Why I never want horned adders again

[Bushviper]

I have been fairly succesful with keeping and breeding B. caudalis in the past. This year however I have decided that I have had enough of them.
I posted this picture of my gravid female a while ago.


Well about a week before she was due to drop I found her lying upside down and when I cut her open this is what I found.




Yes friends 11 dead babies inside that corpse.

I knew I had two other females but while checking on them I found this

The one still looked alive but seems to have taken a bite to some internal organ.


I have given away the last of them that I had and do not want to see small adders for a long time.

[marc bt]

im sorry to hear this BV, this years season hasn't been your best by the looks of things. it can only get better i hope

[Brendan E]

damn that sux

[gaboon69]

Sorry to hear about your loss BV.

[Rob]

Bummer BV, thats a killer. Im sobbing for you man. Damn!

[steve]

Yeah now that’s a BUMMER!!! To say the least! To lose 14 adders in one knock is enough to scare any keeper away...my condolences go out to you BV.
You will have better luck in the future I’m sure. Cheers

[Loslappie]

My word! sorry to hear and see that!

[insaniac]

Deepest condolences !!!

That sucks !!!

I really hope you have better luck with your other hopeful breeders !

Real bummer man... sad to see...

[fredsmith]

Sad to see BV, deepest condolences to you indeed.

Are horned adders known to be canabilistic? And in this instance both snakes appear to be of similar size, would one be able to consume the other?

[Xenior1976]

Yeah that sucks really bad. Females do this more often but to find this after you lost your pregnant lady, what a waste...

Cheers, Ro.

[Rob]

Fredsmith - Yes they are very canniballistic.
I recently heard of a few more instances of cornuta cannibalism too.

[froot]

BV you've bred this species many times before and I can remember the hopeful doubt about keeping the babies alive. Compared to something like L. capensis, this makes me wonder how this species can be so successful in the wild, it's as if you look at them skeef and they roll over. It must be that we've got the captive husbandry all wrong, but what? What are we missing?

[phobos]

I agree BV! I have one female, that I cannot breed and continue to pass on new B. caudalis that are available. She has eaten every male I paired her with, that gets expensive! Sorry for the loss of your specimens

[Slayer69]

Sorry to hear!
That's quite a knock for any breeder

[Bundu Boy]

Not nice...

By seeing the first pics I take it that these snakes give birth to live young. What do you think caused the female to pass away?