Problem Feeders

Okay, It has been about 4 wks since my hatchlings hatched. I am starting to get worried. I have assisted them in eating two tails but they still refuse to eat any form of pinkie. Also, three of the hatchlings I got from Rich have not eaten on their own. Right now I am trying them in a brown paper bag with a live and f/t pink. How long should I leave them in the bags? What else can I try. I heard that hatchlings can go about 6 wks without eating but then start to go down hill. I really don't want to lose any of my snakes especially the ones from Rich. I really need some advice on these guys.


Thanks Charlene Dourty

Charlene,

Have you tried braining the pinkies? Sometimes, it just takes a little more "juice" to get the feeding responses to kick in for some animals.

Also, have you tried lizard scenting the pinkies yet? That seems to work for the majority of those babies that refuse unscented pinkies. Granted, you have to later wean them off the scenting, but that's better than having them die, for certain!

Any help I can be, please let me know!

pinks

I have tried brained, headless, bodiless, and scented. Now on the scented I used my gecko b/c I couldn't get into town to buy a lizard. I really have tried to stay away with the whole scenting thing. I got alot of my non-feeders to eat the brained ones but I still have four babies that won't touch anything. I was going to go into town today but I am home sick so I will have to wait til the weekend. Rich told me that the butters would usually just need the pinks brained, but that hasn't works so far. They have been getting tails every 5 days so that their feeding responce might kick in. It is alot of work though getting them to accept those tails. I don't want to force them, due to the chance that I could cause injuries but I don't want them to die either.

Darin,
Just to let you know both snakes I got from you have shed and are eating well. The snow motley is so pretty right after he sheds. I think he even got more pink and yellow. I think the female weighs about 156 grams.

Thanks for the info.

Charlene Dourty

Charlene,

Glad to hear those two are doing well. That male really is stunning. I may have to send you a motley female to breed to him next year, and we can split the babies . . .I don't know what I was thinking selling him!

As far as the scenting thing goes, geckos might work for scenting, but there's really no substitue for anoles, when it comes to non-feeding corns. The worst feeders there are will usually go for a pinky with a portion of anole skin stuck on its head. I don't mean a shed piece, though. I mean a piece cut away from a frozen specimen about the size of a pea, stuck right onto the head of a pinky. That will usually do the trick.

The sad story, as you already know, is that not all of them are ever going to eat on their own. In addition, it seems that some of those who evenutally take food on their own, never thrive even after they get going.

However, before you get depressed about it, I think the anole skin on a pinky (I've actually had to wrap a pink in a skin once!) is your best bet. One more thing...You may want to wash the pinky with soap and water before sticking that anole skin on it. Just make certain that the soap is all off the pinky (obviously), and then scent it. That way, the only thing the snake smells is the anole (and you!). That sometimes helps too!

Re:

Just for support, I'm in the same boat that you're in.

I've got 2 hatchlings I hatched August 4th that haven't eaten anything thus far, and I've tried every suggestion thrown out there. I also have a hypo lav from Rich's sale that has also refused feedings, which just aggravates me. Then, as I am reviewing my feeding charts, I have one of my own hatchlings that ate once on Aug 13th and that was the last time it ate.

So all 4 are now being cooled off for a few weeks and see if that helps matters any. I think it was Elrojo who stated that he's had variable luck with cooling them off and then getting them to eat. At this point I'm willing to try anything no matter how outlandish it sounds.

At the very least, it should make them last a little longer on no food, as their metabolism should be next to nothing.

As for butters from Rich, mine prefers his pinks/fuzzies scented with anole's. The T-Rex Lizard Maker stuff didn't work worth a hoot, it was the real deal he wanted. Even though he's eating good, every now and then he still wants me to terrorize my anole by rubbing a fuzzy mouse all over the anole cage. So whenever you get better (I wish my infection would go away as well), I'd try and look into buying an anole for scenting and see if that encourages them to eat for you.

I just don't understand the whole non-feeding thing myself. Just doesn't make any darn sense.

Darin,
That would be awesome to breed him to a motley. Right now all I have to breed him with is the amel that I got from you and maybe an anery. All my adults that might of been het for amel or anery didn't prove out. Which sucks. I was hoping to get some stunning snows het motley out of this guy. Can you send me a pic of the motley? I would love to get a look at her. Well atleast we don't live like a million miles away and plus we will get to meet each other at the KC Herp show in a couple of weeks. I will update you then on how my babies are doing. Hopefully, they will be eating by then. fingers crossed! You can email me at [email protected].

Taceas,
How big are you butters from Rich? My female is pretty good size for a non eater but I am worried about the male. He is kinda small. The one I really want to start eating is my female charcoal ghost. She is so pretty and has a great pattern. The other reason is that the male is doing wonderful and without her I could put his genes to work. My two pewters that I bought from Rich, couldn't be doing better. I also have a female blizzard that I got from Rich and it ate for me the day I got it and hasn't accepted anything since then, except the tails I give to her every 5 days. About the cooling thing. Right now, I have no place I can put them down to cool. No place is cooler than the other.


Thanks Charlene

Re: Re:

Taceas said:

The T-Rex Lizard Maker stuff didn't work worth a hoot, it was the real deal he wanted.

Click to expand...

My butter is the exact opposite...He refused a real anole or anole scented pinks, but when I tried the lizard maker, he started eating wihtout hesatation...

what is braining and tails??

Braining involves making a small incision on the top of the pinkies head. The fluid inside is like crack for corns. This is a trick commonly used for non-feeders.

Tails are exactly that. If a hatchling isn't eating, a keeper may choose to force feed the neonate a tail instead of a whole pinkie. It is obviously easier on the snake.