Reptile & Amphibian Forums

9 healthy robust babies, 2 days old.

How long before they are interested in food??

I put a newborn live pinky in with them, and so far all they are doing is sniffing on it.

Research on Herp sites said they will take earthworms, small snakes or amphibians??

Ideas appreciated, thanks.....

Regards,
Wayne A. Harvey

Dances With Reptiles

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1.0.0 Ball Python - Python regius "Cane" Rescue
0.1.0 Eastern MilkSnake WC "Carmella" adult super sweet temperment (seven egg clutch!)
1.2.3 Storeria dekayi Casper, Xena, Athena, & Kids (30 plus released!)
2.1.0 Thamnophis sirtalis - eastern Garters
0.0.1 Thamnophis HybridAlbino Checkered Normal eastern
2.0.0 Thamnophis sirtalis - eastern Garters (xtreme orange phase)
1.1.0 Thamnophis RADIX - Snow Hets
0.1.0 Thamnophis RADIX - Christmas Albino
0.0.1 Thamnophis sirtalis - Red Phase Eastern Garter red and white stripes
0.0.1 Thamnophis butleriButler's Garter Snake
0.0.6 Thamnophis proximus orariusCoastal Ribbons
0.0.16 Thamnophis sirtalis - newborn Eastern Garter babies 7/11/08
0.0.17 Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis HET Anerythristic Scott Felzer stock.
1.1.0 Thamnophis sirtalis CB "Flame" & Melanistic Scott Felzer (R.I.P Magma You are missed little one)
0.1.0 Thamnophis sirtalis Eastern Snow "Snowflake"
0.0.1 Thamnophis sirtalis infernalis California Red Sided
1.2.0 Thamnophis pickeringi - Puget Sound Garter "Sky" (adult, Sky blue) 2 females recently aquired.
0.0.1 Nerodia sipedon - Water Snake - "Aqua" adult WC
0.1.0 Storeria occipitomaculata - Red Belly snake (Her children were raised & released)
0.0.1 Amelanistic Corn Snake "CY" Juvinile CB
1.0.0. Pueblan Milk snake "Oreo" adult CB
1.0.0. ASIAN GREEN SNAKE 3' WC Cyclophiops major"Limon"
0.0.1. Savannah Monitor "CHOMPER" Growing fast!
1.1.3. Green Anole "Crystal" & "Chris" WC dropping eggs fast!
1.0.0. K9 "ACE" Black Cockapoo
0.2.0. Feline"Felix"(R.I.P. 4/27/08) "Kaja" & "Silver"
2.1.0. calico RATS
2.4.?? Mice - Feeder farm - Crickets / fish
More herps than I could ever list out back on the land.

Wayne,

Generally, newly hatched snakes don't show any interest in food until after their first shed (about a week post-hatch). In my experience, it seems that about 50% of hatchling North American milks don't show any interest until after their second shed (about 3-4 weeks post-hatch)! They're born (hatched) with sufficient energy stores in the form of internalized yolk to last for quite a while without food.

As for what to start them on... I'd try pink domestic mice first. If they don't show any interest in unaltered pinks, try braining a pink. If that doesn't work, try scenting a pink with lizard guts, Thamnophis or Storeria musk, or frog mucus. If that doesn't work, try small lizards or pieces of lizards (frozen/thawed is best). If that doesn't work, force hopper mouse tails and try again. There are many variations and arrangements of these steps that can be used with success.

Re: food items... I'd seriously doubt you'd have any success feeding invertebrates to a milksnake. Invertebrates have been reported in the stomach contents of the species, but I'd put a strong argument for these remains being the result of eating and digesting lizards and rodents which have fed on the bugs.

Hope this helpls
-Cole

Wayne,...yes, Cole hit that right on the head!,..I couldn't agree more with his suggestion. I would do those very same things, and in that very order too. Because if at all possible, you want to first see if they show interest in the "un-altered" standard,nutritious easily acquired food item first(pinks), then go from there in successive order exactly as Cole mentioned. You will certainly get one of these to work. But as he also said, give them plenty of time to get hungry first, otherwise, it will only very likely be a disappointment for you.

