OMG- THREE Babies ATE!!! OMG!!! UPDATE!!

[Nanci]

I've had a few non-feeders since June 1st. One, who has been sold, took live right away, then nothing. He would tease feed very easily, but wouldn't eat by himself. Until I offered chicken fat-scented! Two meals of that and he was a feeder.

I've tried a lot on them all. Live. Overnight. In delis. In their bins. Super-hot. Slit/brained. Anole scented. Anole tails in the pinks' mouths. Tuna-scented. Rat-scented. (There's one little guy who will sometimes tease-feed a segment of rat tail). Uromastyx skin-coated. Dawn soap-washed.

So I was reading somewhere here that someone had really good luck with heating pinks to almost boiling in a sauce pan, then feeding. So- I thawed my pinks. Boiled water. Poured boiling water over the pinks. Picked up the pinks without touching them and fed, boiling hot, in a deli, covered, for two hours, no peeking. I was SO surprised and happy when my tease-feeder avalanche had eaten. THRILLED, to be honest. And then one of the avalanche stripes had also eaten his!! The other avalanche stripe didn't, but they are both super easy to tease feed- hold out the pink, they bite and swallow.

And then- miracle of miracles, the Candy Cane ATE!!! I couldn't even tease/slap feed this baby because he absolutely will not bite or strike no matter what. So he's been maintaining on tails, trying the latest offering, always saying no. UNTIL TODAY!!!!! I am ECSTATIC!!!

Wow- so if they continue to feed- I'm down to only two, and one of them is super-easy to tease feed. I am so happy!! Whosever idea this was, THANK YOU!!! I've TRIED super-hot before, but not boiled. And I even knew about it!!

WOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Cat_Eyed_Lady]

hehe I usually just put the pinkie in the almost boiling water for a second with tongs and feed... but I think I like your method better :)

Glad it worked for you! Another to add to the list of things to try with non-feeders :)

[toxiclight]

Yay for getting the stubborn little things to eat!

[Nanci]

The thing that makes me mad is I _knew_ about boiled, but I was thinking SUPER HOT tap water (120F) was just as good. Apparently it is not.

Autumn got one to feed last week with bologna scenting!

[Nanci]

It's crazy how you just have to find the one thing they think they want and BAM- they turn on and eat!!

[iculatr]

Congratulations on them feeding! It is the greatest feeling when non-feeders turn from their ways and start eating! Woo-hoo!

[Cat_Eyed_Lady]

hehe I think some just dont want hot... they prefer Cooked! rather than raw! LOL

[Bonkers_Scar2011]

That's what I do with mine as well, I put the frozen pink in a cup and add boiling water, leave the pinks in there for a few mins to thaw and then feed them still super hot.

My two snakelets have never missed a feed in the year I have had them :) But mine will only take their food of tongs !! Spoilt wee brats they are haha

[rich333]

Congrats Nanci!!! I have a handful myself that have been extremely stubborn.....I'm currently trying this trick to see if we can get a response!

[Buzzard]

Yeah!!!!!!! Success feels so wonderful :)

[Nanci]

Tara is who I have to thank for reminding me to try this method which has worked so well for her. THANK YOU!!

[NickP961]

I am going to have to try this for my two... Hopefully this works. Thanks! And congrats!

[NickP961]

So were you force feeding the candy cane tails?

[Nanci]

Yup. I'd open his mouth, and slide the tail down about half way. Then he would "chew" and swallow it the rest of the way.

[the_edsta]

How long was it (total... since 1st shed) until this one finally ate? I'm just wondering so I can ration my patience!

[Nanci]

He had three refusals, five days apart, including one live pink. On the fourth feed, I started feeding tails after each refusal. There were five meals of tails. The first feeding attempt was June 9th, at nine days of age. I would feed in progressively less tail at each feeding, and set him down so he could crawl and swallow naturally.

The other two that ate tonight tease fed right from the start. Since they didn't eat in their deli cups, I'd hold the pink and tap them about two inches down the neck. This induces an almost automatic bite. Then you FREEZE and hope the snake starts swallowing. All the other babies are super-easy to tease feed like that, except one.

