Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I need some help. As stated in another thread, I am having a little difficulty feeding a baby alterna. I bought an anole to use to scent a pinky. Will it work on a live or f/t or does it matter? I placed the pinky and anole in a small container, 1.5/2 inches in diameter. Small enough? Any advice on how to scent would be appreciated.

kinda sick, but just rub the anole's butt on the head of the pink. That usually does it quickest.

if you have already had the pink in the container with the anole that may be good enough, but an extra rub won't hurt.

If that doesn't work, go through this list...(at this point, skip number 8)

Presentation is key. Remember these are crevice dwellers and it always helps to offer meals in tight quarters, because 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 including but not limited to Tapeworms, Mites and Cryptosporidium. Live mice may also harbor similar pathogens. For this reason you should consider feeding your animals pre-frozen food items properly thawed to room temperature.

11) After all other attempts to allow hatchling Kingsnakes to feed voluntarily, you may finally resort to a device called the Pinky Pump. This device is a large stainless steel syringe with a glass or Plexiglas barrel and a modified end, which is inserted into the snake’s mouth and down its throat. Newborn mice are then gently forced into the snake’s stomach through the Pinky Pump. The pump has an adjustment to control how much food is forced into the snake. It is very important to use this control properly. If too much volume is inserted into the snake very abruptly, injury or death may result. The use of this device is somewhat stressful for hatchling snakes, and should be used only as a last resort

Please take this and sticky it if possible so that others don't have to search. If we can keep it at the top that would be great.

Some of the best information in one post.

Thanks,

Steven Owens

>>Please take this and sticky it if possible so that others don't have to search. If we can keep it at the top that would be great.
>>
>>Some of the best information in one post.
>>
>>Thanks,
>>
>>Steven Owens
>>

I need to update the articles on the alterna page. I've got this written up ready to post over there.

the best way to scent a pinky mouse with a lizard is to freeze the lizard. then thaw the lizard and skin it. using an exacto knife cut the skin in small pieces about 1/8" x 1/4". the left over skin can be put in a plastic bag and refroze. wet the piece of skin and apply it directly to the head of a pinky. it will stick like glue when it dries, just as it stuck to the lizard. if you use the right type of lizard like a sceloperus you will have an excellent success rate. one lizard skin can scent a couple dozen pinks. some hatchling snakes are probably destined to never eat for who knows what reason. probably has something to do with natural selection. this method of scenting has worked wonders on my stubborn feeders. lots of good advice in the previous post as well.

Thanks. I appreciate all your help. I am sure that with persistance he will eat. He ate for the breeder coming out of cooling so hopefully he will come around.

try using a mediterranean (house)gecko (hemidactylus turcicus), rather than an anole, for scenting. I've seldom had a hatchling refuse this species-it's even worked, strangely, on babies that have refused the seemingly more "natural" food (sceloporus).

Brad Chambers

>>try using a mediterranean (house)gecko (hemidactylus turcicus), rather than an anole, for scenting. I've seldom had a hatchling refuse this species-it's even worked, strangely, on babies that have refused the seemingly more "natural" food (sceloporus).
>>
>>Brad Chambers

Type of Lizard is really important. One year I had six problem hatchling alterna. I got them all to take lizards, only problem was each one wanted a different type of lizard.

Unfortunately the poster is in West Virginia and related that he has problems finding lizards. Is there a scelop native to West Virginia?

is native to W. Virginia.

Brad Chambers

>>is native to W. Virginia.
>>
>>Brad Chambers

that's what I would try first...

Not that I am aware of. I am at the mercy of pet shops/shipping.
Is there a vendor that sells feeder lizards that anyone knows? Just in case I need to go that route.