How willing are hatchling ambers to feed?

[Shaky]

Are they as a group generally easy or not?
I've heard some bad stuff about some cultivars.

[BeniciaBrian]

Which ones are the know problem feeders?

[pewter]

I would say they are like the others. you can have good luck and also like me really bad luck!
I have a very high ratio of problem feeders by my butters, ambers and caramels
but all my breeders where good eaters from the beginning on!!!

but my blood red breeders where problem feeders at the beginning and the hatchlings are very good eaters...

A few years ago I got some rev okeetes. the where forced feed for over 6 month. non of the 30??? hatchlings I got over the years was problem feeder!!!
so I would say that you can´t make a rule.

[Nate]

Hey Pewter, new guy here.
I would agree... I do know that if Rich started the butter strain
with corns that may or may not have been lizard feeders (living in the south where there are lizards then) that might have a bit to do with it.
I would be surprised to hear that some strains have been associated with being problem feeders but I know of some exceptions... I believe Bill Love has mentioned that the keys variants called the rosy's are often lizard feeders naturally.
Also I have heard the same with the Miami phase, named after the animals that look similar around the Miami Florida area.
We all know that the cornsnakes that were bred around Gainesville that were gorgeous were inbred to produce the blood reds by a guy named Eddie Leach if memory serves me correctly.
In that case you might have genetic weakness that are initially
causing feeding disinterest... now that I think about it I think that was the case with the initial series of snow corns initially as well.
The more inbred they are the more problems likely.
Otherwise, in this hobby it sure seems like things are taking off at high speed. And people are sharing information... its a win win situation :)
Say I am looking for butter cornsnakes, you going to have any extras this year or any yearlings or bigger Pewter ??

[Rich Z]

Even this year, I will get some clutches of Butters where many of them are real pains in the rear about feeding, and other clutches where 100 percent will take pinkies first time, every time. So what is different from one clutch to the next?

Butter Motleys, on the other hand, have been real good feeders and I seldom have a problem with any of them.

Ambers have generally been mostly problem free for me, and I've attributed that to the stong Hypo line I originally used in them.

Next year might be completely different.

I have two clutches of Upper Keys hatched out. The first clutch I offered pinks all around and of the two dozen hatchlings, I'd say 22 of them took pinks right away. The second clutch isn't due to be fed for a few days yet when they have their first sheds. So like I said, you can't make any rules about this stuff. Many people will have a single clutch of a single cultivar and base their entire opinion on that limited data at their disposal.

Now what drives me crazy is when a snake will take the first pink without hesitation, then on the second one, refuse it and insist them on anoles. Truth be known, AND snake can decide at ANY time that it doesn't want to eat any longer whatever it is you are offering it. I know it happens often enough around here that I have to assume everyone else has this happen sooner or later as well. It really drives me crazy to send out some really strong feeding animals, then have the customer say that one or two just won't eat for them.

Matter of fact, whever my wife and I get back from a show, the phone will ring and we both look at each other and chant "My snake won't eat!" knowing that's probably what the phone call is about.

[Serpwidgets]

Originally posted by Rich Z
Now what drives me crazy is when a snake will take the first pink without hesitation, then on the second one, refuse it and insist them on anoles.
I've seen this, too, where they will eat immediately on the first feeding, and then be a pain on the second feeding. I'm hoping that the ones who go 3 feedings in a row are a pretty good bet, but my experience is very limited on this.

Do you have a "cutoff point" with your keepers where you kinda relax and say, "whew, shouldn't have to work on this one!"

[Shaky]

I've had a few problem feeders that I've tried scenting on, but anoles just didnt do the trick. Mediterranean geckos is what they respond to. I have literally tried every suggestion except force feeding, and all have eaten at lest twice, but the feedings have been a month apart.
It was weird-they wouldn't eat for about 10 attempts, then suddenly when offered live pinks for the 4th time, they all instanly went for them.
Could it have been the pinkys themselves that were super attractive?
Who knows. In any case, buying live from the shop is way more expensive. Cant wait for them to feed on f/t.

[Rich Z]

Do you have a "cutoff point" with your keepers where you kinda relax and say, "whew, shouldn't have to work on this one!"

Generally speaking, the only time I breath a sigh of relief is once they are taking fuzzy sized mice. It seems that pinky eaters can stop at any time and decide that have had enough of those things. So it works out that just about the time that you are feeling relaxed about the current crop being 'no-problem' feeders, the next batch begins hatching and you have to start all over again.

There is another thread somewhere on this site where people are talking about planning on getting into this business and doing it full time. Personally, I can think of no more masochistic thing someone could wish upon themselves. :eek:

The only reason I'm doing it is because this became a business in spite of myself and I have too much time invested in it to give up now, yet I can't do another full time job along with it. I have to find that thread one of these days and put my two cents in there.