Any more ideas for non-feeders?

[OldDetroit]

I have 7 problem feeders. 2 of them have eaten both times I've offered, most recently as soon as I stuck the pinkie in front of them. 2 ate last week but this week both decided not to. I'm not too worried about them, one is definitely going to shed soon and I'm pretty sure the other is too. It's the last 3 that I'm worried about. They ignored f/t both times I've tried.

I've tried f/t heated until they were warm, brained and split. Zombie danced them around for a bit and then left them with the snake and covered the bin with a towel.

Tonight I switched from paper towel to aspen bedding, because of a post on here about a scared non-feeding hatchling calming down when switched from newspaper to shredded newspaper.

I am willing to try live, but where I normally buy feeders does not currently have small, live pinkies. Any ideas on where to go to find small, live pinkies in southeast Michigan or other things to do to f/t to help are more than welcome. Thank you.

[Frenchy89]

try to find lizard scent at the store you buy from if you cant get ahold of live

[OldDetroit]

Worth a shot. I'll go check tomorrow. Thank you.

[Frenchy89]

i have 4 non feeders i just picked up last night i bought a green anole and pinks split the anole stomach and dipped the pinks in the blood and now i only have one non feeder i doin a thread now will post the link

[OldDetroit]

Was the anole bought as a feeder too?

[Frenchy89]

I BOUGHT IT FOR 5 BUCKS TOLD THE OWNER OF THE REPTILE STORE WHAT I WAS DOIN W IT WHEN HE ASKED WHY I WAS BUY 4 PINKS AND AN ANOLE HE DIDNT CARE


HERE IS TE LINK

http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=105791

[Nanci]

Washed in Ivory or Dawn dishsoap, chicken broth, tuna water, KFC chicken fat, raw chicken juice, lizard scent (you can just rub the pink on the lizard or get the lizard to bite the pink and get saliva on it for a less-drastic, possibly less effective but non-fatal to the lizard method), ground pellet turtle food mush scented, withhold water for 2-3 days, then offer super-wet pink, slap-feeding, (restrain the snake in the neck area, gently jab the snake in the face with the pink till it bites, then don't move a muscle and hope he starts chewing), wrap in lizard shed, egg white, scent with dirty mouse bedding or bird droppings, scent with baby birds (like finches), feed VERY hot, almost boiled. Use a VERY small container, covered, or place in a paper bag, fold the top, and put the snake back in his viv over night.

[OldDetroit]

Wow, that is a huge list of things to try. Wonder if the pet store will let me make one their lizards bite a frozen pinkie before I leave. lol I better start soon since if I go through the whole list it will February when I'm done. Thank you very much.

Also the store I usually buy from has live pinkies now. Hopefully between live and all those options I can find something that works and not be stressed this weekend.

[Nanci]

I haven't actually tried this, but I feel like it would be okay (although more wasteful, but if the snake's life depends on it, then so what) to try two or three different things at a time. Like, try washed, and if he hasn't taken it after an hour, reheat and dip in tuna water, and if he hasn't eaten in an hour, try chicken juice. Or whatever.

I forgot- try just pink heads, too.

[Nanci]

Oops, I remembered a couple more. Take for a long car ride. Then feed. Feed on top of the clothes dryer (no heat on). Make sure they can't fall off!

[OldDetroit]

Okay. Two questions: do what with egg whites, dip a pinkie in and offer it? And the dryer on with no heat? I'm guessing it creates movement like the car would. Wonder why a car ride helps them...weird.

[Nanci]

I heard the dryer trick from people at a show. I don't know why it works!! I don't know why babies can refuse every trick in the book, go to a show or on a car ride to a new home or fly cross country and begin to eat the first try. It just happens frequently enough to call it one of the tricks!

Dunk the hot pink in egg white.

[OldDetroit]

Thank you.

[OldDetroit]

I've now tried really hot, split, brained, zombie danced, covered deli cup over night, egg whites & live. Tomorrow I'm going to go with Nanci's suggestion of washed, wait a few hours, reheat & dunk in tuna, wait a few hours, reheat & dunk in chicken.

Nanci,
You mentioned wrapping them in a lizard shed, I don't have any lizards to do this with, but I do have another corn snake that should shed in a day or two would that work?

At what point do I try tube feeding? Right now all three still look fine, they're as active as my other hatchlings, just smaller than they should be. Do I wait until they start showing signs of ill health? Or should I start sooner rather than later?

[Nanci]

A cornsnake shed won't work- the lizard shed is just another way to do lizard scenting.

I guess I wouldn't worry so much about the ones that have ever eaten before. Especially the ones who are blue. What's the story on the ones who have never eaten? Are they your hatchlings, or babies you bought? If babies you bought, have the _ever_ eaten? How old are they? How comfortable are you with tube feeding? Do you know where to get the kit?

[OldDetroit]

They are hatchlings I bought as non-feeders. They are about 2 months old and I don't believe they've ever eaten. I do know where to get the kit. And I've never tube fed before, so I'm not sure how comfortable I am with it, but I'm willing to try. I just don't want to wait too long and then try.

[OldDetroit]

Over the past 3 weeks I've now tried washed with Dawn, scented with turtle food, tuna, and chicken, egg whites, assist feeding, slap feeding, really hot, split, brained, zombie danced, covered deli cup over night, & live.

I think I'm down to lizard scenting (I'm not 100% sure how I'm going to try that since I don't have any lizards), a long car ride, and feeding on the dryer. They are freaking stubborn.

[Nanci]

It's not hard.

[ghosthousecorns]

Have you tried tease feeding? I wrote this post about it
tease feeding reluctant feeders (http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54474)

[xlevix]

For my problem feeder the trick was washed pinky and scented with anole (caught anole around the house, froze it, thawed it then put the washed pinky inside its mouth while wearing plastic gloves) in a very small container, which I then placed inside the viv in a dark room and left for an hour. Currently at 2 feedings :D one more then im going to try to start weaning it off washing, then scenting as well, good luck!