Nope, they use it just fine, no problems, but the same result can be had at 150F. And its safer.



about your pyros, This is the thing, you post your thoughts(worries) and we I have no way of knowing if your worries are real. So I respond as it they are.



The truth is, hatchings can not feed for a month or so and thats normal. Its not normal if they lose weight and become skinny. That is the point you worry.



if you read these forums, your problem is not only about you, or maybe you. Many people have problems getting neonates of some species to feed properly. Mostly other type kings like the mexicana complex and small milksnakes.



AS well as pyros and zonatas. The main reason is dehydration. These species can be small and have a huge surface to mass ratio, so they dehydrate quickly in air.



In nature, these kings are IN moist ground or in crevices in moist ground. They rarely ever expose themselves to open air.



If they do, its only for minutes at a time. Even neonate rattlesnakes of the smaller species do not expose their selves to open air for any length of time.



Yet most keep them in boxes that are mostly air. This is the main problem. AS neonates they are only a little more tolerant of air, then say an earthworm. get it. Leave it out and it dries out. Same for baby kings, only much slower, but the same.



Little hides and other stuff on the bottom of the cage helps, but is not the entire answer. AS you have seen, it works for some individuals, but not all.



What I am trying to get across to you is, if you address those problems, its good for the vast majority of neonates of many species. The understanding that these neonates live IN the ground, not on it. And require a stable humidity and temp choices.



If that was done, there would be no need for tricks and dead neonates.



A thought I talked about many years ago with adult snakes, you know, when people had to trick adults to get to feed, that thought is, are they that picky in nature, or do they feed on, anything that is considered prey? In my experience, they are such good feeders in nature, they grab it first and decide later if its prey or not.



Not this, take it for a ride, dip the prey is hummingbird yolk or whatever.



The reality is, snakes in nature have a much wider range of prey, and that includes insects for many of these species.

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