Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well you guys got me through my first clutch of eggs and now I have 8 hatchlings and more questions.

I have day old F/T ASF pinkies and so far 3 of the 8 have taken one and a couple have had 2. The other 5 have refused. I am putting the snake and pinky in small deli cups and covering them for one hour. If they haven't eaten then I re freeze the pinky and try again 48 hours later. The last time I cut into the pinkies head and the 5 holdouts still refused. These hatched out 7/15-17 and have all shed.

Any suggestions? When do you start to worry about the health of the hatchling?

Thanks

I don't start getting freaked out untill after 30 days. If you have access to small lizards, you may want to try scenting the pinks with the lizards. I have had great success with Skinks lately. I also use a technique called tease feeding which I know use as a last resort, just before force feeding them.
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
Jorge Sierra

My Site > www.Sierrasnakes.com

Are you housing your hatchlings in individual enclosures? In my experience they feed better if kept that way.

Tim

Third Eye

Heck, they aren't even hungry yet. They have a natural head start of belly yolk that will carry them for weeks if need be. If the other's refuse after another week or two, get an anole or skink and scent it with some fecal matter from the cloaca, or the lizard guts. Or a bit of blood scueezed from the lizard tail after it is humanely killed. Then you can re-freeze it to scent later. Then after a few times of this you can gradually reduce the lizard scent to nothing and they will often still associate the mouse with prey.

I usually wait to scent as a last resort because it is always best to get them started on what they will be eating the rest of their lives, but when nothing else works for some stubborn hatchlings, the main goal is to keep them alive until they DO accept rodents eventually.

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

serpentinespecialties.webs.com

Along with what everyone else said, try a low square container. It keeps the snakes from going round and round. They seem to get into a corner at times and push there for awhile. Hopefully the pinky gets in a corner too at times and they are next to it. Also a smaller container. 3" sqare or 2"x4" or about that.
Also do the cup setup in the evening and sit over night 24hrs.

Good luck

Exactly!,.....

Feeding them individually at NIGHT totally undisturbed in their own tiny containers is always best to get reluctant individuals to feed. After all, hatchlings are especially nocturnal feeders anyway. This is the only way to roll in my opinion.

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

serpentinespecialties.webs.com

And actually I used small paper bags. They seem to work well. Thats where I learned of the corners watch a hognose in a bag. It had its nose in the corner trying to dig and the pinky was also there. it seemed to upset the pinky was in the way so he ate it lol. Also on deli cups I turn upside down so the wider part is on the bottom. It keeps the snake from rubbing his nose on the upper edge and more down where the pinky is.
And I just noticed I'm signed in under the wrong name. WHOOPSIE. This is HerpZillA, I was looking thru a name I want to use and I guess I forgot I logged in with that.
As we get old we CRS. thats cant remember S***

And actually I used small paper bags. They seem to work well. Thats where I learned of the corners watch a hognose in a bag. It had its nose in the corner trying to dig and the pinky was also there. it seemed to upset the pinky was in the way so he ate it lol. Also on deli cups I turn upside down so the wider part is on the bottom. It keeps the snake from rubbing his nose on the upper edge and more down where the pinky is.
And I just noticed I'm signed in under the wrong name. WHOOPSIE. This is HerpZillA, I was looking thru a name I want to use and I guess I forgot I logged in with that.
As we get old we CRS. thats cant remember S***

And actually I used small paper bags. They seem to work well. Thats where I learned of the corners watch a hognose in a bag. It had its nose in the corner trying to dig and the pinky was also there. it seemed to upset the pinky was in the way so he ate it lol. Also on deli cups I turn upside down so the wider part is on the bottom. It keeps the snake from rubbing his nose on the upper edge and more down where the pinky is.
And I just noticed I'm signed in under the wrong name. WHOOPSIE. This is HerpZillA, I was looking thru a name I want to use and I guess I forgot I logged in with that.
As we get old we CRS. thats cant remember S***

At least you obviously remember how to click on the "post message" button Tom. But remember, you only have to click it once..LOL!!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

serpentinespecialties.webs.com

Much like ebay chat when their server hiccups, you get multiple posts. I've seen 15 on ebay.
I was looking for a way to delete 2 of them, but I guess that is not an option.

Yeah, I was just messin with ya..

It has done weird things to me sometimes too.

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

serpentinespecialties.webs.com