Reptile & Amphibian Forums

OK, I am still having trouble getting my w/c baby eastern to take it's first meal. I have tried day old pinks, f/t pinks, brained pinks, washed pinks and even an earthworm and a cricket. All with no luck. The closest I got was him starting on a live pink, only to drop it when I entered the room a full day after introducing the pink.

It is still very healthy in appearance, as I am sure it had a lot of yolk in his belly when I found him (he must have been but a day or two old himself). So, now what would you folks recommend at this point? I have had him close to 4 weeks now, and I am concerned.

Thanks
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1.0 C/B Brooks
0.1 C/B Pueblan
0.0.1 W/C Scarlet King
0.0.1 W/C Eastern Milk
0.0.1 W/C Yellow Rat
0.0.1 W/C Western Garter
1.0 C/B Black Lab
1.0 C/B Min. PoodleXAmer. Eskimo hybrid
1.0 C/B Goofy Cat
1.2 C/B Children
0.1 W/C wife

This may seem a little morbid but after rinsing off a pinky you could try scenting it with your Gartersnake... If it eats that then you will likely have to keep doing that for a while until you can transition it to regular pinkies.

In my experience the only time a baby milk eats a garter is when its an exceptional feeder not a problematic one.

The good news is that the hatchling actually tried to take a live pink - that's half the battle won and I'd try that again or park a pink head in the hide overnight.
Then there's stuffing mouse tails into the hatchling if the snake absolutely refuses to take pinks.
Geckos, skinks and sceloporus will usually trigger a feeding response in obnoxious feeders also but try the tiny pinks and heads a few more times.....
Good luck, Jeff

>>OK, I am still having trouble getting my w/c baby eastern to take it's first meal. I have tried day old pinks, f/t pinks, brained pinks, washed pinks and even an earthworm and a cricket. All with no luck. The closest I got was him starting on a live pink, only to drop it when I entered the room a full day after introducing the pink.
>>
>>It is still very healthy in appearance, as I am sure it had a lot of yolk in his belly when I found him (he must have been but a day or two old himself). So, now what would you folks recommend at this point? I have had him close to 4 weeks now, and I am concerned.
>>
>>Thanks
>>-----
>>1.0 C/B Brooks
>>0.1 C/B Pueblan
>>0.0.1 W/C Scarlet King
>>0.0.1 W/C Eastern Milk
>>0.0.1 W/C Yellow Rat
>>0.0.1 W/C Western Garter
>>1.0 C/B Black Lab
>>1.0 C/B Min. PoodleXAmer. Eskimo hybrid
>>1.0 C/B Goofy Cat
>>1.2 C/B Children
>>0.1 W/C wife
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I hold it to be the inalienable right of anybody to go to hell in his own way. - Robert Frost, 1935

I think 4 weeks is long enough. Many times I have had to force feed babies tails for MONTHS before they start feeding on their own. Now if you are not ready to do this I suggest letting it go where you found it quickly before the cold weather comes in.
To force feed tails chop the tail off a weanling size mouse,trim away any sharp bone and soak it for an hour. Carefully pry open the little one's mouth with one hand and spin the tail down to within 1/4" of head then immediately hold the snake in a room temp bowl of water for 10 seconds. The water focuses its mind off the tail and it should voluntarily down the remainder when taken out. If it doesnt, repeat up to 3 times as sometimes the snake will tire of the regurge process.
The key now is to repeat every 3-4 days lessening the time in water and SLOWLY increasing tail size. If it VOLUNTARILY eats the whole tail 3-4 times without regurge(he should be MEAN about it by now!) it has now started the biological processes in its gut that will drive it to eat a pinkie.
It is a slow and arduous process, if you try and take a shortcut the snake will die about 90% of the time. If you arent ready for this to take minimally a month plese release it.

when prying the mouth open, am I using a finger nail or am I gently applying side pressure? I am committed to doing this, so i want to make sure I have it all down.

