Sorry it took so long for me to reply to your questions about baby coachwhips. I don't have native lizards in Michigan, but when I was raising the baby pink coachwhips I lived in Arizona. One could say I had plenty of lizards in Arizona. More lizards than you can shake a stick at--I know, I've shaken sticks at them and there really are too many.

I think mouse tails are enough to sustain baby snakes until they get the idea that being hungry is not so good. I also use rat tails which have more meat on them (this conversation is going sideways fast). What I have found is that after several feedings where the baby snake gets the mouse tail forced a little way down its throat, most snakes will begin to chew as soon as the food is inserted into the snake's mouth. After several feedings like that, some baby snakes begin to take mouse tail fragments or defrosted pink mice from the hand that offers them while the snakes are being held in the other hand. Rat snake keepers use the same tactic--irritating the snake until it strikes in hope it will swallow the food.

Eventually, most baby snakes will figure out to take food off foreceps or left lying on the floor of the cage. In time, all but a very few have become aggressive feeders and settled down.

It's much better to use lizards or frogs or baby snakes--something the coachwhips actually want to eat, rather than force feeding them, which is very stressful. Also, whole animal prey has a lot more nutritional value, but mouse tails are conveniently shaped and will do as a last resort.

It's good to see someone working with Easterns. I had wanted to work with cb Easterns but never did have the time. I still hope to get some eventually.

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