Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I hatched about 80 snakes in my class this year(actually in late August). I still have about 40 that will not eat. I tried brown bags, braining, ivory soap, teasing, and no luck. Right now I have them all in one tank. They use to be in seperate containers. I leave a mouse or two every other night in the tank and 50% get eaten. I know I have a few eating. Any ideas. Anyone in the Long Island area that wants this task? I just don't want them to die!

Second problem, one of my two year olds stopped eating. Several months now. It is mating season and he isn't losing weight. Any thoughts?

Thanks for any ideas!

Brian

leaving them in seperate containers is recommended and I have only had experience with one non feeder and I eventually got him to take the pinky when I placed him in an empty butter bowl in a dark room with a pinky there with him. When you're placing a pink in the middle of 40 snakes and come back and it's gone, it's a little tough to find the one who ate it sometimes. I would seperate again, place them in a dark closet with a pinky in with them and wait until the next day. But that's just me. Sorry to hear about your problems. Good luck with it.

Izora

1) Keep snakes seperately.
2) The cage size must be appropriate - small snakes do best in small enclosures.
3) Make sure each cage has a hidebox or suitable place for the snake to feel secure.
4) Ensure there is no bright lighting - albino animals are sensitive to light.
5) Feed the snakes in the evening, when it's beginning to get dark.
6) Make sure food is the right size, keep in mind that some snakes more readily consume smaller food items rather than larger ones.
7) Do not handle or disturb the snakes until they are on a regular feeding schedule.
8) Make sure you have the proper temperature gradient available to the snakes.
9) Place the snake and food item in a deli cup - this gives the snake a feeling of security and ability to easily find the food item.
10) Some baby snakes prefer and will only eat live pinkies.

Too many people breed snakes without thinking about or planning how to properly care for the offspring.

Tim

Third Eye

Thanks for your comments. I have tried all of the above. Unfortunately I moved at the end of the summer and this created the logistical problem with where to keep them. I have had snakes hatch in my class the past two years. The first year 22 out of 23 ate and survived. Last year I had 80 out of 83 eat regularly. This year I hatched close to 100 and with the move I was caught off guard.

My big question, is it too late to get some to start to eat? Every night I spend time trying to remedy the problem. The only course of action nat taken has been live and I will try that tonight with a few of them.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Brian

ps - Again, anyone in the Long Island area that wants to invest the time, respond and they are yours.

pps- Next year I am taking a break from breeding! lol

When was the last time they ate? It took me 5 weeks before I could get my grey-banded kingsnake to eat his first pinky.

Here's a few other methods that haven't been mentioned yet:
*Dunking the pinky's head in the water from a can of tuna
*Lizard Maker by T-Rex or gecko/anole skin just place it on the pinky's head

Other than that all I can say is put them in their own separate cages or containers with a hide box and proper temperatures and transfer them to a less busy area. Also try 2 feeding methods at the same time like washing the pinky with Ivory soap and the feeding container method.

Don't give up just keep trying, sometimes a feeding method that did not work at first will work another time. The first time I tried the container feeding method with my grey-band it failed and then 4 weeks later he ate in the very same container.

I also keep corns in my class and breed them as a part of our genetics curriculum. Keeping any reptile in a class brings up some special challenges. I would recommend moving the hatchlings to a secluded place (maybe a storage closet if you don't want to keep them at home) since the normal noise of a class might be too much for the young snakes. I try to keep my new hatchlings out of the class until they have fed at least 2 times and maybe longer.

I had a similar situation last year with several non-feeders going a month and a half or so without starting to feed. I force fed them and about half of those that were force fed began feeding on their own within a few weeks. It seems that there are always a few that the law of nature would have taken care of if they were in the wild but it is always nice to get them all feeding. I started by using only the heads of the smallest pinkies and it seemed to work for me.

I think I have received and email from you in the past. How are you using the snakes in your class? Are do you use their genetic information to spice up your curriculum? Corns are great in the class and a lot more fun than peas or fruit flies. The address to my website is listed at the end of this post, if you are interested in what I have going on in my room.

Good luck

www.caledonia.k12.mi.us/middleschool/gradelevels/7th/petrosky/new/KMMScornsnakegeneticsproject/Welcome.html

first you need to separate htem so you know which ones eat
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jake barney

my addiction:
1.1 ball pythons
0.2.1 corns
1.0 cal king
0.0.1 wc garter