond, opened up the brain, showed some interest and in attack position, but nothing happened in the teasing session as well.

I think I have to be the same as you, keep waiting till they are prepared to eat.

I will update again particularly by the end of this week.

But this time, do you think trying only pinky head will be better?

With regards,
AJGC

Yes, try it maby with a pinky head, than the head is much smaler, and when it hit them, the is in there mouth complitly. Better a smal part then nothing!

Hi brother Peter,

At last after long long time, both of them shedded two weeks back and last Thursday (24.11.11), I tried to feed them with small live pinky.

I teased both of them anywhere to the point of very angry and suddenly first one striked at the mice and don't release, I left it alone and swallowed accordingly.

But the second one bite for a long time till the mice died and without any disturbance, released the mice and is still there during next day. At least this guy used it's mouth, do you think it will finally eat if I put on some more efforts?

Will try again tomorrow.

Hi Alex,
nice to heare from you again!
One succesfull result is ok, maby the other one needs some more time. Like I wrote about the tonkinensis, the first times it eats not every time, now it is around one year old, it feed every time I offer food (all two weeks). I have had not so much experince with the Genus Ovophis, I´ll keeped only the tonkinensis, O.m.convictus and okinavensis now. So, I don´t know is a typical behavior of this Genus to start so slow...? Maby , when you think, the began to loose condition, you have to stzart with force feeding. But I hope you don´t need it.
And you and I are not the only ones in this forum that keeps this Genus, maby there are some others they can share some information about this?? Maby some of them, they have breed some of this kind?

I see brother Peter,

I will observe this, but in Wednesday I have force fed the other one, very easy for it. When I hold it's head down with a hook, other hand with forceps come with a pinky head, it opens it's mouth easily and I place half of the head in, after some moment of staring me, then it began to swallow slowly, since that, this two days when I check it up, it show some alert for my arrival.

Ok Alex, that sound good for the moment! Maby now it comes on the taste of mices. Maby the next time it will feed by them self. Fingercrossing!!