im not worried yet but when do you think they will eat? i have been trying with rat pups only. no mice! they look great but i guess they will eat when there ready? they all shed and i put them in a tub with aspen and water.
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2 week old hatchlings not eating yet??
ballfreak
Jun 25, 2009 09:00 AM
Replies (4)
pitoon
Jun 25, 2009 10:11 AM
are they loosing weight?
Pitoon
tombarnhart
Jun 25, 2009 10:51 AM
I don't even offer a meal until after their first shed (10-14 days after hatching). For the most part I've had little to no success getting hatchlings to eat prior to their first shed. That being said, if they have shed, wait a few days and offer rat fuzzies again. If they don't feed then try live mouse fuzzies a few days later.
For the first meal I don't care if it's a mouse or a rat. I've never had a problem switching a hatchling from a mouse first meal to rat fuzzies. They always convert to rats for me no problem. Usually they will eat a rat fuzzy the next meal and sometimes it may take 2-3 mouse fuzzies to get them to eat a rat fuzzy but it will eventually happen.
So try another rat fuzzy but don't be afraid to offer a mouse fuzzy if need be.
Make sure they are comfortable too..ie..temps, humidity etc....
Hope this helps.
Tom
J35J
Jun 25, 2009 11:22 AM
Yup, if I can't get them to eat rat pups at first I have no issue whatsoever with giving them a hopper mouse to get them going. It's really not hard to switch them back....personally I think it's pretty rare that they don't switch. Most of my hatchlings readily take hopper mice after refusing rat pups/fuzzies.
Jason
jason
Jun 25, 2009 11:59 AM
If they don't eat, wait 5-7 days before offering food again. If you offer food to much to a baby that is not interested, you will stress it. Make sure they all have a nice, tight hide spot to make them feel secure. And as others have mentioned, offering a small mouse isn't a bad thing. I start all my balls on mice, and I have never had an issue converting them to rats. At 2 weeks old, they should be fine having not eaten yet, since they probably just shed a few days ago. Last year I had a baby albino that went to almost 2 months of age before taking her first meal. It was frustrating and stressful, but she ate when she was ready.
