Posted by:
draybar
at Sun Jul 4 09:09:47 2010 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by draybar ]
>>Yeah that will work, but I suggest you wait and try to get the snake to eat peacably. There are several tricks you can use including the one mentioned but I would try others first. Put the snake with the pinky in a small container over night. I use paper lunch bags which are put back into it's cage. Something that works very well is to take a dead pinky and use a razor to slice the head open a bit and squeeze some of the brain matter out just a little. Then place the snake in a deli cup or bag with the pinky and leave it alone for several hours. Then there is tease feeding which is where you take the pinky and rub it along the snakes mouth and try to get him agitated enough to bite the pinky. Then you have to try to stay very still if he grabs it untill he swallows the whole thing. I wouldn't try the tease or force feeding untill at least two months after hatching or sooner if the snake looks thin or weak. But try to get him to eat on his own many times before resorting to the more stressful tricks. It also helps to use the smallest pink you can find at first, then work your way up once he starts feeding.
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>>King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
>> J Sierra
I agree, too early yet for assist or force feeding...
there are several "tricks" to try...
One of the first "tricks to try is a live pinkie.
As mentioned, start by simply leaving the pinkie and hatchling in a small deli dish, in a quite dark space, for a few hours.
Then you can try braining as mentioned once again leaving the brained pinkie and hatchling in a small deli dish for several hours.
Each time you try a different method give the little guy three or four days to recover. If the first two methods don't work then you can try scenting. There are different methods of scenting. One of the easiest and most common is to scent with a lizard. You can get an anole, unfortunately you need to kill the anole, and either rub "juice" from the lizard on the pinkie or even put a piece of skin over the pinkie and place them, like before, in a deli dish for several hours.
Sounds crazy but another scent item is tuna juice. This should be tuna in it's own natural juice. drop a pinkie in a little of the juice and then place it and the hatchling in the deli dish etc etc etc.
there are still more scenting techniques but if it hasn't eaten on its own by now it would probably be a good time to start assist or force feeding.
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Every summer thousands of young men are needlessly injured after uttering this phrase "Hey, hold my beer"....So, please hold your own beer.....This has been a public service announcement..
Jimmy Johnson
(Draybar)
Draybars Snakes
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RE: feeding hatchlings - draybar, Sun Jul 4 09:09:47 2010