Dwarfism

Some of you have mentioned having dwarf indigos in the past and i'm curious about a few things..

1)Were they of typical size as neonates? If so, when did you begin to suspect that something was wrong?

2)Were they typical feeders or were they abnormal feeders? I know this is a tough question since some neonates are difficult to get started.

3)How large did they end up being as adults, and is there a minimum acceptable size that they animal would be accepted as simply a smallish "normal" specimen?

4)Did their girth appear normal for their length or were they overly heavy bodied?


Thanks!

Eric

1)Were they of typical size as neonates? If so, when did you begin to suspect that something was wrong?

I have a dwarf D. m erebennus, I received as an adult, and a dwarf D. couperi, which I acquired as a neonate five years ago. I cannot speak for the erebennus, as I did not raise it, but the D. couperi appeared normal as a neonate. I noticed a difference in growth after 12 months, as the D. couperi stopped gaining length, though ecdysis was normal and it gained normal girth..


2)Were they typical feeders or were they abnormal feeders? I know this is a tough question since some neonates are difficult to get started.

The D. couperi was not difficult to start feeding, and both harbor the typical adult Drymarchon feeding response now. Unfortunately, I cannot speak for the D. m erebennus, regarding its feeding behavior as a juvenile.


3)How large did they end up being as adults, and is there a minimum acceptable size that they animal would be accepted as simply a smallish "normal" specimen?

The D. m erebennus is seven years of age, from what the previous owner has informed me, and she is a hair over 48”.
The D. couperi is now five years of age and just under 48”. Both continue to grow, but only by approximately an inch or two per year.
I would suspect any adult Drymarchon under 60" to be a true dwarf, pending it has been adequately fed.

4)Did their girth appear normal for their length or were they overly heavy bodied?

The D. m erebennus has normal girth for its size, but the head is proportionately large for a 48” specimen.
The D. couperi is just the opposite, having a girth proportionately wide for a specimen of 48", with a proportionately sized head.

Best regards,

Jeff

Jeff,

Read your article of the past with interest.

Does the tail have to be short and the snake stunted looking to be a dwarf?

Will they reproduce or just won't lay as many eggs.

There is somebody trying to sell a dwarf eastern on this site but is telling people it is a dwarf and shoes a strange tail.

Is this genetic or as they say strictly bad incubation?

Thanks
Bill Lamoreaux

Hello, Bill,

Not all Drymarchon exhibiting dwarfism harbor the radically short and tapered tail, though it appears as though a good percentage of them do, so I would not consider such to be a true phenotypic indicator, as I have seen such go both ways; specimens with short, tapered tails growing to become normal sized adults and specimens harboring the same trait never reaching over 48" in over all length.
I am not certain what the outcome of breeding dwarf specimens would be, but I would harbor serious concerns regarding the female, as I believe, giving the size of eggs, a dwarf female could easily expire during oviposition. I do believe the clutch and egg size would be typical for the species though.
Dwarfism is known to be caused by a host of issues, including gestation, metabolism, environment, genetics and in the case of reptiles and aves, incubation. Pin-pointing the exact reason any given specimen exhibits dwarfism would require a host of tests, many of which are quite expensive and out of reach for most hobbyist / herpetoculturist.

Best regards,

Jeff

There have been 2 classified ads for a while on this site. Both snakes are 4'ers and both have a funky tapered tail. I have asked on the other forum about tapered tails and dwarfism. I recently purchased an 05 male with a funky tail. (thats why I was asking). I knew it was that way and I paid a very low price for him because of the tail thing. But I never did get an answer if the tail thingy meant that I had a probable dwarf until Jeff said that he has seen it both ways. I hope to end up with a 7' monster with a funky tail ... but if I get a 4 footer, thats fine too. Just happy to have an eastern.
He is almost a year old and is about 30". The tail looks normal when viewed from the top. Side view shows a very quick taper on the ventral side. The top lines seem OK (for now).

Bottom line is that I'm very happy to have him. Although I don't think I would ever breed him. I wouldn't want to continue any bad genes if it is a genetic thing. - Just my opinion.
Steve