[diamondlil]

Congratulations!:cheers:

[the_edsta]

Wow... Essentially two months of coaxing. Congrats on yoir patience paying off!

[Weda737]

Awesome beans. Non feeders stress me out. But I've eventually gotten them all to eat. Still worries me to death though.

[Nanci]

Well, they get their second shot at it tonight. Makes me nervous because it's only been four days (adjusting feeding schedules for Daytona in a couple weeks).

[Brionuhh]

I have faith in those little buggers! I know they have it in them! How many non feeders are left?

[Nanci]

Well, I'm not counting the three that fed as feeders yet!! Especially the candy cane!

I have one avalanche stripe male tease feeder who did not eat the boiled pink by himself, (and he is sold- so he needs to start feeding himself!!) and a ghost bloodred who is also very stubborn. He is about to go to someone else to drive them crazy for a while!!

[screamindemon17]

thank you nanci im gonna try that . my second clutch shedd 4 days ago and one ate right away but the other 5 refused so im going to do for all my babies.

[Brionuhh]

At least you have those three started. Maybe that avalanche will eat like my little guy(assuming they are related). He didn't even need a zombie dance. Actually, he kinda got confused.

I'm keeping my hopes up. Those little ones will all be great corns for anyone.

[Nanci]

Normally, you just have to put the snake in a container with the food and he will just eat- no tricks or zombie dances or anything like that required.

[Kate]

congratulations!

[Tara80]

Tara is who I have to thank for reminding me to try this method which has worked so well for her. THANK YOU!!

Why thank you Nanci;
What's funny is it was totally out of laziness and forgetting that I had pinkies on the burner!:rofl:

After I took them off the burner and cooled them off, it was like "Oh HAI, you're eating!"... and you're eating... and you're eating...

I'm SO glad they're eating for you Nanci!

Unfortunately, I still have 3 that won't eat (but that's pretty good odds out of about 160 babies) haha

[Nanci]

The same three ate the same thing again today! Candy cane was rewarded with a nice bed of fluffy CareFresh!! (Non-feeders have to have paper towels here, in case I feel like leaving pinks in with them overnight).

[gsdbecca]

That's awesome! I guess I needn't be so worried about how long I let my pinkies stay in hot tap water like I have been. ha ha ha! I've been such a worry wart that if I let them stay more than a few seconds that I'll make my baby sick. It's worrisome being a first time mom, ya know? But my little girl is a fabulous eater, I'm just trying to get them not cold. I don't know what I'd do if I had a picky one, as my kids love watching her eat and are usually jumping up and down and hollaring as she's striking and eating! Thank goodness she just ignores them and goes about her business!

Becca

[Nanci]

So there are two holdouts. I've tried a lot on these guys. Including Dawn dishsoap-washed. Carol says, "Try Ivory. I have better luck." So I bought Ivory dish soap. I thawed the pinks in hot water, with a touch of boiled water from the kids that are eating boiled (uncovered, this time!!!) and a BIG squirt of Ivory, in a small measuring cup. Then, I rinsed them in very hot tap water, but not thoroughly. They HAD to have tasted of soap, still. I didn't touch the pinks, just rolled them into the delis.

Here is Muntok, who is sold to Beth, who knew I could get him to feed himself! He's always been a super-simple tease feeder. Imagine my surprise when I went to uncover him and his friend, again, for the millionth time, and the PINK WAS GONE!!!

[rich333]

So Awesome!!! Love the "Never Quit" Attitude!

[Nanci]

And if that wasn't enough, the Ghost Bloodred ate too! This snake is the toughest non-feeder I have ever worked with. When they say don't give up, they mean DON'T GIVE UP!!

This girl is very strike-y, but I could hardly ever get her to tease-feed. She would strike and spit, over and over and over. She took a few rat tail sections by teasing. I stuffed lots of mouse tails, and a few pinks, down her!

I almost had heart failure when I saw that she had eaten her first ANYTHING, unassisted, tonight!! Again, Ivory-washed.

This little lady is going out to Christen with her gorgeous hypo fire stripe sister. IF she still wants her, now that she's a FEEDER!!!

