FIRST OFF LONG REPLY, SORRY!!!!!!! SECOND Do Not let the other guy get to you..... The only dumb question is the one not asked and causes the death of a snake!!!........Anyway, Another method I have used in the past when re-conditioning multiple non feeding baby imports (1990's) was to take turkey baby food, a very small amount of highish calcium/multivitamin ie: reptical (not repcal which is just calcium), a little gatorade. I would make a slurry of this. You could install it into a pinky pump if you wish. I typically use 1cc syringes (NO NEEDLE)and draw it up in the syringe. The barrel on a 1 cc syringe is very small. Then would use water to help it slide down the throat about 1-1.5inches. (Egg whites would have probably been a better lubricant!!) This can be a lifesaver for a very very weak baby that would not handle the stress of force feeding of a pink........This is very quick and the animal can be left in little distress......When and if you use the Turkey slurry administer slow over 10seconds or so.......Handling the animal: the animal will not happily allow its head to be handled. it will take a little effort to keep the animal in line. Thumb and index around the neck and just behind the jaw with the rest of the neck straight in the hand gripped gently to secure the animal. BPs are generally very good about popping open their mouths once you attempt to open it....AVOID GETTING ANYTHING IN THE GLOTTIS!!!!!!......Syringe feed every 2 days 1cc of mixture for 4 feedings total...... BUT before you try this ATTEMPT ASSIST FEEDING take a F/T peach fuzzy mouse Position the animal as above. Keep the animals body on the floor of its own cage, Insert the mouse to the point where you can see the nose of the mouse bulging just behind the jaw (entering esophagus). Hold it there until the animal calms a bit!! release the mouse and the snake gently and slowly into the cage. DO NOT MOVE just watch!! I find that any sudden movement that they will often drop the pink. VERY slow and steady!!!!!!!!!! If when you place the mouse in the mouth and the animal BITES down then release immediately and gently. Often this proceeds constriction and spontaneous feeding.................. One thing I notice when force feeding is the muscles in the jaw behind the eyes, for lack of better terms they tend to hollow out when they are trying to reject the food. I find that when they settle and are not so hollowed during the procedure that they are more likely to go ahead and feed. As a last resort I have also found that gently pinching the head so that the teeth sink into the pink can improve response on the worst of non feeders. The later is on the last attempt only, after it has rejected the "assist feed" 3x's. I will not try to assist feed them more than 4 times in a row. Just too stressful!!! but not as bad as full force feeding and much better in teaching them GOOD HABITS!!! FORCE FEEDING AS OTHERS DESCRIBED!!!....................I hope this helps and REMEMBER KEEP ASKING QUESTIONS!!!!..............God Bless, Lee Van Hyfte

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