Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm feeling really guilty about something I did last night and could use some moral support. I have a non-feeder on whom I've tried all the tricks that have ever worked for me in the past but to no avail. These included, of course, scenting a pinkie with a piece of a gecko and even offering the snake a piece of the gecko. This gecko I caught last year and kept in the freezer. With previous non-eaters I'd shave off a piece of the gecko and use it to make the pinkie more attractive. This meathod had many advantages, chief of which was that I don't like the idea of my hobby impinging itself upon local fauna. Well, I'd just about given up hope with this one non-feeder, but last night I grabbed a baby gecko off the outside wall and put it in the deli cup with "stevie". I was sure that after 15 minutes I could throw the gecko back to nature, but "stevie" ate him. My wife was thrilled that stevie finally ate. I feel terrible. Should I start hunting geckos to feed this snake? Maybe I'll catch one more at freeze it -- the previous frozen one was probably too old. I'm also worried now about the introduction of parasites from WC food. What d'y'all think?

hey, for what it's worth, we all eventually resort to that at one time or another.
Next time, try this-
Catch a big, fat gecko and take it's tail. Use a small amount of blood to scent a live pinky. Freeze the tail and continue to use it that way. If you have to, freeze the gecko and use its blood for scenting (but you shouldn't have to).
Usually after 2 or 3 scentings, they will take the unscented ones. Sometimes thay like to stick with live pinkies for awhile, but eventually they will take thawed.
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...and I think to myself, "What a wonderful world."

I just want to know where you live, i'm so amaze about how geckos and other lizards are easy to find for you!
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0.0.3 Corn Snake
0.1 Red Eared Slider
0.4.6 Guppies
0.2 Cats

I live in Jerusalem, Israel actually and we have a species of mediterranian gecko which is quite common, though more in the warmer parts of the country. Around the house I'm more likely to see racers and in the woods a variety of horned lizard whose English or Latin name I don't have available right now. Today I actually saw a baby of the horned lizard which is quite a rare sight. We have four or five local colubrids and a poisonous species in the Jerusalem area, but I have only rarely seen a snake in the wild as I seldom have time to get into the woods. I get telephone calls from people who find snakes on their terraces, but they never choose mine for some reason. Some folks get all the luck. Hell, I had a buddy in Texas who could go outside and shake a bush and count dozens of lizards falling to the ground.

WOW!! You're very lucky to see all of these species, i actually live in Canada and the only wild animals I can see are little birds and skunks, not really interesting.

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0.0.3 Corn Snake
0.1 Red Eared Slider
0.4.6 Guppies
0.2 Cats

Don't feel guilty. It's nature, surival of the fittest. I so times resort to feeding mine anole lizards, but not for long at $4.00 a pop. I recommend freezing and boiling the w/c lizards though. It help get rid of parasites.

tom

xtremeherps@yahoo.com