Non-feeding suggestions...

OK...I know a lot of people have had questions regarding non-feeders (including myself). I recently acquired quite a few non-feeders (38 to add to my own). Anyway, I decided to try several things to get them to eat. So far I have tried lizard-scented, lizards pieces, and chicken gizzards on some of them . I am kind of running an experiment to see which method works best. So far, the only thing the snakes haven't eaten are the lizard scented pinks. I had some eat the lizards and the chicken gizzards.

Basically, I have decided that snakes are just weird about eating. You never know what they will eat!

I have found that most of my non feeders have to first be sucessful at eating lizards or lizard parts before the pinky scenting will work. One or two lizard meals though, and they are much more likely to take a scented pink. I kind of had two strange stories this week. With one snake, it has refused everything I ever tried. I force fed it tails twice before, those two tails were pretty much his only meals for 3 months! I decided to give him one more tail. The following week when I went to give him his usual pink (I always tried to feed him something once a week) and he finally out of the blue decided to eat! No voluntary eating for 3 months and then he eats a plain ol f/t unscented pink. ??? The second one is, I had two non feeders that I had put together during the past two weeks because I needed the space. They were getting so puny looking I decided if they did not eat this time I would put them down. I put them both in thier feeder bags, and neither one ate. I wasn't up to putting them down that night so I just threw the both of them back in their bin still inside thier brown paper bags with a pink inside. The bags were not sealed so I figured they would just crawl out and leave the pinks. I even saw one of them come out and cruise around. Now this is hardly something I would encourage, but I didn't worry much about them going for the same meal or anything, they never ate before and I was just going to put them down anyway. I went to go get the two today to do "the deed" and they were both as fat as could be. The pinks were gone. I have left these two overnight with pinks many times before to no success. What made them finally eat beats me, but I am glad they did! I am almost wondering if the competition of having another snake helped?? Of course I am in no way advocating this. It was just something I did after all hope (I thought) was lost and now the results have me scratching my head.

I have found that most of my non feeders have to first be sucessful at eating lizards or lizard parts before the pinky scenting will work. One or two lizard meals though, and they are much more likely to take a scented pink.

Has anyone else found this to be true? I hardly ever try lizard-scented before trying lizard pieces anymore. I've not had any success with that method so I don't like wasting the pinks.

Great stories Carol! I'm glad you gave those last two and extra day!

It is so amazing to me that there would ever be a problems with snakes not feeding. It seems really strange that an animal would starve itself to death. I guess it is something I will never understand.

I used to scent a pink for a Lavender with a length of lizard tail and that worked.

I have an Opal that has refused scented pinks three times. I will probably get another anole this weekend to freeze. I made the mistake of getting too attached to the three I already have. Never give a name to a food item.

The little Opal is interesting. He has yet to feed and is at getting close to being two months old. He is very active and is actually rather plump. I wonder if some hatchlings are just hardier, absorb more yolk and therefore require more time before feeding?