[starsevol]

So there are two holdouts. I've tried a lot on these guys. Including Dawn dishsoap-washed. Carol says, "Try Ivory. I have better luck." So I bought Ivory dish soap. I thawed the pinks in hot water, with a touch of boiled water from the kids that are eating boiled (uncovered, this time!!!) and a BIG squirt of Ivory, in a small measuring cup. Then, I rinsed them in very hot tap water, but not thoroughly. They HAD to have tasted of soap, still. I didn't touch the pinks, just rolled them into the delis.

Here is Muntok, who is sold to Beth, who knew I could get him to feed himself! He's always been a super-simple tease feeder. Imagine my surprise when I went to uncover him and his friend, again, for the millionth time, and the PINK WAS GONE!!!

Oh what a perfect little boy with a belly bump!! He is just stunning.... :)
Maybe his full name needs to be Muntok Ivory.... :)

[schnebbles]

Wow, how awesome is that??? VERY!!! :)

[Nanci]

Pretty awesome! My list of tricks that have worked so far this season are:

Live pink-1
Chicken fat-scented- 1
Boiled- 3
Ivory washed- 2

[the_edsta]

Pretty awesome! My list of tricks that have worked so far this season are:

Live pink-1
Chicken fat-scented- 1
Boiled- 3
Ivory washed- 2

Good grief... the BRAND of soap mattered? These DIVAS tick me off! I've got one that still hasn't eaten... I might just cut to the chase and correct my brand of dish soap first!

[Nanci]

UPDATE!! The three who ate boiled are now eating HOT, uncovered. The two that ate Ivory-drenched repeated. :-) I'm so happy!!!

[Cat_Eyed_Lady]

Good grief... the BRAND of soap mattered? These DIVAS tick me off! I've got one that still hasn't eaten... I might just cut to the chase and correct my brand of dish soap first!

LOL Hard as it is to believe, Yes! yes it matters! LOL

Joy, dawn, Ivory, liquid handsoap, they all work but not for all. As if non-feeding isnt frustrateing enough, right?

[Cat_Eyed_Lady]

UPDATE!! The three who ate boiled are now eating HOT, uncovered. The two that ate Ivory-drenched repeated. :-) I'm so happy!!!

How exciteing!! I am very happy for you. What a relief when they start to act like snakes! LOL

[Nanci]

Makes you wonder if brand of tuna matters. Brand of chicken soup. Crazy!!

Well- that leaves me with only one more to crack- knock on wood!!

[NickP961]

I figured I would put this out there, the 2 non-feeders I had, well guess what?! One of them ate!!!! The boiled water and dipping the pinky in there works!!!

[Nanci]

Excellent!!

[Pugsley]

I figured I would put this out there, the 2 non-feeders I had, well guess what?! One of them ate!!!! The boiled water and dipping the pinky in there works!!!
I wish it would have worked for me. That and the tuna fish water haven't worked. Now to try the ivory wash. Then I'm starting the forced mouse tails. It had eaten twice before I got her, but not for me in a month. ERGGGGGGGGGGGGGG.

[Nanci]

The three babies who decided they could eat boiled pinks are now eating plain old hot-thawed pinks, uncovered, like everyone else.

[Nanci]

And the two eating Ivory-soaked are now being weaned off Ivory. this time I thawed in 50/50 Ivory and hot water, then diluted it by pouring the small measuring cup into a bowl of hot water, and serving. Without touching. They are still covered up while being fed, but both exhibited strong interest immediately before I covered them up!

[SnakeAround]

I have convinced many with pinks that have been in just boiled water for about 30 sec.

[Nanci]

Another one bites the dust!!

Got my last non-feeder to eat tonight. This baby refused her first two meals. I then tried boiled. She refused and got a mouse tail. I next tried Ivory-soaked. She refused and got a mouse tail. Then she had a break of 8 days while I was at Daytona. Tonight I tried chicken broth. She refused. I didn't even heat up the pink and tried slap-feeding her. She bit once, and spit. But it seemed promising. She bit twice, and spit. Then she bit a third time. I froze. And I mean FROZE. Closed my eyes and prayed! And she decided to swallow. That is the point where you CANNOT MOVE NO MATTER WHAT! I froze, watched her swallow, watched her slide slowly out of my hands down onto the towel I had laid out so I could feed her a tail. Watched her zigzag her body to get the pink down. Yay!!! This was a _little_ baby, hatched at 5.4 grams, dropped down to 4.4 with her first shed, had dwindled to 4.3 tonight. This meal will really do her some good! I think I'll try boiled, covered again next time.

