Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well my new baby blood I hatched out still hasn't fed, nor has he shed.Whats up w/ that. September 7th he came out, so how long can a new born go without feeding. Also do you think I should force feed here soon.I've tried everything. Temps/hides/humdity is good.I remember Bob saying he gets the occasional slow starter but how slow is slow.Thanks, Ethan

Here's some things that I tried with my slow starters.

I went to the pet store and got a life small mouse in a the little box they use for live animals. I let the mouse hang out in there for a little while getting it all nice and stinky. I then killed the mouse and stuck the baby blood and the dead mouse in the box and left it alone overnight. I don't like feeding mice, but that's what it takes for some bloods. They have a very strong smell which helps with feeding response.

Another easier trick is to get a plastic storage container...The cheap disposible ones about the size of a sandwich. Poke a couple holes in the top. Put the thawed or prekilled prey in the box with the snake and put the top back on. Stick it in their cage and leave it overnight.

Always feed at night too. And get the prey as warm as you can.

The above tricks worked for me whereas nothing else including live rat pups did. Although I still have one that I'm assist feeding. If yours doesn't respond to anything else you may want to try, I don't like doing it as it is stressful, but not as much as force feeding, and it's better than letting the snake starve. You just hold their head and use the rat's head to open the snakes mouth and just push it a little bit. They will usually start constricting right away and then swallow it down!

Good luck!

Man, the things we do for our animals...I had a Blood that wouldn't eat and I ran down a live chick...she jumped all over it. I found the chick at a Feed and Seed.

Good luck!
Jim Lineberger
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"He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he can never lose." (quote from Jim Elliott, "Shadow of the Almighty"

Read this article that was published in Reptiles Magazine. I found it very helpful with setting up a baby blood.
Nick
Link

First on the shedding - Blood pythons are notorious for going a long time before their natal shed. For summer hatchlings, mine typically first shed in December and as late as February, even though they were feeding well.

People have given some good advice on feeding. I'd just add that I don't hesitate to assist feed recalcitrant hatchlings of many species of snakes, especially now that I have switched totally to frozen thawed food.

To assist feed, roll down the lip of the snake with your thumb, or pry open its mouth gently and insert a VERY small (even pinky) dead food item into the back of the snake's mouth and let the feeding response take over. You have to use undersized food items so that the snake cannot easily dislodge it from its mouth. It takes some practice and persistence. Just be gentle.

As far as "force" feeding goes (plungering the food all the way back into its throat - last resort, but I wouldn't hesitate to do that, either. But only as a last resort. After all, it's not "learning" now to eat that way.

Good luck.

-Joan

>>Well my new baby blood I hatched out still hasn't fed, nor has he shed.Whats up w/ that. September 7th he came out, so how long can a new born go without feeding. Also do you think I should force feed here soon.I've tried everything. Temps/hides/humdity is good.I remember Bob saying he gets the occasional slow starter but how slow is slow.Thanks, Ethan

Ethan,my killer striped baby blood hasn't eaten eather,then I just got fed up and took a small rat pup,opened his mouth and stuck it deep in his throut.he was so hungry he just started swallowing it.A week latter I did the same thing except I followed it up with two more rat pups while he had his mouth open.He still hasn't eaten on his own,except now he looks preety good.
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Ashley Lopez's Black Forest Constrictors.
blackforestconstrictors@gmail.com
website

I'll try the overnight dead one first and if that doesn't work try a force a feed.I'll let you know what works.I don't know if I can get a live chick, haven't really looked for one either, I can get one frozen though.Well thanks again and we'll see how it goes.

Hope it goes well. When I got my first pair of baby bloods, they had not had their first meal. The male ate a few days later, but no matter what I tried, I couldn't get the female to eat. After over a month when she started looking really thin, I started assist feeding. She swallowed the food well once I got in in her mouth and it wasn't too bad.
Anyway, it took a couple months (and a lot of bites) before she would take food on her own, but she eats everything now.
She's 4 year old and 20lbs now. I know I posted this picture before, but it's the snake on the right.

Hey Ethan,
I would start trying some of the above feeding techniques right away, before your little guy waste away. Have you tried buying some chicken broth and placing a mouse in that for a bit to soak up some of the scent? If all else fails, start placing food in its mouth with a little help from the snout of the mouse or rat pup; or other. Baby gerbils also work. You can also buy a small chick and keep it in the freezer and just pluck some downy feathers from it and place some on the mouse or rat pup. That sometimes works with chondros. Just get started on it sooner than later. A small pair of forceps will work to help get the food down. 4 inch thumb forceps with blunt and round tips.
-Angel
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In life you can fall many times, but you're only a failure, if you don't try to get back up!
Evil Canevil