Yay, he ate! Crap, how do I keep this up??

[LauRuffian]

My clutch of a dozen babies who refused their initial pinkie meal. One ate his pinkie when offered in dark a few days later, but the other, stubborn, bitey, grumpy Crackle, refused. I tried boiling and using Dawn, nothing. I tried feeding him in the quiet dark with his brother yesterday, nothing.

Then today, hubby called me out to the garden to show me the cute hatchling California fence lizard he'd caught. PERFECT! I said. Let me see if Crackle will take him! Hubby: look of mild horror. Sorry, baby lizard is cute, but baby snake gotta eat.

Surprisingly, he did: no baby lizard visible in the deli cup anymore. (I don't see a big lump, but it IS a much smaller meal than a pinkie I suppose.) Now, uh...how do I keep this up? Keep catching lizards?? I thought maybe I could rub a pinkie with lizard scent--but then, I have to catch a lizard again. Crap. Any tips?

Obviously due to the risk of parasites, I'm not a fan of feeding wild caught prey, but it was a bit of a Hail Mary pass I wanted to try that I'm honestly surprised worked. :o

Any suggestions on what to do next?

Incidentally, here's the finickly, rattle-y bitey little dude:
https://scontent-a-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/t1.0-9/10615372_10204783332002598_6461151934255531635_n.j pg

[LauRuffian]

That first sentence should read,

"My clutch of a dozen babies HAD ONLY TWO who refused their initial pinkie meal..."

[hypnoctopus]

I would try to catch another one and rub a pinky on it. Keep the lizard alive in a separate container so you can keep trying with the pinkies. If it's the type of lizard to drop its tail, you could maybe break off the tail and see if you could rub some of the raw part on a pinky. Maybe freeze the tail afterward for more attempts.

I would be worried about the parasites from a wild lizard, but I'm glad the baby ate.

[Nanci]

A good way to lizard scent is put the lizard in a deli cup with a pink and let it pee and trample all over it for a while, and then feed the pink.

[LauRuffian]

Ooh, good call. Love that idea. Boys will love having ANOTHER pet, however briefly. I wish I'd known this first, but hopefully that little lizard hatchling wasn't infected with anything.

Now, gotta figure out how to find and more importantly catch another. Hopefully they are in good supply.

[LauRuffian]

Well. Went outside by where we caught the first and two others scurried away. (Suckers are FAST!) I nearly caught one several times, but alas, he got away. "I KNOW WHAT YOU DID TO MY BROTHER!" C'mon, I'm just going to keep you a while! I promise you won't be fed to a snake!"

So it looks like finding another baby lizard is no problem--and hopefully, neither will be catching one.

[hypnoctopus]

I have caught fence lizards really easily by putting an empty glass tank at the base of the wall where they often are, and put some crickets in the tank. The lizards go in the tank to eat the crickets, but they can't climb the glass to get back out.

I've actually also used a cheapo butterfly net. Your neighbors will think you look crazy, but it works pretty well.

[LauRuffian]

If my neighbors don't already think I'm crazy, they're slow learners. ;)

[smigon]

I would try to catch another one and rub a pinky on it. Keep the lizard alive in a separate container so you can keep trying with the pinkies.

Nice, Olivia, yeah, pimp that lizard out!!! :laugh:

[Nanci]

If I'm keeping an anole prisoner, (not that that has EVER worked for me, but I'm about to try it again!) I put him in one of the hatchling bins with a water bowl and some silk leaves, and mist the side for water. I just keep them a couple days.

[blue roses]

I was wondering, If you had access to the lizard skin of a lizard that had shed, could that be dried and pulverized, and the frozen thawed pink rubbed in the powder then offered to the snake. would that work. I don't have a feeding problem, just the opasite, my girl is a little piggy, i was just curious if this would work.

[LauRuffian]

Holy cow, hypnoctopus--your trick worked like a charm! After going out a few times trying to catch the hatchlings, I realized that since I'm not feeding it to the stubborn baby I don't *need* a tiny lizard. So, I took the extra large critter cage I use to feed my snakes in, dropped a few crickets in the bottom, and placed it up against a wall I'd seen an adult lizard scurrying about on. Not an hour later, the guy was stuck at the bottom, unable to escape. Awesome trick hypno!!

I set a mini-habitat and hopefully can keep him/her content during their brief imprisonment. And well, I figured if it dies, I'll freeze it and use it as snake-food-scenting.

Here's Yummy in his smaller habitat--still need that big critter keeper for feeding my adult snakes!
=https://scontent-a-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/t1.0-9/10501602_10204810528322489_320005704758208256_n.jp g

This Western fence lizard's affinity for fences did him in, at least briefly. ;)

Since Crackle ate the lizard yesterday, I figure I'll try a pinkie generously rubbed in lizard in 1-2 days.

Nanci, do the anoles die on you? Is that why you say it never works? I've had the same issue with fence lizards when students have caught them and brought them to me. As easy as snakes are, lizards are just too high maintenance for me.

[LauRuffian]

UGH, so close with that img tag, and yet so far:
https://scontent-a-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/t1.0-9/10501602_10204810528322489_320005704758208256_n.jp g

[Nanci]

He looks angry...

[LauRuffian]

Ah, but both he and the hatchling yesterday just sort of froze when I actually picked them up. He scurried about the critter keeper he'd gotten trapped in when I brought him in, but after I prepared this habitat and then actually reached in to pick him up, there was zero resistance.

[hypnoctopus]

I find that they're usually pretty calm when you're actually holding them. The ones I have caught have bright blue bellies!

[smigon]

Since Crackle ate the lizard yesterday, I figure I'll try a pinkie generously rubbed in lizard in 1-2 days.


I'd wait about 5 more days before feeding again, make sure Crackle has thoroughly digested and pooped before offering another feeding. If he was resistant before, make sure he is good and hungry this time!

Great to hear the lizard worked for you.

[Nanci]

Yeah, don't be in a rush now that he ate. Let him get good and hungry again.

[LauRuffian]

Okay, so how do you wean a baby off lizard scenting their pinkies?? Crackle ate his firstizard rubbed pinkie no problem, so I let the lizard go. When I offered him his third meal, which I rubbed in the lizard's pee spot, he completely ignored it. It wasn't until I placed Crackle in the lizard's still lizard-scented critter cage that he ate it. How do I get him to switch to regular pinkies?

[smigon]

It will be trial and error. Keep the critter cage but try feeding unscented, if he doesn't eat use the scent. I think after a while the scent will start to wear off and he will associate the mouse with what he wants, not the smell of lizard.

[Nanci]

If all you have to do is put him in the scented container, what if you just let the scent wear off?