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

starsevol

starsevol

Cohabbing is cruelty...
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!!
 
Good luck, Beth. Last year I had great luck getting hatchlings to eat. This year? :mad: 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. :headbang:
 
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
 
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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:grin01: But in a weird way, hatchling difficulties is just another way to keep us interested and motivated in our hobby I suppose.
 
Strangely... reading all of this just makes me anxious for when I can start breeding, but that won't be for a while. Which is good I suppose... plenty of time to learn and be prepared for when the little snots arrive! :cool:

Good luck with your hatchlings everyone.
 
Because of the general craziness of hatching season, I seldom get to offer first meals right after shedding. Sometimes it is many days past the first shed. And in most clutches, I seem to get pretty good results on the first feeding, especially if I happen to have live pinks to offer. But I have noticed that if, for some reason, I am able to offer first meals RIGHT after the first shed, I get much worse results. So I have also learned to not bother to be TOO prompt with feeding neonates.

Lucky me - this year I seem to be having a good year for feeding babies. Even my normally reluctant "special ghosts" have been starting well. I think it is due to my new and improved baby room. Since I cut down the number of breeders (and hence, babies), I was able to move them to a new, somewhat smaller, room, complete with windows (the old room was totally artificial light), some fresh air, and just enough a/c "leaking" from the house to keep them comfortable, even with the heat tapes on low. It is the best set up I have ever had for babies (and for me to be comfortable while working, too!), and so far, seems to be paying off.

I have a couple of dozen non-or-sporadic feeders, which isn't bad. I know some are against trying to save them. But I still have this hope to find a really good manufactured snake food, and am playing around with a special ferret food that is made to provide the same nutrient level as a young adult mouse. I would love to see if it is good enough to keep snakes healthy if used as their only diet for many months, or even into adulthood.

Sorry - got a little off topic. It is just something of interest to me and I got side tracked.
 
I've found that if I leave babies for 3 or 4 days post first shed, then offer a defrost pink that has been briefly dunked in very hot/not quite boiling water, I have very few, if any refusers. Last year and this year I've had one hold out until the second feed. Maybe I've just been lucky, but it works for me so I stick with it :)
 
You know Beth, if you had just sold the Bloodred Lav to ME in the first place your life would be sooo much easier. Think of all the stress you would not be experiencing right now. But nooooo....:grin01:
I must agree with the wait rule. Although I hold the record in my area for anole skinning, I have not had to use my skill in recent years; I'm actually getting rusty. Laziness on my part, along with large numbers of hatchling allowed me to "discover" the wait a little longer after shed to feed approach. Just so I don't get nasty Pms from people I'll admit to the fact that, I too have a particularly difficult clutch that I'm presently sweating over getting them to eat. I'm going to try the extra hot water dip tonight and I'll let you know how it goes.
Terri
Save yourself the heartache. Send the Lav to Terri. It's your only hope...
 
All this info is sure going to help. Our 3 good eggs won't be hatching for another 4-5 weeks. Hopefully everything goes well, if not I've got CS.com to help.:bowdown:
 
crackerhead said:
You know Beth, if you had just sold the Bloodred Lav to ME in the first place your life would be sooo much easier. Think of all the stress you would not be experiencing right now. But nooooo....:grin01:
I must agree with the wait rule. Although I hold the record in my area for anole skinning, I have not had to use my skill in recent years; I'm actually getting rusty. Laziness on my part, along with large numbers of hatchling allowed me to "discover" the wait a little longer after shed to feed approach. Just so I don't get nasty Pms from people I'll admit to the fact that, I too have a particularly difficult clutch that I'm presently sweating over getting them to eat. I'm going to try the extra hot water dip tonight and I'll let you know how it goes.
Terri
Save yourself the heartache. Send the Lav to Terri. It's your only hope...
Click to expand...

LOl Terri, I was wondering what took you so long :D
 
I tried Susielea's "Hot Dip" method last night and 15 out of 18 ate. WooHoo! The three that didn't eat were the last three to shed, so maybe that had something to do with it. Thanks for the tip! Question: Do you use this method even on pinkie parts? I ask because I have a clutch of very small guys that I don't think will be able to eat a full pink.
So Beth, have you come to your senses and given up on that "troublesome feeder"? Because I could help you out by taking it off your hands.:grin01:
Terri
 
crackerhead said:
I tried Susielea's "Hot Dip" method last night and 15 out of 18 ate. WooHoo! The three that didn't eat were the last three to shed, so maybe that had something to do with it. Thanks for the tip! Question: Do you use this method even on pinkie parts? I ask because I have a clutch of very small guys that I don't think will be able to eat a full pink.
So Beth, have you come to your senses and given up on that "troublesome feeder"? Because I could help you out by taking it off your hands.:grin01:
Terri
Click to expand...

Whoohoo! So glad it worked for you too :D

Yes I have used this on pink heads, but I only dunked the front of the head, not the cut area at the neck/shoulders and it did work for that little one last year :)

For the second feed I dunk again, but just briefly and the third they will usually take it just nicely warmed.

Beth, try the hot water dip method on the next feed, it will probably save you the cost of shipping the little guy to Terri :grin01: Sorry Terri ;)
 
The "hot dip" method as well as not feeding them directly after a shed sounds like a Godsend. I last tried feeding the boogers Sunday afternoon, so I was thinking of waiting til Friday.
I hope they ALL eat, but especially the fire female and the plasma-thingy male! :)
Altogether there are 2.1 normals, 1.0 amel, 1.0 hypo diffused, 0.1 diffused, 0.1 fire and 1.0 plasma. I don't think anyone will be interested in the amel or the normals but I have a wholesaler that wants them. And the plasma and fire will probably end up keepers....but there is another clutch with similar hets due to hatch in about 2 weeks, and so far at least 15 of those eggs still look good. I'm excited!
 
Susielea said:
[Beth, try the hot water dip method on the next feed, it will probably save you the cost of shipping the little guy to Terri :grin01: Sorry Terri ;)
Click to expand...

So , are you trying to get even for my posting a birthday greeting before you or is it the "not drinking tea at your house" thing? You know Beth is already my former bestest friend ever, you better just watch it, that list could grow!:grin01:
Really Beth, the "hot dip" thing is not going to work for you. Just give up now and send him to me. I'll pay the shipping... Susielea:nyah:
Terri
 
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