new hatchling wont eat :(

I'm sad that it has come down to this and will not allow my name to be drug through the mud. I sorry that you all feel this way and I will never post up on here again or give any advice. I will do what i think is right for my snakes and making sure they are healthy. Sorry if you don't agree on that and you guys and girls to continue your methods and what not. I'm sorry if I was looking in the best interest of the owner of the snake. You don't have to use my methods. But was giving out different ideas....But I guess I was wrong in doing that.

I just don't think it should be presented as a common or recommended practice.

If it kills the pink instantly anyway- what's the point??

And, I was one of the people defending Tom Crutchfield's "right" to feed his king cobra any live snake he felt like feeding it. But that is the cobra's natural prey, killed by the cobra in the cobra's natural manner.

Nanci I have sent you a message thanks ....

I see that- Rich the site owner doesn't do that. (Blue for moderator talk)

(Black for personal opinion). Please don't take my opinion on your method as a personal attack. I still STRONGLY feel that it isn't right. I don't know what I'd do if I had the only Palmetto in the world and it wouldn't eat and that was my very last thing I hadn't tried. Tube feed, I guess. Like I said, everyone has a line they won't cross. I won't feed live reptiles or amphibians, although I will bait and switch. I'll scent with live. I'll remove an inch of tail from an anole- but I won't kill it. I'll release it to grow another tail.

I guess the important thing is for new people with stubborn feeders to know that there are many, many tricks, and variations on those tricks.

You don't have to go. Even though I do not agree with your #3 method, I will not let anyone abuse you here.

I have not and WILL NOT brain a live pinky, i have brained and slit a F/T one though. as far as lizard scenting goes i did try to rub a pink on my Gecko (who is alive lol)...he thought it was a snack so i lost that battle. rat scenting didn't work. like i said the ride on the dryer may very well be the last thing before dipping in chicken broth and then trying to find someone experienced enough to teach me to assist feed, i really hope it doesn't go that far though. Twist is now resting for a few days before my next trial and error, ill weigh him again then and see if hes dropped too much if any weight.

You can always offer more than one choice at a time. People also report success with KFC grease scenting, raw chicken juice, tuna water, and ivory soap washing has a high rate of success.

Sometimes it's the brand of the mouse too. I have 1 young snake who will ONLY eat mice from Layne Labs but refuses (completely and totally) from any other source, even home raised (and I tried all of the tricks in the book).

Note: it may not hurt to find out the band of rodent he had been previously eating. It looks like he's been eating well at some point so this honestly may be the issue, or might work.

Originally Posted by Sinisterrodents

LOL you guys are something else. If I have snake that doesn't want to eat I will do everything possible to get them to feed. Most people feed live and that's not an issue. Don't sit there and tell me what is right and wrong. Braining a live pinky kills it right away any how. I have been doing this for years and have a high success rate on getting my snakes to feed. And it's something we don't do everyday. If you read the whole post you see it is one of the finally steps in the process. Do you know how many big breeders do this just to get snakes to feed and you just don't hear about it Tons. So don't judge me when I have the snakes in mind to get them to feed. Go ahead and starve yours then see how that works out for you DONE HERE ....

Cutting up a live animal should not ever have any part in getting a hatchling to eat. There are several different ways to get them to eat, there is no reason to ever harm a live creature like that.

None of the big breeders I know would do that.

I got a problem feeder to eat with chicken broth and brained in a small meal worm container.