Thought it might be fun and interesting to start a thread on the many different tricks we employ to get stubborn hatchlings to eat or keep them going until they do so. I will only wait them out for so long (they can get too weak to eat), then they get tube fed these days. (tiny IV tubing attatched to a syringe) I use baby food, chicken or beef, or just plain old chicken egg scambled up raw. I breed GB's, mole kings, Zonata, eastern kings from up north, and LTT. I HAVE to resort to LOTS of trickery with all these stubborn varieties. Obviously prior to tubing them, they get offered regular f/t, then washed (seventh generation unscented has worked great for me), then brained, then scented. If this does not work I go to tailing them. If they spit the tails out, then and only then do I start tube feeding. On occasion I will give them what they really want in a live feeder lizard or snake, or dead snake from a dead in egg hatchling. I rarely ever loose a hatchling, and actually can only think of a few that I could not eventually get eating. One thing that I used to overlook and has made a big difference is to wash the small containers I put them in for feeding with unscented soap as well, this way they don't get any other input except the food item itself. Anyway, share away on some tricks !!!

Joe

[ Show Entire Thread ]