Thanks
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1.0 C/B Brooks
0.1 C/B Pueblan
0.0.1 W/C Scarlet King
0.0.1 W/C Eastern Milk
0.0.1 W/C Yellow Rat
0.0.1 W/C Western Garter
1.0 C/B Black Lab
1.0 C/B Min. PoodleXAmer. Eskimo hybrid
1.0 C/B Goofy Cat
1.2 C/B Children
0.1 W/C wife

Pry with the larger end of the tail.yes make sure you get this right because its not hard to break the snakes jaw.Sometimes if you taunt the hatchling it will bite w/o prying.Make sure that the tail is small till you get the hang of it.Cut the tail at a angle so its a bit pointy
Why dont you wait till the snake sheds then try a pinkie again.
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Doug L

Its important to always have something there, waiting too long is a classic mistake. Teasing is the easiest way to get a hatchling to open its mouth, but otherwise I usually pry it open with a small blunt probe or the like. It requires dexterity, it seems to take 2 hands to hold the snake and open its mouth and a 3rd to insert the tail. Dont just jam it in either, spin it.

"Why dont you wait till the snake sheds then try a pinkie again.'

That is the plan, i am just preparing myself for what happens if that fails!
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1.0 C/B Brooks
0.1 C/B Pueblan
0.0.1 W/C Scarlet King
0.0.1 W/C Eastern Milk
0.0.1 W/C Yellow Rat
0.0.1 W/C Western Garter
1.0 C/B Black Lab
1.0 C/B Min. PoodleXAmer. Eskimo hybrid
1.0 C/B Goofy Cat
1.2 C/B Children
0.1 W/C wife

Where was this snake found? I'm not sure eastern milks from where I live in New York would be enticed with lizard scent. I have found that earth snakes, brown snakes and worm snakes all work well with baby milks snakes in general also ringneck babys and the eggs. But the fact that your snake went after a unscented pink to me means it will do that again. It may take a while, maybe even after the winter. Try Jeffs severed pinkie head trick, that one has worked for me.Scenting with garter snakes and aboved mentioned snakes is a good idea also.
One last thought, some wild caught snakes just never eat in captivity and should be released. Hang in there though I'm betting your snake will eat within the next few weeks.

Both of these CB snakes were poor feeders, they never ate pinkies and they ended up starving because I couldn't provide the food they wanted

This wild caught(Putham Co NY) eastern milk didn't want to eat and was released

Sometimes you get lucky and they eat from your hand the same week you find them

This one is the brightest one I have found but but guess what she likes to eat

My milk snakes eat 80% of their meals in april may and june so I'm hoping to change her eating habits then.
Good Luck
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Doug L

This one was caught in lewis Co. Kentucky, where there was an abundance of ringnecks, brown snakes and skinks. Tonight I thawed a pink in a baggie containing a shed from my scarlet king. Unfortunately, it's been a while since my garter shed and the scarlet shed was all I had. Also, he seemed to be bluing up a bit, so if he doesn't take this pink, I will offer another live one after the shed.

Thanks to all for the input
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1.0 C/B Brooks
0.1 C/B Pueblan
0.0.1 W/C Scarlet King
0.0.1 W/C Eastern Milk
0.0.1 W/C Yellow Rat
0.0.1 W/C Western Garter
1.0 C/B Black Lab
1.0 C/B Min. PoodleXAmer. Eskimo hybrid
1.0 C/B Goofy Cat
1.2 C/B Children
0.1 W/C wife

I have some 2 yr old CBs and they are very sporadic feeders. Most were actually bigger, feeding on bigger food items in May than they are now--which is a real pain in the butt.

I hatched nine of them recently. I got all but two of them to eat by offering them either live or f/t house gekos. Just fed two of them tonight. They will not eat anything else yet. Get the smallest you can find live and stick them into a small container together. I think the lizard running around pisses them off enough to stangle them!

Its for this reason I keep my baby milks in a deli cup for about a year.

Thanks everyone, this thread saved me from posting the same exact question.

I hatched out 9 easterns, and so far only one has ate, and it was a baby DK snake.
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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
0.2.0 Thamnophis cyrtopsis Easter Black Neck Garter
1.1.0. Thamnophis elegans vagrans Wandering Garter
2.2.0 Thamnophis Sirtalis - Florida Blue stripe Garter
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.