Feeding the Unwilling

Actually we did try the deli cups a couple of times...Have had much better luck with the 3 cup gladware size. It is strange but the 3 that ate tonite were heated in bottled water. I wanted to try that as i do not like the taste of town water. Im use to good well water out here. :grin01:

How are all your little guys doing? I hope they're all feeding fine now, and that's why there's been no updates here for a while...

My own unwilling snakes are testing me a little, but for every step backwards there does seem to be two forwards. A couple of nights ago, a blizzard and a normal that have never eaten on their own with me (tried a load of tricks with them...) eventually ate live multimammate pinkies. I'm so pleased - the normal especially is a one-of-a-kind that I would be gutted to lose.

I have a couple who started on anole scented or live, that I got to defrost, who are now refusing on me again ... but they'll come round, I'm sure. Once they start they tend to continue in some form or another.

I havent updated for abit because they have been making me grumpy lol Darn little things.... after everyone ate on their own the once... I have 2 that are back to being force fed one is of our own clutch and the other is one I got in as a non-feeder. Ours.. in almost 3 months she ate Once on her own.. no tricks work for her.. at almost 3 months she is only about 6 grams. So she is super tiny The other is a snow posibly a hypo snow.. great responses from her... she will bite me quite abit but when I put that pinkie to her face... it clamps shut like a vault! I am sure in time the snow will come around, she has a lot of fight in her.... the one of ours... I just dont know... she is active and seems happy... acts like a normal corn baby... just wont eat I wont give up on her because even though she is small she is doing well, not skinny or anything, so.... I guess time will tell. Everyone else is eating on their own and growing quick Just these 2 little hold outs left....

Well I've got 6 that I consider healthy and ready for new homes although I'm considering keeping the little anery mot het ghost female. She's just so sweet and isn't even head shy...and I've got a trio of ghost mots she can "join" lol. Most of the others have eaten twice now and will be ready for their 3rd this week.

There is one little teeny ghost mot/stripe male that's a favorite of mine. He has only been force fed so far but I'm getting frustrated bc I THINK he's trying to eat on his own and is having bad luck. I tried dipping his in chicken broth one night and had him and his chicken flavored pinky in a deli cup on the kitchen counter with the lights out for about an hour. Honestly I didn't expect him to attempt so I didn't sit around watching. When I returned, however, the pinky was burst. It was really quite gross and the chicken broth made it smell SO bad. So I think he attempted and it got snagged. But get this -- the same thing happened with a F/T Nutribac sprinkled pinky at the next feeding. So this time I'm going to watch him closely and see what's happening. I don't know if he happened to get "weak stomached" pinkies or if he's doing something wildly weird.

Any ideas?

well, to me sounds more like he is useing the pinkie as a speed bump lol going around and around the tub over and over the pinkie til it bursts.... I had one do this a couple times... was totally nasty smelling almost made me gag! sheesh

If you think he is trying to eat on his own.. you can try to place the pinkie in his mouth and see if he will start to swallow.... I had one hypo pink corn that did that.... I was going to force feed her and she started to swallow.. I just gently placed her down and she finished (was the only meal she ate on her own) so... you could try that Assisted feeding is much easier for all than force feeding. I cant hardly wait til the last 2 eat on their own consistantly.

Good luck

NLove, I have a gopher snake who always breach-feeds, somehow because of the direction of the legs on the pink, she has serious difficulty getting it down. It can take her like 15-20 minutes sometimes and the pink is usually busted at that point. It helps her if I cut off the back legs so they dont hook at the corners of her mouth. Also though, she's not tiny by any means, so if your little hatchling that's having trouble is, you might even just try a head once or twice. I have watched my gopher struggle with it, and it looks like the difficulty (even besides the legs) is also in the flexibility of the little pinky spine at the rear which is different at the pinkies head. Sometimes the whole thing even gets rolled up in the snakes mouth with nothing going past the throat.. :shrugs:

Just another quick update all ate but the usual 2 1 I cut the pink in 1/2 and force fed... but the other did her 'trick' again.... I dont understand this one at all.. I went to force feed and she started to chew.. so I held her a moment and she kept going so I gently placed her on the counter top and she finished on her own. This is the second time she has done this. If she is willing to swallow on her own, why wait til I put it in her mouth?? She is a striky little one, would that have anything to do with it?? :shrugs: Maybe she just likes to be hand fed? lol

Strikers tend to be the better feeders IME. :shrugs:

Usually for me too... its kinda why I cant figure out this girl. Its abit frustrating. I am sure in time she will get the hang of it but I havent had a striker that didnt willingly eat on their own. She is an odd ball lol

Just a little update on todays feedings Everyone ate one their own!! yahhhh I think I have finally found what will work for the 2 I have been having problems with so.... I guess we will find out next tuesday LOL

How is everyone else doing with their babies?? Been awhile since anyone has said and I am curious

hi everybody:

thank you jaxom1957 for your post...

Keep posting and keep up to great work...

Thanks

Take care


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