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Still not eating, tried everything

Kilala

Kilala

lemme go! I'm sleeping!
Ok, Darwin's still not eating. List of things I've tried:

Checking the temps: temps are fine
Cutting the pink
Braining
Leaving overnight
making sure the pink is hot when "served"

Right now he's in a quiet room in a deli cup in a box with a brained and cut pink. Theres this little hole in the box where without touching the box i can see how he's doing (box is up high, I just look up). He spends all his time trying to get out of the cup and ignores the pink's brain juices all over. grr :angry01:

btw: i tried force feeding shortly before i did the above thing, but he didn't like me trying to open his mouth. I almost had it open enough to put a pink in a few times, but he kept jerking away. I was afraid of hurting him, so i never got around to force feeding. could it be possible that i hurt him? i was trying to be gentle. he doesn't look hurt tho, he's not holding his jaw at a weird angle or anything.
 
Sorry, but I'm not up on your snake age and etc. Is it a hatchling?
How often have you tried feeding. And when was the last time you tried force feeding?
 
oh, sorry. it's a hatchling. this is the second time i tried feeding, about 5 days since the first. and I've never actually force fed, that was just an attempt. considering how stressed I was about trying to open his mouth, I'm not going to try it again. I never actually got his mouth open long enough to stuff the pink in.
 
Ok, good that you didn't try to force feed that is a last resort. Which you shouldn't even do then.
But try waitting another five days and try then. I know it's a pain is the a## and you want the snake to eat but they will when they want too. There are other"tricks" you could try too. Washing the pinky with Ivory soap, or dip in chicken broth or tuna juice. But only try one trick every feeding time (your's is five days). You don't want to condition your snake to refuse food. They can go a bit with out food. Just make sure you have fresh water for him.

Good Luck. :cheers:
 
Ok, take a deep breath. Relax. If I understand, darwin is in a deli cup with a pinky as we speak. If this is the case, leave him there undisturbed, with no peeking, until your goin to bed. He knows what to do, just give him time to do it. We will figure out next step if he doesnt eat tonight.
 
Ok, take a deep breath. Relax. If I understand, darwin is in a deli cup with a pinky as we speak. If this is the case, leave him there undisturbed, with no peeking, until your goin to bed. He knows what to do, just give him time to do it. We will figure out next step if he doesnt eat tonight.
Click to expand...

ok, thanks. I'll let you guys know how it goes. :)
 
If he's only refused 2 feedings then force feeding is a LONG way off. Have you tried a live newborn pinky? Sometimes its necessary to get a hatchling started.

He probably won't eat this time as he's stressed from the force feeding attempts. Try again in 4 days or so and don't hamdle or bother him at all in those 4 days.
 
hmmmm if this is only the second time you have fed him and you have tried ALL those things already, you are setting him up to refuse... attempt a feeding only once every 4-5 days.... not a few dif things each day.. might work better :)
 
I would suggest feeding him in his enclosure and not taking him out. Remove all substrate and replace with paper towels, make sure there's plenty of hides for him and perhaps silk plants. Anything that gives him lots of cover. Wait until dusk. Wash a f/t pinky with Ivory or some other mild soap. Make sure it's plenty warm. Dry thoroughly. Place in front of the hide he's in. Leave until morning. If he's inside the hide, push it almost completely in so that he doesn't have to leave the hide to get it. If this is a hatchling you've hatched, I usually house mine in small gladware squares with just one half moon toilet paper arc for a hide. These are in a rack. I just open the lid, stick a mouse in, and then put them back. They are not fed out of the square. You can also try scenting with a lizard if you can get it. I froze one last year for using on two that were difficult to start. I will not force feed. If they can't take scented or any other type of food, then they are humanely euthanized when they are getting too thin. Poor feeders are not bred either.
 
ok, when I woke up this morning the pink wasn't eaten. He's starting to worry me.
 
Flagg said:
If he's only refused 2 feedings then force feeding is a LONG way off. Have you tried a live newborn pinky? Sometimes its necessary to get a hatchling started.

He probably won't eat this time as he's stressed from the force feeding attempts. Try again in 4 days or so and don't hamdle or bother him at all in those 4 days.
Click to expand...

I'm with Flagg on this one.Get the smallest live pink you can find.Put it and the snake in a deli cup in a dark place and LEAVE IT ALONE overnight.Good Luck :cheers:
 
With my p/f this year i use a Pygmy mouse pinky. They are 1/2 the size of a normal pinky. He refused live and f/t 1 day old pinky.
 
Alright, I think the next step would be to wait 4-5 days. Then get the smallest pinky available. Scent it with either chicken broth, tuna broth or lizard scent. Then put Darwin in with the scented pinky in the deli cup. Again overnight. Again no peeking. Also, do not handle Darwin between now and the next feed attempt.
 
I understand your trouble Kilala, my little Creamsicle is not eating. I have tried
Braining (three times)
leaving her overnight
teasing (twice)
broth scenting
and live.
Its driving me crazy! I just wish she would eat. :(
I remember my very first corn, a little normal girl and she would eat 6 or more pinkies in one shot. I miss that! heh

Good Luck!
 
6 pinks at once? you might want to move up to bigger mice next time.Even if your doing it to use up what pinks you have,your snake will get better nutrition,and probably grow faster from the bigger mice.Just save the pinks,you'll be getting another hatchling soon,everyone does! :rolleyes:
 
Omg! he ate! I covered a live pink in rat blood and he took it. it was so unbelievably small though. I hope this means he'll eat from now on and that it wasn't just a one-time thing.
 
Yay! :cheers: Congrats!

If possible, I would continue to feed Darwin this way for a while just to build his weight up.
 
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