Baby getula kings have a lot of weight when they hatch and can wait some time before eating without suffering too much. Many baby snakes don't feed in the wild until they have emerged from their first winter hibernation, although that probably does not apply to midsummer hatchlings.
I offer various scents on food--garter snake musk, lizard puree, frog drippings and of course straight up--no scent. Eventually one or the other flavoring tempts each baby and it feeds at last. My hatchling kings each live in a separate small Sterilite with mulch bedding, water dish and hide bark.
If keepers believe the snakes are losing weight or too much time has passed they can try force-feeding sections of mouse tail, which are slender and go down easily. Be sure to introduce the mouse tail section with the hair pointing away from the snake's body so the section slides down the snake's throat easily. Many baby snakes will swallow voluntarily once food is in their mouths. Some baby snakes need to get the idea of eating before they associate hunger with using their mouths. After a few weekly feedings of mouse tails most hatchlings begin feeding on their own. Captivity is a very stifling situation as far as normal development and wild baby snakes probably don't have as much hesitation as captive hatchlings.
I just spent nearly a year feeding hatchling Gray-Banded kings anoles. One by one they all switched to mice and yesterday the last of the holdouts accepted an anole-scented defrosted fuzzy. There may be times when hatchlings seem like a lost cause but if you have more patience than they do you will get the snake you want in the end.
