List of Feeding Tricks for Non-Feeders

[Nanci]

Try these first two, in this order, before anything else. I recommend feeding in a very small deli-cup, with the cup covered so the snake can't see out, in the evening.

** Boiled (not just super-hot)
** Original Ivory Dish Liquid

* Live Pink (do not slit or brain- do feed to another snake if not taken after 24 hours)
* Chicken Fat
* Chicken Bouillon
* KFC Chicken Fat
* Raw Chicken Juice
* Dawn Blue Liquid
* Joy Liquid
* Slit/brained
* Rat-scented
* F/T Rat-Brain-scented
* Bird-scented
* Anole-scented
* Mediterranean Gecko-scented
* Tuna-scented
* Live Guppy-scented
* Washed and rinsed
* Turtle Food-scented
* Hot Dog Juice-scented
* Dirty Mouse Bedding-scented
* Different Mouse Source!
*Washed with Windex, then rinsed
*
* After trying everything, cycle through boiled, Ivory, chicken fat, Dawn again

***************
* Feed in deli cup, covered up
* Feed in small closed paper bag
* Feed overnight in viv
* Remove water dish for 24-48 hours, then feed hot, wet pink
* Feed on top of a running washing machine (don't let the container fall off!)
* Feed after a ride in the car
* Ship to someone else for feeding
* Skip a meal- let it get hungry (if you are tease feeding)
* Feed during a thunderstorm- also works for Western hognose

This is how to get any baby that will strike, to feed. https://vimeo.com/115118482

[BSLMichael]

Soooo I have tried ALOT of the stuff you mentioned.

I have tried Dirty mouse bedding, slit/brained, joy, dawn, washed, hot dog, rat, chicken fat, Dog food, Cat food, tuna, Coffee, Deli cup, overnight, remove water, feed after car ride...

Waited 3 days 5 days 7 days 10 days in between some. None of those worked and he was looking thin so I force fed a pinky head... When do I try again and what do I start with?

I do have access to gerbil bedding, Unfortunately live around here is soooo hard to find been looking for a long time. And my mice eat their babies before I even know they are born (They will be snake food shortly)

I am not really all that panicked more... disappointed. hope the little one makes it though.

edit: Also tried cutting the pinky up into 3rds an boiled... Each time I left 2 pinkes over night prepared different ways >.<

And when should I let go?

[Nanci]

Soooo I have tried ALOT of the stuff you mentioned.

I have tried Dirty mouse bedding, slit/brained, joy, dawn, washed, hot dog, rat, chicken fat, Dog food, Cat food, tuna, Coffee, Deli cup, overnight, remove water, feed after car ride...

Waited 3 days 5 days 7 days 10 days in between some. None of those worked and he was looking thin so I force fed a pinky head... When do I try again and what do I start with?

I do have access to gerbil bedding, Unfortunately live around here is soooo hard to find been looking for a long time. And my mice eat their babies before I even know they are born (They will be snake food shortly)

I am not really all that panicked more... disappointed. hope the little one makes it though.

edit: Also tried cutting the pinky up into 3rds an boiled... Each time I left 2 pinkes over night prepared different ways >.<

And when should I let go?

I think you should look at my two threads, Diary of a Non-Feeder, and OMG Three Babies Ate. Try Ivory washed, with Ivory scent still on the pink. Try live. Try chicken fat scented. Have you tried slap feeding like the video in Susan's forum? And if you want, I can have Rich pick the baby up from you on his way down here in two weeks and I'll try my best with it.

It's difficult to answer when to give up, if you are assist feeding. You can keep a baby going on tails/tease feeding pinks for months. It depends on how valuable that baby is to you and if you have the patience for it. I know they can drive you absolutely insane. With big breeders, I don't think non-feeders get a lot of chances. Maybe three or so.

[BSLMichael]

I think you should look at my two threads, Diary of a Non-Feeder, and OMG Three Babies Ate. Try Ivory washed, with Ivory scent still on the pink. Try live. Try chicken fat scented. Have you tried slap feeding like the video in Susan's forum? And if you want, I can have Rich pick the baby up from you on his way down here in two weeks and I'll try my best with it.

It's difficult to answer when to give up, if you are assist feeding. You can keep a baby going on tails/tease feeding pinks for months. It depends on how valuable that baby is to you and if you have the patience for it. I know they can drive you absolutely insane. With big breeders, I don't think non-feeders get a lot of chances. Maybe three or so.