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

A couple other people mentioned this but I will too. The only thing I've had luck with for eastern milks is to rinse off the pinky smell and spread the brains all over the body. Easterns probably won't be able to fit a whole one in their mouth at first so I'd start with just heads or something...

Wayne, Wow your hatchlings look to be bigger than two yearlings (including the albino) I have found and had success getting to feed. In both cases I waited for a shed before attempting to feed and they both took unscented f/t pinkies right off the bat. I wish they all were that easy! Good luck, and please keep us posted.
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Joe

Glad I am not the only one!! I too just hatched nine healthy baby easterns. I waited until after the first shed and still no interest in f/t pinkie mice. All newborns are easily large enough to consume the pinkies also. I was just about to ask the same question that you did--- so thanks. Luck to both of us.

I had luck getting a small baby Eastern started on small f/t pinkie heads. Within a few days it took a small whole pinkie.
Good Luck.

they're all right and right on...even abut the size of them things...

..my order

pink
nose cut
brain cut (yes they smell different)
frozen (then cut if youhave to)

then i would try cutting pinks up into pinky burger with small scissors......lay the pinky burger on a small deli cup lid or something......worked for me before.......like they said.pink heads ....might as well cut the tails,legs and all else up into pieces to go along with the heads....

then I'd use peromyscus ,russian or chinese hamster scent or pinks.......peros work great for all kinds of snakes....

......
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......

You'll probably find that about half of them will eat pinkys and the other half will want skinks. It's nice to see someone producing E Milks!

Tim

Third Eye

They are all quite active and doing great, so I won't try any more food until I start finding sheds in the tank.

Set them up in a nice 20 long with bark bedding and a large shallow water bowl.

Thanks again,
Wayne A. Harvey
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1.0.0 Ball Python - Python regius "Cane" Rescue
0.1.0 Eastern MilkSnake WC "Carmella" adult super sweet temperment (seven egg clutch!)
1.2.3 Storeria dekayi Casper, Xena, Athena, & Kids (30 plus released!)
2.1.0 Thamnophis sirtalis - eastern Garters
0.0.1 Thamnophis HybridAlbino Checkered Normal eastern
2.0.0 Thamnophis sirtalis - eastern Garters (xtreme orange phase)
1.1.0 Thamnophis RADIX - Snow Hets
0.1.0 Thamnophis RADIX - Christmas Albino
0.0.1 Thamnophis sirtalis - Red Phase Eastern Garter red and white stripes
0.0.1 Thamnophis butleriButler's Garter Snake
0.0.6 Thamnophis proximus orariusCoastal Ribbons
0.0.16 Thamnophis sirtalis - newborn Eastern Garter babies 7/11/08
0.0.17 Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis HET Anerythristic Scott Felzer stock.
1.1.0 Thamnophis sirtalis CB "Flame" & Melanistic Scott Felzer (R.I.P Magma You are missed little one)
0.1.0 Thamnophis sirtalis Eastern Snow "Snowflake"
0.0.1 Thamnophis sirtalis infernalis California Red Sided
1.2.0 Thamnophis pickeringi - Puget Sound Garter "Sky" (adult, Sky blue) 2 females recently aquired.
0.0.1 Nerodia sipedon - Water Snake - "Aqua" adult WC
0.1.0 Storeria occipitomaculata - Red Belly snake (Her children were raised & released)
0.0.1 Amelanistic Corn Snake "CY" Juvinile CB
1.0.0. Pueblan Milk snake "Oreo" adult CB
1.0.0. ASIAN GREEN SNAKE 3' WC Cyclophiops major"Limon"
0.0.1. Savannah Monitor "CHOMPER" Growing fast!
1.1.3. Green Anole "Crystal" & "Chris" WC dropping eggs fast!
1.0.0. K9 "ACE" Black Cockapoo
0.2.0. Feline"Felix"(R.I.P. 4/27/08) "Kaja" & "Silver"
2.1.0. calico RATS
2.4.?? Mice - Feeder farm - Crickets / fish
More herps than I could ever list out back on the land.

