Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i just started out with the milk snakes... i picked up 6 milk snakes... and 5 of them aren't eating... the first two females i got are really small, and i've had them for about a month and a half and they still refuse to eat... i've tried F/T and live... is there another way i could make them eat... i've even tried to up the temperature to 85* and still a no go... they are in a rack with 12quart sterilite containers... i'm trying to feed them in a small clear container with a black lid... it's one of those cheap aquariums for baby red ear sliders or something...

should i try feeding them inside of something else...?¿

any advice will be appreciated...
thx...

What kind of Milksnakes are they?

I'd suggest first trying F/T. Put them in small containers like a deli cup, and cover it with something to keep it dark. Leave them like that few a few hours or even over night (make sure theres air holes).

If that doesnt work try the same thing, two days later with live, or F/T with a small slit in the head so some "juice" begins to ooze out.

Keeping it dark in the container helps, also not using a container too large. Don't try every day, because that can stress them out and they won't eat either. Most should take live if left over night.

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"The band is just fantastic, that is really what I think. Oh by the way, which ones pink?"

First of all, what type of milks are they? That can play a huge role in feeding. Second, are they wild caught or captive bred? Third, were they feeding when you got them?

I'd not try to move them to a seperate container for feeding - especially hatchlings. Milk can be quite nervous and may not feed after being handled and moved. Now regarding the temperature - What are you keeping them at? I tend to get a MUCH stronger feeding response when giving my animals a thermal gradient (I use 72F to about 88F in my racks) from one end of the enclosure to the other. Ohter people have good results with a constant 82F heated room. Cool snakes will not feed (generally speaking).

Assuming they're of the larger, Latin American subspecies and you're keeping them at an acceptable temperature, I'd try braining a warm, frozen/thawed, fully dried off pink mouse. Hold the pinkie with paper towels or tweezers to avoid getting your scent on it. Many times this works like a charm. If not, there are other things that can be tried (scenting with lizard guts, scenting with rat guts, offering live, etc.).

-Cole

I had a couple that I could not get to eat this year unil I followed someone's suggestion, and tried scenting with canned tuna. I have had success with both in oil and water. One of the two is now feeding on unscented and the other has fed twice but remains problematic.

thx for the advice friends... today i got three of them to eat live pinks doing the paper bag/box trick... but i still have two that are finicky about munching...

the three that ate i know they are hondo's for sure... but the two that aren't, i'm not so sure... i think i'm going to have to call them up and ask them... but he was being pretty shady about the answer...

here are the ones that aren't eating...

{img]http://www.geocities.com/santogumbii/HPIM1404.JPG[/img]

jeez... i suck at teh intrawebz...

here are working pictures...

The 2 non-feeding milks look like sinaloans and certainly are not fresh hatchlings. They've been feeding on something.
Let's try a couple changes:
the bedding looks like pine and should be avoided because like cedar, it contains phenols which act as a natural pest control. Use shredded newspaper if you can't snag aspen or recycled paper product like Carefresh.
The drinking cup 'waterbowl' works great on humans, lousy for herps. Target has some very cool cheap plastic waterbowls that have a hide area underneath and a low profile the snakes can access. For now, find something low and be sure the snake knows that water is there - stick the snakes head into it.

Live pinks should do the trick, I'm assuming those snakes are at least 6 months old (poss 2006 hatch?) and have been feeding so it's a matter of getting them relaxed. A tight hide (paper towel tube?) will offer security and a very small pink left in or near the snake and hide overnight might stimulate the feeding response. Until they're calmed and feeding try not to handle them on feed day. My experience with sinaloans is that the young ones stress easily then settle in nicely.
Don't leave larger mice in cages overnight pls.
Keep us posted on the progress........Jeff

I haven't bred in 2 years but when I did the stubborn ones I would cool around this time of year for a week or so. Once they warm up most started eating but others I used sheds from monitor or other snakes to scent pinks. I also used mouse tails too.

thx... but i got them to eat today... i got one and opened her mouth, then she got mad and started to bite... wile she was biting, i threw a f/t pink in there, and she started eating... i did the same thing to the other one... opened her mouth, and put a pinky in there... once it was in thier mouth, they didn't let go... this local pet shop told me to do that a long time ago, but it seems pretty brutal...

i also tried to cool them down, and warm them up again... but fail... then all night last night i did the paper bag thing over night, and they still didn't go for them...

and those are all 07's... they're inside shoe boxes... and i'll change the bedding asap... i thought pine was acceptable...? oh well... you learn something new everyday...

thx you guys... i'm still going to try your methods in the next feeding... i don't want to be force feeding them all of the time...

thx...
gumbii...

A friend of mine told me to heat them up with a hot blow dryer...the mouse, not the snake.

I've had good luck with snakes that way, even after handling!