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First Feed and all that stuff

Leonore

Leonore

snake momma
Okay, so first I need someone to calm my nerves. I'm like a new mom with all kinds of new worries. What if she's not drinking enough? How do I even know she is still breathing when she is curled up in her hide for most of the day? LOL. I want to see my new baby, but know she needs time to chill out.

But my main concern:
When should I feed her? I know I'm supposed to wait a few days.
According to her log, she last fed on June 16th and hasn't shed for 6 weeks. I am worried that she is coming up on shedding again and if I wait to feed her she might go blue and not eat and then it will be even longer before her first meal with me.

...and that first meal: half a pinkie? one pinkie in 2 pieces?

Thanks.
 
...oh, I put a second water dish by the door to her warm hide... so hopefully she's hydrating...

she arrived on June 23rd and it's June 26th today.
(wow, at time of posting, this is our 72 hr mark!)
 
I feed after they have been home for 4 days, but many wait an entire week. When you do feed just wait until night before you go to bed, slit and warm the pinky, and leave them alone with their food- by morning it should be gone!! Some will just eat right in front of you, but at first almost all want their privacy so they feel safe:)
 
I feed new arrivals after a week. I'd feed her the smallest pink you have, so she has a small first meal, and then, five days later, what ever size you think is appropriate. If you've bought a bunch of pinks, I'd just start with the smallest and work up. You may never see her drink! If it makes you feel better, when you replace her in her viv after eating, set her in the water dish. She'll probably just continue on out, but some snakes take a nice drink after eating. If you absolutely can't wait a week, the earliest I'd feed is Saturday or preferably Sunday, and only because she's gone ten days now.
 
More info:

She is 10 grams, 14.5 inches long
I just have a few pinks that I got at the pet store - they are evenly sized at 2.5 grams each

When you do feed just wait until night before you go to bed, slit and warm the pinky, and leave them alone with their food- by morning it should be gone!!
Click to expand...

so... to avoid a problem with ingesting substrate, shouldn't I have her in a separate container to feed? If so, should I line it with paper towels? flat or shredded? And how would I get her the belly heat she needs if I leave her there for the night? Or would it work to put her pinkie her in her deli cup (from shipping) in the viv?
 
I wouldn't put a paper towel in with her. Once they accidentally start to swallow something, then they don't have a way to stop. How I feed babies is set out the feeding container, thaw the pink, put the pink in the container, weigh the snake, put it in the container. The snake _might_ just take the pink before you even get the lid on. Put the lid on, get the water bowl, scrub it, put it back, by then the baby ought to be done feeding! They go so fast! Use a very small feeding container so the baby doesn't start circling around and forget about the food. Ok, so if the baby is more worried about getting out, throw a dish towel over the container and set the timer for 30 minutes, and check. If the baby hasn't eaten, reheat the pink to HOT under running water (just takes a few seconds) put it back in, cover, and check in an hour. If the baby STILL hasn't eaten (I have adults do that, but never a baby, yet, knock on wood!!) then I'd put the feeding container, closed, back in the viv and leave it overnight.

Her shipping deli cup is the perfect size for feeding.

Did you see my picture of little Mango feeding? I handed him the pink, tried to set him into his container, but he coiled around me so tightly I couldn't get him off easily, so I ran to get the camera and BARELY got a picture before the pink was down and he was ready to let go of me. El Wray is the same.

I also cut four slits horizontally in the pink's back, just through the skin, with a small fingernail or sewing scissors. It makes the mouse easier to digest. And yummier!
 
Thanks for the detailed suggestions, Nanci! I'll wait until at least tomorrow night. That will be 4.5 days since arrival. She seemed to have an active, but not nervous personality when I first met her, so I'm hoping she'll be an easy eater.
 
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