Reptile & Amphibian Forums

It's been pretty quit around lately, everyone must be busy pairing up their breeders.

Has anyone experienced a milk that just would not take anything but pinkies? I have an eastern (yes the amel) that just will not switch over to fuzzies. He is a pretty good eater and will take up to 4 of the largest pinks I have at a time, but won't touch anything with the smallest amounts of "fuz". Curious if anyone has experienced this.
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Joe

Joe,

I've had a couple of Hondurans that seemed a little reluctant, but they switched after a little work. I think I descented the fuzzies just like you would descent a pink for a problem feeder and that did the trick.

One thing I'm dealing with now is a small adult Pueblan that I'm having trouble switching to grown mice. I foolishly switched her from mouse pinks to rat pinks when she was little and now that's all she wants. She can down a dozen rat pinks at a time, so I have to scent the mice to get her to take them. Even then she is inconsistent.
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http://www.mikefoux.com
http://www.cafepress.com/shedz

1.1.0 Hondurans Het Amel
1.1.0 Hondurans Anery, Het Hypo
0.1.0 Honduran Hypo
0.1.0 Honduran Hypo, Het Anery
0.2.0 Pueblans
1.0.0 Pueblan Hypo
1.0.0 Thayeri MSP
0.0.1 GBK Blair's Phase
1.0.0 California King
0.1.0 California King Blue-eyed Blond
0.0.1 Speckled King WC
0.0.1 Jungle Carpet
0.1.0 Ball, Normal
1.0.0 San Diego Gopher, Poss. Het Applegate
0.0.1 Sulcata
0.1.0 Wife, Caucasius Mexicana

Yep, I have a Sinaloan that's the same way... the weird thing is, she'd eat just about anything when I first got her, and in the past few years it seems like she just can't be bothered to unhinge her jaws anymore. It may be because I started feeding her leftover mouse pinkies after I got my first pair of black milks, and then rat pinkies back when I was breeding rats. Either that, or she's been reading my cartoon books... I have a copy of B. Kliban's "Never Eat Anything Bigger Than Your Head and Other Drawings" on a shelf not far from the snake cages...

Nate

I've had Sinaloans that did that. They would feed eagerly on hopper mice but refuse anything bigger.. until they got hungry enough. My approach was just that, keep trying larger prey until they got hungry enough to eat it.

I think the better approach is to feed them what they want, and now that is what I do.
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Mark

Hi Joe,
I've had these kind's of picky feeders plenty of times. Your amel is a male right? Male's can be goofy feeders this time of year anyway.
Was he cooled over the winter? If not, he may do this snotty (I don't like hair) eating thing for the summer. I'd just keep giving the pinkies to him 5 and 6 at a time. You could put one fuzz in w/ the 5 or 6 pinks, I've had other NA milks take to fuzzies that way. Oh, and brain that fuzzy every time.

At least he's eating, just keep feeding him pinks until fall, cool him for three to four months, and I bet when you bring him out of cooling in 2010 he takes fuzzies then.

-Dell

Yes, Dell it is a male. He was cooled this year, but hasn't shown any interest yet with the lady. (She's in shed right now so I'll try again soon.) I have tried to sneak in a fuzzy here and there, but have not tried braining them. I'll give that a shot, thanks.
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Joe

He was cooled. Well then I bet he'll eat a fuzz after breeding.
He was wild caught right? Male's are funny for sure. As feeders some of them are not so hot to eat every 7 days, which is fine as long as they eat once a month.
One more thing you could try is trap a wild mouse, and scent the lab fuzz w/ that wild mouse, if your firm on getting him to eat fuzzies.
But if he is eating pinks for you I'd keep offering those and just wait him out on the fuzz.

Sorry for being so long winded, but these kind of problems are fun.

-Dell

Now where is this milk from ? I cant keep track of all your stuff Dell
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“Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!"”
Robin Williams

Doug L

can I see more pics of that snake?
thats a smoker
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“Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!"”
Robin Williams

Doug L

Dell,

That's a sweet looking snake there. I'm not very familiar with NA milks; what is it?
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http://www.mikefoux.com
http://www.cafepress.com/shedz

1.1.0 Hondurans Het Amel
1.1.0 Hondurans Anery, Het Hypo
0.1.0 Honduran Hypo
0.1.0 Honduran Hypo, Het Anery
0.2.0 Pueblans
1.0.0 Pueblan Hypo
1.0.0 Thayeri MSP
0.0.1 GBK Blair's Phase
1.0.0 California King
0.1.0 California King Blue-eyed Blond
0.0.1 Speckled King WC
0.0.1 Jungle Carpet
0.1.0 Ball, Normal
1.0.0 San Diego Gopher, Poss. Het Applegate
0.0.1 Sulcata
0.1.0 Wife, Caucasius Mexicana

I've had coastals do that from time to time. I have one female inparticular that comes out of hibernation each spring eating anything. After she lays her eggs however she reverts to a strong pinkie eater. I'd like to figure it out but at least she eats and eats well when given what she wants.
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“Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.” Emmerson

Joe, have you tried pink rats?

L8r