Awful lighting, awful pic. I'm just so thankful she finally ate!!

[silivrentoliel]

I didn't know heating them up or boiling them would help... I accidentally over heated Dahlia's this week (it was her first meal w/ us) and she ate it like a little champ ^_^ nice to know my 'oops' wasn't really an oops after all :)

[Nanci]

Well, even for good feeders, the mice should be heated to mouse body temp, about 101F.

[Nanci]

The first Ivory feeder, who has now been named Ivory, has graduated to feeding on unscented, uncovered today, in a big double step!!

I wanted to see if she would, before she went off to her new home Monday. I'm so proud of her!!! She was originally being sent off as a non-feeder that I was at the end of my rope with.

[Nanci]

Graduate Number Two, Muntok!!

Beth bought this hypo avalanche stripe (five homo genes!!) as a tease-feeder who had never fed himself. He was always an easy tease- but refused every single offering as a self-feeder...until I offered Ivory soap-drenched!

Although there is a big fat female who has fed great since Day One, Beth wanted a male, and this guy was her only choice! I'm so glad I found the key to get him going, and I know Beth will be ecstatic when she finds out he's now eating on his own, with no tricks.

[starsevol]

Graduate Number Two, Muntok!!

Beth bought this hypo avalanche stripe (five homo genes!!) as a tease-feeder who had never fed himself. He was always an easy tease- but refused every single offering as a self-feeder...until I offered Ivory soap-drenched!

Although there is a big fat female who has fed great since Day One, Beth wanted a male, and this guy was her only choice! I'm so glad I found the key to get him going, and I know Beth will be ecstatic when she finds out he's now eating on his own, with no tricks.

That's my boy!!!!! OMG is he the most gorgeous wonderful kid or what????? :)

[Nanci]

Pepper Junior!! He did not drive me as crazy as SOME babies...At least he always ate when it was hand-fed!!

[starsevol]

Pepper Junior!! He did not drive me as crazy as SOME babies...At least he always ate when it was hand-fed!!

Your female is beautiful too, but this guy has such a perfect stripe...when I saw him he wowed me!

[rich333]

Another one bites the dust!!

Got my last non-feeder to eat tonight. This baby refused her first two meals. I then tried boiled. She refused and got a mouse tail. I next tried Ivory-soaked. She refused and got a mouse tail. Then she had a break of 8 days while I was at Daytona. Tonight I tried chicken broth. She refused. I didn't even heat up the pink and tried slap-feeding her. She bit once, and spit. But it seemed promising. She bit twice, and spit. Then she bit a third time. I froze. And I mean FROZE. Closed my eyes and prayed! And she decided to swallow. That is the point where you CANNOT MOVE NO MATTER WHAT! I froze, watched her swallow, watched her slide slowly out of my hands down onto the towel I had laid out so I could feed her a tail. Watched her zigzag her body to get the pink down. Yay!!! This was a _little_ baby, hatched at 5.4 grams, dropped down to 4.4 with her first shed, had dwindled to 4.3 tonight. This meal will really do her some good! I think I'll try boiled, covered again next time.

Awful lighting, awful pic. I'm just so thankful she finally ate!!

Nanci,

I LOVE when I see a post like this!! I have A Non-feeder Plasma from iris's clutch. We (Me & the Hatchling) Have been doing Tails & Pinkie heads cut in half...So she endures the process twice. At any rate, everything you've done... I've done. She just won't take on her own! But, This post Only strengthen my resolve to not give up on her. She currently weighs 5 grams. So really, Since 6/9 She's stayed pretty much the same weight. And for the real kick in the pants.....She's the "Darkest" Hatchling.....Figures. :)

[Nanci]

You could feed her at a three day interval for a while, see if you can put any weight on her.

