I haven't weighed or taken any measurements lately, but I will say this. When I got him, about three months ago, he was the size of a big fat night crawler. He was nearly a year old, and still the same size as a hatchling. Since then he has shed four times, and he's nearly quadrupled in size. Maybe more. Now he is almost the size he should be. Probably nearly three feet. He also had two spinal kinks in the tail from too high incubation temps, some type of scale deformities, and he would not eat anything but one small, live goldfish per week. Now he eats two or three rat fuzzies, every other day. One of the spinal kinks has since gone away, but I fear the other is here to stay. And the bummer is that this kink is right at the cloaca. So I have no clue if this animal will ever be able to reproduce. It would be a real tragedy if not.
Since I did not hatch him, or care for him prior to three months ago, I cannot testify to exactly why he was so small. But I will speculate. It is my opinion that the person who hatched him does not care. He's only in it for the money, and therefore makes minimal effort, to provide minimal care for a very large collection. He does not have a job, and this is his bread and butter. It is also my opinion that he is lazy, and arrogant. He once told me that he only cleans cages once every 28 days. That's just asinine. I am still tempted to call the Humane Society, and have him relieved of the burden of caring for the nations largest collection of Drymarchon Couperi. The only reason I don't, is because, who knows what would happen to the snakes after. This guy has some of the most awesome looking Eastern Indigos in the world, but he does not properly care for them. And that SUX!
I didn't and won't give his name. He knows who he is. And he knows he's wrong. And he knows he still owes me. And I know he reads here. I invite him to introduce, and explain himself. But I won't hold my breath.
T.
