one of the things that keyed the response in the "picky" snakes was the movement. The specific movement of the lizard running by, as opposed to the movement of a pinky laying on it's back wiggling. These same "picky" feeders would turn thier nose at frozen thawed lizards of the same species. So IMO it was entirely an instinctive response. I don't think humans live long enough to reprogram that type of response through several generations of captive breeding, but I could be wrong.



For me the biggest key was size, by 16-18 grams and several meals the snakes ate pinkies like they had eaten them all along.

I found this the easiest, least hassle way ("picky" feeders only)



Here are some notes I accumulated and things others have tried,

Presentation is key. Remeber these are crevice dwellers. It always helps to offer meals in tight quarters, that's where they feed in the wild. Crumpled up newspaper with a board on top is good.



1) Repeat the presentation of new-born mice on a regular basis even if they have refused your last offering. Sometimes they will decide to take a food item offered in this manner on the fourth or fifth presentation.



2) Wash a new-born mouse with plain water and then offer it to the snake.



3) Peel back the skin from the snout of a new-born to expose blood, and then contain the hatchlings in small quarters with the food item overnight.



4) Cut open the top of the head of a dead new-born mouse, mush the brain material around and place this mouse in the hiding place of the snake. The technique generally works surprisingly very often.



5) The practice of scenting, rubbing a lizard on a mouse, usually will entice reluctant hatchlings to take new-born mice. Also cover the nose of the mouse with a small piece of the Lizard's skin.



6) Lizard soup - grind up lizards in a jar with a small amount of water and keep them in the freezer. 15 - 20 seconds in a microwave causes the Lizard Oil to float to the top of the "soup". It's a simple matter to dip the pinkie nose into the "soup" for scenting.



7) Insert a new-born into the mouth of the snake until the snake bites down, gently put the snake back into its cage and wait for the snake to swallow. You may have to repeat this procedure a couple of times until it works (Mattison 1991).



8) Give the hatchlings the possibility to hibernate for a month. Some specimens are willing to feed by them self after such cool period.



9) EIDBO (1996a) also described another technique that has worked many time: Problem feeders he induced to feed by depriving it of water for 3 to 4 days. After this period he offered a newborn mouse dipped in water and when a snake started to drink the water drops, and end up eating the mouse.



10) Live lizards are almost always accepted, causing juvenile specimens to feed voraciously. Snakes, which have fed upon live lizards, should be monitored closely for parasites. If you feed Med Geckos, beware of tapeworms.



Forks

[ Show Entire Thread ]