Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Anyone got tips to force feed or assist feed baby balls? Been almost 3 weeks since they shed and they have not eaten - tried f/t and live.

Thanks!

My thoughts on this are don't force feed them yet. Just leave them alone for a week (I assume you're already doing this?) and keep trying. They do have that yolk that helps them along. My two babies hatched February 7th but wouldn't eat their first meal until March 6th. They're both pigging out and taking two mice a sitting now. Just be patient!!

~jenny
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"The python has, and I fib no fibs,
318 pairs of ribs.
In stating this I place reliance
On a seance with one who died for science
This figure is sworn to and attested,
He counted them while being digested."
~Ogden Nash

jenny.thegreenes.org

"If you're happy and you know it,
Bomb Iraq!
If you cannot find Osama,
Bomb Iraq!
If the terrorists are frisky,
Pakistan is looking shifty,
North Korea is too risky,
Bomb Iraq!

I agree...dont try to assist feed just yet. Make sure the husbandry is perfect (about 84-86 degrees, tight enclosure, housed alone, tight hide spot), leave alone for another week (no handling at all...don't even look at them), then try again.

When you try again, try a live crawler (between a fuzzy and a hopper) mouse with some color (hoppers can be too spazzy for timid feeders, and dark ones are much more attractive, for whatever reason).

If that doesnt work, and we're 5 to 6 weeks in, post back and I can give some tips for gentle assist feeding. I've raised probaly more than a hundred hatchlings over the past 5 years or so and can only think of 2 or 3 that needed to be assisted.

IN most cases, if you get the husbandy squared away perfectly, the feeding will take care of itself

All I have are rats. I really want them on rats and not mice - does it really matter?

yes they take fuzzy or hopper mice much better for the 1st couple of feeding then try rat pinkies or pups mine will usually switch over after just 1 or 2 feedings but I can never get them to take rat pups from the start.
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Vince Pramuk

Vince is right, I have never been able to feed pinky rats right off the bat. They DO need to start with fuzzy or hopper mice. Once you get them eating like 2-3 times then try the rats.
Assist feeding is a last resort option, and it doesn't appear to be that bad yet.
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Steve

As Vince the Hurricane said, start with mice. It seems their natural attraction is critters with hair, and naked prey doesn't seem to work at first. I know that some folks start them on rat pinks but I don't know how. You might try rat fuzzies...I don't know. I just know what works for me. I will tell you that once they start, after about the 4th or 5th meal, they go into a phase where they eat ANYTHING. Thats the point where I quickly transition to large adult mice, then to PK large adult mice, then to FT small rats. The transition goes smooth during this phase...

I would wait until 6-8 weeks before going the assist feed route - they absorb a lot of yolk before leaving the egg so they do have plenty of nutrients inside of them.

I've had a fairly good success rate with my hatchlings. I keep my hatchling tubs slightly higher in temperature and humidity than my adult tubs - I also keep them in an enclosed rack with very small tight fitting hides and I don't mess around with them until they are on a consistent feeding schedule.

I've also found that if you feed them larger prey they seem to take to feeding better. For their first few meals - small rat pups work very well for me - or small adult mice (for hatchlings in the 55 plus grams). For the really little guys I do hopper mice or fuzzy rats.

About 90% of my hatchlings will usually take a f/t or p/k item for their first meal within a couple of days of shedding - the rest usually convert on their second or third meal. In my experience I've found reluctant hatchlings to be more scared of the movement of the live prey than confused over what to do with a f/t. And with the f/t I can control and monitor the feeding to see what the snakes are keying in on and adjust future feedings accordingly.

But there is no exact science to this they are all individuals that react differently and you just have to play around with different options and see what works best for you and your snake.

Good luck!
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Tosha
JET Pythons

I agree with everyone above! However, if you must force feed, I have a "homemaid slurry" that I make, originally for gray bands that I have used successfully on baby balls!

Sounds interesting, but what is "slurry"? Any insight and how you make it would be appreciated.
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Alice Cobb