Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just hatched a small clutch of Eastern Indigos. They went through their first shed. Anyone have any advise on getting reluctant feeders to eat??? And when should I start to worry if they don't eat.

Patience is your best weapon when working with hatchling indigos. You may have to resort to a variety of strategies when getting stubborn hatchlings to take their first meal and no two indigos are exactly alike. Here's what works well for me:

1) first try a frozen/thawed large pink - doesn't hurt to try and every now and then you get a baby that starts right away on rodents.

2) try braining a f/t large pinky mouse or small fuzzy and smear some fish entrails all over the head of the mouse. Make sure you thoroughly rinse the rodent to get as much scent out as possible.

3) make a slushy of blended up fish, toads and frogs and then freeze the concoction in ice trays (gross but it works) and cover with plastic. place some washed/rinsed pinks/fuzzies in a freezer bag and cover/coat with the concoction and keep in freezer. Thaw out and try feeding.

Sometimes you have to feed a small live fish flopping around the cage floor, or, a live frog but that should be rare. They may wait 6 weeks before taking their first meal so no need to panic just yet. when offering food, remember that these are animals that hunt by sight and smell so use small subtle movements via long hemostats/forceps across the cage floor to get their attention and get them excited. Make sure the babies feel secure in their enclosure. Offer a small plastic food storage container filled with dampened spaghnum moss with a top opening entrance. You may get a strong feeding response when offering prey through the opening. Hope this helps.

Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center

>>I just hatched a small clutch of Eastern Indigos. They went through their first shed. Anyone have any advise on getting reluctant feeders to eat??? And when should I start to worry if they don't eat.
>>
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Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL

When my female eastern was a hatchling (about 3 years ago) she went just over a month before she finally ate. She was interested in, but ultimately refused f/t pinkies. I eventually offered her a live pinky and she was more interested, even nuzzeling it, but wouldn't finish the deed. I scented the live pinky with some of the juice from a can of tuna I had handy and that did the trick.

Be sure each hatchling has a hide out and cage them separately. I would leave food item in hide out at night time and leave alone until morning. In the past I've used hatchling corn snakes or corn snake scent for first meals for hatchlings that don't take f/t pinks on their own. I've also force fed f/t newborn pinks to reluctant feeders. Hatchlings from any snake cross-breedings are always good feeders. Hatchlings may wait a few weeks after their first shed to eat on their own.