They are milksnakes(Lampropeltis), not like some of the other stuff you keep that will live in totall harmony with each other, so when they become hungry,....some bad surprises could very likely occur!. I would start housing them separately in very secure, small plastic shoeboxes with hide boxes. Feeling secure is PARAMOUNT to their well-being and triggering a feeding response, etc...

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

even though hatchlings are more likely to cannibalize than adults, someone sent me photos of two adult wild eastern milks today -- one was about halfway done eating the other in the photo. It was kind of cool but it's a good warning against keeping the species housed together. Young Storeria will only eat each other if it starts out as a fight over a slug but eastern milks are likely to do it on purpose.

Also, a lot of people have been saying that you're likely to find that many of the snakes will only start on lizards. I think these people are forgetting that you live in the north where lizards are not a part of the eastern milk's diet. I believe it is likely that lizards as a food source are not imprinted genetically on milks that far north but cannot make a factual claim.

Many of these babies survive and reach adulthood in the wild, So the big question at hand here is...

What do they eat for a first meal in New York state in the wild??

I understand fully that only a very small percentage of each wild born litter ever sees adulthood, some due to predation, some likely due to starvation, and alarmingly many see their doom at the hands of man.

However this is a captive born litter, they have me to rely on, and I will protect them from the predators and man, but I simply cannot have them starve while in my care.

They have all sloughed the first shed!! That is good news from my point of view, 2 of them I had to cut the cords with scissors to free them from the yolk sac. (Would not know that to look at them now)
Dances With Reptiles

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Regards,
Wayne A. Harvey

1.0.0 Ball Python - Python regius "Cane" Rescue
0.1.9 Eastern MilkSnake WC "Carmella" adult super sweet temperment (Eggs all hatched!)
1.3.13 Storeria dekayi Casper, Xena, Athena, Sharon & Kids
2.1.0 Thamnophis sirtalis - eastern Garters
0.0.1 Thamnophis HybridAlbino Checkered Normal eastern
2.0.0 Thamnophis sirtalis - eastern Garters (xtreme orange phase)
1.1.0 Thamnophis RADIX - Snow Hets
0.1.0 Thamnophis RADIX - Christmas Albino
0.0.1 Thamnophis sirtalis - Red Phase Eastern Garter red and white stripes
0.0.1 Thamnophis butleriButler's Garter Snake
0.0.4 Thamnophis proximus orariusCoastal Ribbons
0.0.16 Thamnophis sirtalis - newborn Eastern Garter babies 7/11/08
0.0.17 Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis HET Anerythristic Scott Felzer stock.
0.1.0 Thamnophis sirtalis Eastern Snow "Snowflake"
0.0.1 Thamnophis sirtalis infernalis California Red Sided (R.I.P. little guy)
1.2.0 Thamnophis pickeringi - Puget Sound Garter "Sky" (adult, Sky blue) 2 females recently aquired.
0.0.1 Nerodia sipedon - Water Snake - "Aqua" adult WC
0.1.0 Storeria occipitomaculata - Red Belly snake (Her children were raised & released)
0.0.1 Amelanistic Corn Snake "CY" Sub-adult CB
1.0.0. Pueblan Milk snake "Oreo" adult CB
1.0.0. ASIAN GREEN SNAKE 3' WC Cyclophiops major"Limon"
0.0.1. Savannah Monitor "CHOMPER" Growing fast!
1.1.3. Green Anole "Crystal" & "Chris" WC dropping eggs fast!
1.0.0. K9 "ACE" Black Cockapoo
0.2.0. Feline"Felix"(R.I.P. 4/27/08) "Kaja" & "Silver"
2.1.0. calico RATS
2.4.?? Mice - Feeder farm - Crickets / fish
More herps than I could ever list out back on the land.

they might like dekay snake babys
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Doug L

I am so glad this was posted, as I just recieved a newborn w/c eastern from a friend who caught it road cruising last week. I have a f/t pink in with him right now, but if he doesn't take, I may wait for a shed. Tiny little sucker!

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0.1 C/B Pueblan
0.0.1 W/C Scarlet King
0.0.1 W/C Yellow Rat
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