[rich333]

Yeah, Will do that!! :)

Sorry for Stomping on your thread here. If you like I can remove the pic.

[Nanci]

Like I care, sweetie! Maybe I'll take her home with me in September and see if traveling shakes her up. And I'll bring her back in October if she won't feed for me.

[rich333]

Sounds like a plan!! I'd be willing to try anything to get her going....you seem to have a knack for these kinds of things! :)

[gsdbecca]

Oh yeah, she's way to cute (not that I've seen a hatchling that isn't) to give up on!

[Nanci]

I don't have a knack; my fall-back person is too busy to bother. I had to go it on my own.

[Nanci]

Update on the stripe baby: she refused boiled (it was her second offering of that, so I was not hopeful) but when I went to tease feed her that pink, she gave a little pffffft and struck and took it and swallowed. So- at least she has progressed to tease feeding!

[Nanci]

Update: Stripe Baby ate unscented, covered tonight.

Muntok, Beth's Avalanche Stripe, reverted back to needing very slightly Ivory-scented after one meal of unscented. He always gets offered plain first. Tonight, I tried an experiment. After he refused unscented, I tried Dawn-scented. He ate within seconds.

[the_edsta]

I thought I'd reply to this thread as it is essentially the same topic: This hypo cube stripe (sister to the one I have posted elsewhere on the forum) was born on 8/8. She refused her first two meals... and after that I started a weekly schedule of offerring her something new: live, then F/T warmed, boiled, soaked in chicken broth, boiled in chicken broth, cleaned/washed, etc. In a tub, then in a tub overnight. I force fed pinkie parts several times. On Sunday I took 1/2 a pinkie and put it down her fairly deep and followed it with 1/2 an eye-dropper of water. She has been such a sweet snake (the mellowest of the clutch) that I just didn't want to give up on her... and lo and behold, last night, 11 weeks and 1 day after hatching:

http://www.electronicsyllabus.com/pics/hypohatch.jpg

A nice bump in that belly this morning (under my knuckle)! 78 days of refusing food and FINALLY a meal!

And besides the 1/2 pinkie/water force feeding on Sunday... the primary change was a change of brand... to DAWN dish detergent!!! What do they put in that stuff???

[Nanci]

Yay!! Beth's baby, Muntok, has foiled my plan of seeing if a baby who is eating Ivory-scented will eat other scents. After the Dawn-scented pink, he switched to totally unscented.

Stripe Baby, now named Lyre, is gobbling unscented pinks freely, and catching up with her big brother and sister.

[Christen]

I guess I should give a little update on Ivory ;) She is AWESOME!!! She eats unscented with gusto. She doesn't hesitate. She is actually blue for the 3rd time since she has been here. So she is growing like a weed. On her 2nd shed cycle I didn't know she was in blue and offered her food and she ate! I did feed her one washed pink when she got here but that was just because I had to go out of town and really wanted her to have something before I left. She had only 3 days or so to settle in. As soon as she sheds I will get an updated picture of her for you all and an updated weight.

I do have another little bugger here that came to me as a feeder and ate once for me unscented but since then I have had to wash his pinks. He soap of choice is Palmolive. Go figure?!?

[Christen]

I do have a non-feeder here that I have been force feeding tails to and the last time I noticed he was starting to get stronger and pissy so this time I tried the slap tease method and that boy latched right on and ate his very first pinky. YAY!!! I am so excited.

NOW FOR THE LADY OF THE HOUR! IVORY!!!

There is just something special about this girl. I don't know what it is but I am head over heals in love with her and everyday I am thankful that Nanci tore her hair out to get this pretty little girl to eat. She is wonderful and just look at these baby blues and not fall in love.

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Here are a few feeding pics just because they are so cute.

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[Nanci]

Aw- what a good girl!!

[loyalsissaly84]

i am going to try this right now... Ill keep updates on how this goes.

[loyalsissaly84]

i am going to try this right now... Ill keep updates on how this goes.

Ok the het caramel ate :D but the ratsnake didnt take :( ,and ill wait till my Candycane sheds ti feed him.