Thanks a lot! I will definitely go check those out... I am willing to take as long as I have to. I was just more or less worried that at some point it becomes too unhealthy to continue.

If he becomes too much of a problem I may change his name to trouble.

I've tried something call tease feeding... But I can never get him mad enough to bite ANYTHING. he is very sweet and calm... too calm.

[Viroque]

Nanci, please help me to understand: What is "Original Ivory Dish Liquid"...never heard of it before.

Thanks in advance :)

[Nanci]

Nanci, please help me to understand: What is "Original Ivory Dish Liquid"...never heard of it before.

Thanks in advance :)

It is dish soap, soap for washing dishes by hand, dish washing soap.

This photo is the EXACT kind you need.

[Viroque]

OK...is it the smell they like?
What do you think?
I am really surprised that this should work...think I have to look for something similar here in Germany...Thanks for the picture.

[Nanci]

If you can't find that exact one, you can try any dish washing liquid. Ivory is just the one that snakes prefer. People have also had good luck with Dawn blue, and Joy.

[Viroque]

Please excuse to be asked again...you are putting the mice into the liquid, wash them again and offer them to the snake? Did I understand you right?

[lorlor54]

If you can't find that exact one, you can try any dish washing liquid. Ivory is just the one that snakes prefer. People have also had good luck with Dawn blue, and Joy.

What do you do exactly? Wash the pinkie? Then heat it up? I am so confused at most of these tricks.. I need detailed instructions, lol!

[Nanci]

What do you do exactly? Wash the pinkie? Then heat it up? I am so confused at most of these tricks.. I need detailed instructions, lol!

I thaw the pink in very hot water with a big squirt of dish soap. Then rinse _a little_ in hot water- but still leave some soap residue/scent.

With any of the other scents- tuna, chicken, etc., I feed it with lots of the scent right on it.

[Nanci]

The feeding before last, I didn't have Ivory, so I offered Dawn-washed pinks to six non-feeders. 5 took the scented mice, and all six of those ate last night without scenting (in a deli, covered, pink slit). The one non-feeder, who had now refused three times, including boiled and Dawn-scented and chicken-scented, also would not tease feed, so I left him with his pink overnight in his shoebox-sized bin (not in a deli). He ate. Just because something hasn't ever worked for you, or only very rarely works, doesn't mean don't try!

[crzymom2grl2by]

Would clam juice work? I have a bottle of that that I sometimes pour on my cat's food.

[Nanci]

Anything is worth a try.

[Nanci]

I have a baby peppermint stripe. I was in too much of a hurry to see if there were any females, and popped these babies right when they hatched. BIG MISTAKE! I ended up with half the clutch not feeding. One by one, they started. Some fast, some slow. This baby tease-fed right away, but never, ever ate by herself, without any tricks. Until last night. More than five months after hatching, after feeding her first, tucking her under a pillow, going on to feed about 40 other babies, forgetting about her, getting ready to sit down and eat dinner, it's been a super-long day, I've weighed out 300 new pinks and fuzzies to separate them into sizes- the last thing I want to do is tease feed this baby who is getting more and more reluctant to strike. I reach under the pillow reluctantly, pull her out, and THERE IS NO PINKY!!! Never forget to try a different mouse source!!!

[Nanci]

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/12/09/6d1a32928a3b1c4b612d881d28c45ddf.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/12/09/9ae7b4d3b6a9ca2a639be925aab5eb78.jpg

[crzymom2grl2by]

I was confused by what you did with the pillow. So please, I'm a little slow, lol. Explain. Did you have the snake in a container under the pillow? And if not, how did you keep the snake from escaping from under the pillow? What did you use to feed her? Boiled pinkie?

[Nanci]

The snake is in a deli cup, with the lid on. Since I feed them on my bed, it's easy to just slide the deli cup in between a couple of my 12 pillows to cover them up, so they aren't distracted by me walking around 54 more times with all the other babies :-) So if I have a few shy feeders, I end up with deli cups layered in between all the pillows. I've never forgotten one so long that I've gone to bed with them there.

[crzymom2grl2by]

The pet shop still has no day old pinkies. If they don't tomorrow I may try this method. I have a cool whip container I'm going to try. I had a smaller Rubbermaid but it took on the scent of the tuna juice.

[MysticExotics]

This is an old thread, but there are a lot of new members, and there's good information in her on getting hatchlings to eat.