Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I obtained my wc La milk 18 days ago and he hasnt eaten yet. Ive tried a live pinkie in a bag overnight also a small green anole the same way with no results. My temps are 75-88 day & 70-83 night. Ive seen him drink and his weight looks normal. He's in a 20L with 2 hides(cool & warm) rock & water bowl, coco fiber substrate. What can I do to get him to eat? I am worried about him. Should I be? Is this normal? Will he eat when he gets hungry? Any info would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

First off sounds like the cage is more than sufficient... though you're dealing w/ a WC animal so they can be temperamental. In fact it's usually safe to assume they will be and then just get surprised. 88 degrees is too warm. You'll want to lower that down to the lower 80's at most really... allowing it to cool to the lower 70's as well -- in my opinion. Also as for it being 18 days out of the wild -- patience may help but you're right to begin to be apprehensive by now. Though if you're certain it's a male he could still be preoccupied with finding a mate and then it'd be moreso normal for him to not readily eat. Just some options... try f/t pinks. There are many techniques to explore (scenting, braining, etc.) but just try an unscented thawed first. Sometimes an active pinky in a bag can actually intimidate a smaller milk. Same w/ the anole... just throw it in the freezer... then thaw. Give the snake an opportunity to explore w/o having moving prey. This is how I'd begin to attack it... patience w/ smaller wc milks can go a long way.

Hope this helps,
Chris

Yes, and a live Anole will jump all over the place, including all over the snake's head and body,...this is SURE to freak him out BIG-TIME!!!

If I were to offer an Anole at all,...it would be a fresh dead one, a live one jumping all over it is EXTREMELY traumatizing to a snake, and could possibly screw things up for a while afterwards as well.

Chris, I posted a couple pics for you on the "king" forum, You might have seen one or two, but not the others at least.

~Doug
-----
"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Excellent advice from CN and DMong, I'd put more emphasis on offering small thawed pinks in the hide and braining.
Give him/her/it another couple weeks to acclimate.....
Jeff
-----
The rich require an abundant supply of the poor. - Voltaire