Frustration took over

[SpecKing]

Well, my okeetee, after refusing everything anyone here an anywhere else has told, me decided to refuse ANOTHER pinkie. SO I got even more frustrated, an went in my yard and caught a 3" ground skink , ( i live in louisiana, a ground skink is a little brown skink, with a very slick skin ( not slimy though) ) Well I, killed the skink, then head first forced the skink up to his tail ( the last inch ) and let he an the snake go, the snake stayed motionless for 30 seconds, then finished the skink. I was happy, but mad he wouldnt eat on his own. These skinks are absolutely excellent for forcefeeding, i've never had a baby regurg one. They slide down the throat easily, dont require any tools to open the babys mouth ( like a probe ) . You just stick the point of the nose in the baby's mouth and BAM, skowly and gently push it down, it goes down SOOOOOO easy, unlike a pinkie being shuved down very forcefully. I can catch dozens of these little things in 10 minuites, tehy really are great, much more nutricious that rat tails, and this is what wild babys eat anyway in La, I doubt the find red hot ( baby baby ) pinks very often. thanks for reading. ANY SUGGESTIONS?

[Jicin]

Shouln't you be worried for parasites and other deseases?

[Flygning]

I'm not an expert or anything, but I would think that the chance of actually getting a disease from eating one or two wild-caught prey items is pretty slim. Plus, parasites are easier to cure than starving to death.

[Jicin]

Well i have indeed never seen anyone cure death :D Perhaps you might try rubbing a skink on the pinky

[Skye]

I would say that the chance of getting parasites from eating wild-caught lizards is fairly high although I don't have evidence to base that on. However, Flygning makes a valid point about treatment.
Jicin highlights a very useful technique used by many with trouble-some feeders which is to rub a lizard on a pinkie to scent the pinkie, and often you can fool the snake into eating what you want it to eat.

Skye

[Neumann]

I don't know why anyone would force feed a snake they've owned for a little over a week but I guess that's your business. Good luck.

[Cindy]

i am not sure if this is off topic or not but if snakes like lizard (anole) smells so much why dont we feed them lizards????

[Neumann]

i am not sure if this is off topic or not but if snakes like lizard (anole) smells so much why dont we feed them lizards????

The more experienced of out gild can speak on this topic better than me, but It's my understanding that they're relatively expensive compared to mice and that they may not be as nutritious for adult corns as adult mice are.

[SpecKing]

Neumann, I had to forcefeed because I'll be leaving tommorrow for Alabama for a little over 2 weeks, and I wasn't sure if a baby could go 4 weeks without food, unlike older snakes. The snake is small to begin with , but I'd rather force feed than come home with a dead snake. I've been feeding baby's to small to eat pinkies these skinks for years with no problems, corns eat these in the wild, NO i dont want to argue about what happens in nature.

[SpecKing]

and no, i dont have any family around that can/will feed it while i'm gone.

[Neumann]

Okay that's understandable and I try not to judge people in any way. I know no one will feed him while you're gone, and that's alright, but he's going to need fresh water 24/7.

[Skye]

Lizards are generally more expensive and for a number of people more awkward to get hold of. The anoles you can buy in petstores are all wild-caught and therefore probably full of parasites you would prefer not to give to your snake. The mice we can purchase as snake food have been bred for exactly that, and have been fed suitable diets for that purpose. If you can get a snake started straight off on mice it is a heap easier than getting them used to lizards and struggling to switch them over when you can no longer obtain/afford anoles.
Equally if you breed your own food, mice are easier and more reliable to breed than anoles.

Skye

[SpecKing]

I have arranged for someone to change the water every 4 days picking up the bowl w/ one of those garbage picker uppers, why they wont drop a pinkie is b/c if he doesn't eat, they wont take it out, so i'll have a 2 wk dead pinkie.

[Jicin]

4 days? I don't know but that doesn't seem often enough for me. Snakes don't do well without clean water and viv. Couldn't you wait a few weeks before buying him?

[SpecKing]

The trick is adding just a drop or 2 of some sort of NATURAL ( very important ) citris juice, its helps keep water fresh for longer, 4 days isn't long? As long as you have proper air circulation , water stays fresh a long time. NOW ON THE OTHER HAND, if your viv doesn't have good air circulation, water can go bad in just 2 or 3 days.

[starwarsdad]

Freezing the lizards for a few days would greatly reduce the risk of parasites. I am one of those that believes in using feeder rodents though :)