Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Anyone have tricks to get baby Panamint rattlers to start feeding?? I have house geckos i tried but no success. They are a few weeks old. Haven't tried pinks yet. Thought the lizards would be a shure thing. thanks

mike

Mike, you should have no problem getting them started on pinks. If they are particularly stubborn, try a live pinky or two and see what happens.

Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center

>>Anyone have tricks to get baby Panamint rattlers to start feeding?? I have house geckos i tried but no success. They are a few weeks old. Haven't tried pinks yet. Thought the lizards would be a shure thing. thanks
>>
>>mike
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Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL

ok thanks..... i have sidewinders and figured they would be just as stubborn. i'll try pinks.

Separate the babies into individual perminant cages. Provide hide boxes and offer live fuzzy mice. These are larger and more animated than pinks, and more importantly, they retain and emit more heat. Baby pitvipers are especially suited and capable of eating good size prey.

Little Panamints are lizard eaters (but not house geckos). The chances of any baby snake consistantly finding nests of perfectly sized/age baby mice throughout its early growth years is pretty much impossible. Therefore, they go through an ontogenetic diet change. That is, eating one properly sized and readily available food source as a baby, then switching to a more appropriate food as an adult. Problem is, we as keepers say, "You will eat this and not this." While it often works, it's certainly not natural for the snake. And don't shy away from live food. They will come around nicely, I'm sure.

Cheers,

Terry Vandeventer

I am by no means an expert but I have heard guys on this forum suggesting skinks, anoles, and geckos with their brain cavities exposed.

You could also try pinkie parts (1/2, 1/3 a pinkie mouse) if you are not confident it could eat a whole pinkie.

I also heard some of the guys around here talking about "salting" a mouse and sometimes that will work.

At only a few weeks old though, I wouldn't worry too much.

forget the house geckos.they love sceloporus and utas if you can find them this time of year.i purposely catch as many lizards as i can in the spring so i have them when babies start hatching.