Stress?

[cweg]

I see the term "stress" used alot. What are the symptoms of stress. Do they vary from species to species.

 

[MrDeranged]

Stress is pretty much the same from species to species. The only thing that is different is what causes it from species to species. Some symptoms would be:

• Lack of appetite
  
• Sluggishness
  
• Sitting hunched up in a corner
  
• Excessive hair kicking (New World T's only)

Now as to what causes stress, there are a number of possibilities

• Too much noise or traffic near the enclosure
  
• Lack of a hide
  
• Inablility to burrow (can cause serious problems with obligate burrowers)
  
• Too many prey items in the enclosure at one time

Hope that helps some,

Scott