Frustrated...Why oh why can't hatchlings follow the rules in the book?

So my babies are a week old now. There are 5 males and 3 females. All 5 males just had their first shed (yesterday and this morning) but so far none of the females have shed yet.
So I offered all 5 that had shed a half a pinky. I figured that the pinkies I had were a little big, and halving them might give them a yummy smell. I offered them the pinky parts in small containers, and left them alone for a few hours. Well, not a single one ate! I guess they didn't know that they were supposed to be hungry after their first shed, at least that's what all the books say!
Looks like I'm going to wait 4 days and try again.

ARGH!!

Grrrrr .

Hah hah. If you went into breeding expecting that the hatchlings are going to follow the book, you are sadly mistaken.

Good luck, Beth. Last year I had great luck getting hatchlings to eat. This year? I've had great luck in the past with anole-scenting on the stubborn ones, so I tried it for about 20 hatchlings at their last feeding. ONE *&^%#% hatchling out of the 20 took the bait, and that was a kinked blizzard (I don't even know why I'm keeping him alive). I guess the next step is to do a "corns for pinkies" swap at the pet store, and bring home some live ones.

Well, it is still early. I haven't tried any tricks, and my favorite of the bunch absorbed alot of yolk from his egg....so there is still hope. At least it's ALL of them being pains, and not just all except my favorite!

I'm so sorry about your bad luck this season Dean.
Still,don't cough near me til my kids start eating. I don't wanna catch your luck!

hmm I have five non eater left out of two clutches... bad news is a couple took one pinky, are due for another and don't want to eat again. Four are eating but only if tease fed. Four are eating but have to be left overnight with the pinky and take forever.
I want to try live but my mouse colonies are not cooperating. One of my colonies had the male die, I am waiting for the replacement male to grow big enough to take over his duties. The other mouse colony just seems barren.
I have a very nasty lizard torso in my freezer left from last year for scenting, but I want to try live first before that.
Isn't hatchling season fun??

Why do we put ourselves through this??

And every year I seem to forget about all the GOOD outcomes...all the hatchlings that didn't eat immediately and then went on to do just fine...

I've been trying the same method I used last year and again am finding it more successful than in previous years.

I don't feed directly after first shed. The first 3 years I had hatchlings I too thought...boy, after a week of shed they'll be ravenous. Did I waste a lot of pinkies! My frustration level was at its maximum when I kept putting more on the 'problem shelf' than were going on the 'established shelf'.

Not wanting to drive myself crazy last year with all the expected hatchlings I changed my routine slightly. Instead of offering 'first feeds' right after shed, I made them wait 2 days post shed for their first offering. Why...cause in previous years I found that many of them were still too full of yolk. Now I want to see them active in their hatchling containers, tipping the water dishes, cruising around showing some signs of 'seeking something'. After their initial offering, if they eat, they wait for 5 days instead of the 4 days in past years. If they don't eat on first attempt, they too have to wait the 5 days. I'm finding second offerings are going down with much more relish and aggressive feeding responses from those who didn't take the first offering.

Sure I still have the occassional abstainer. If nothing has been eaten by 3 weeks post shed, I tease feed if even live has been refused.

I'm not nearly as frustrated as before. I haven't had to scent or wash, brain or cut any pinkies so far this year. I still have 3 non feeders who are holding out...actively searching even tho there is a pink right in front of their noses. Guess they are waiting for that sequel to 'Feeding Stubborn Hatchlings'...who knows! They gladly stop that pink from being in their face by latching on, but hey, eat it...no way...the minute the opportunity arises that pink is dropped like a hot potato.

I've given up trying to figure out the eating habits of hatchlings...it would drive me crazy if I let it.

Ruth

Thank you so much for that! It helped me a great deal. One of the babies is either a plasma or a hypo plasma. He's the first lavender anything I've ever hatched, so he's a bit important to me. I have worried myself sick, afraid he won't eat. But his belly was actually swollen from yolk, he had so much! I feel so much better now!

These are all of the wonderful reasons why a corn "rule" book hasn't been written, right? If I had a copy of a book like that I'd just end up using the pages for bedding But in a weird way, hatchling difficulties is just another way to keep us interested and motivated in our hobby I suppose.