This baby Chinese twin-spotted ratsnake, Elaphe bimaculata, is a survivor. It didn't eat it's first meal until December 31, 2004. Here's the story and how I got it to survive.



It was born in mid-August, 2004, along with one sibling. It was a clutch of five eggs, where three had been infertile, the mother's first clutch. Neither hatchling would eat anything for their first three months. I tried every trick I knew and they just weren't going to eat. I decided to not force them, but rather brumate them.



It was finally cold enough in my Hibernation Room around the 15th of November and I put them in. It got down to around 50*F, about a week, or two later, and I kept them in there until close to Christmas. When I took them out, they were obviously starving and dehydrated. They must have been too weak to drink from the water jar. I hydrated them.



About a week later they were active and I offered each of them a live pinky. The weakest one ate, but it was too late. I found it dead the next day with the pink undigested. I decided to try a trick with the survivor. I took a frozen pink and cut it into three pieces. I then put it in a deli cup with enough water to wet the bottom of the cup. I put the baby snake in and it ate two pieces on December the 31st, over four months after it was born.



About a week later the surviving baby ate again. Again it ate two of three pieces under the same conditions. Today, two weeks after the first feeding it ate all three pieces, it's first total of a pinky, and is starting to look like it will make it.



I'm making this post for several reasons.



First, I hope we can all learn from these mistakes. I should have brumated the snakes sooner. I could have cooled them at a less severe temp, maybe around 60*F. I should have brought them out sooner and probably would have saved both.



Second, I thought the experience with the deli cup would help lots of folks. I liked the idea of cutting up the frozen/thawed pink and letting the baby snake decide how much to eat. Also, the snake is now programmed to eat thawed pinks, which is good, especially for this species.



Thirdly, this is a pet project of mine. I know the snake isn't that nice looking, but they do get prettier as they develop. I had another clutch from an older female and all her babies ate after first shed and are doing great. They are about twice the size of the survivor the story is about. I cooled them down about the time the survivor ate its first meal. I suspect the survivor will be about equal in size to the others once they come out of brumation, in a few weeks. I'm monitoring them closely.



TC






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