Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well, I finally was able to produce some Mandarins this year. I got 3 babies (100% hatch) and I haven't been able to get any of them to feed yet. My female laid 5 eggs. 1 infertile, 1 in her water dish (arghh!!!) and 3 where she was supposed to. The babies have already shed 3 times each and they still look OK(not overly thin).

Are there any scenting techniques that work well with this species? IF so, what do you recommend.

So far I have just tried live pinkies in their cage, live pinkies in a deli cup with them sealed in overnight, and frozen thawed in their cage. I'm about to start trying braining and scenting. I was hoping I wouldn't have to resort to that.

I thought they would be easier to start feeding since my adults (all captive bred) eat so well.

I bought some wild-caughts a while back and that was a total disaster. Only one fed and the remaining ones were extremely difficult to force feed.---all died within 4 months. I really don't want to resort to force feeding these babies if I can avoid it, considering how hard the wild-caughts were!

Thanks,
Rodney

They have all shed 3 times already so they should be more than ready to eat! Also, I see them cruising their cage at night so I assume they are hungry.

They are set up like my adults are---a damp hide at all times, and a water dish-- kept at about 82-85 in the day and 76-78 at night--depending on the weather.

Thanks,
Rodney

Rodney:
Since you are already working on your second generation, I don't imagine what I'll say here is anything new to you but just in case. A mandarin I got as a hatchling stopped eating early in the fall and so I was told to start brumating him early and then wake him up in January. I did and it worked and we've never had a problem since. Of course I've heard that hatchling mandarins have plenty of stored fat at hatching and can typically go without eating until spring. Good luck and put up some pictures of your stock if you can.
Regards
John

Just an idea here.
I think it would be best to keep their day temps below 80 because they are just burning up fat that will hold them until they hopefully start feeding well after brumation. I think is is alright to have temps available around 80 or just over but to only have as an option if they choose to go to it and have a cool side at all times especially with mandarins and even more so if they are not feeding. I dont actually keep heat on any of mine but have them right under and above a level with heat tape so they have a side with a little heat but not like the other levels that actually have heat tape under them.
I have found that mandarins of mine I could only get to eat 3 or 4 live pinkies at the most befere their first brumation and after they came out of brumation they took thawed like pigs.
Hopefully yours will take a live pinkie or two or if not maybe some other trick will work to get a meal or two into them before being brumation. If none of the other methods work and they appear fairly thin I would probably try to get a couple of meals into them by lightly restraining them and bumping them on the nose with a live pinkie intil they bite it out of anger. Then try to slowly release the snake and gently sit it back in the container and often the snake will go ahead and swollow the mouse. If they dont take it down the first time they often will if you repeat the process 2 or 3 times. Hope this might be helpful. Good luck. Later, Randy Whittington

I give all of my snakes until about this time to eat while trying the different tricks (split heads, overnight feedings, live, blablabla) and if they don't want to eat, I send them into a 2 month brumation. Even the ones that only want live pinkies and don't switch over to frozen/thawed get brumated.

This is my first year with Mandarins and sure enough two of the three don't want to eat. I'm trying one more time and they're going into the dark, cool closet of winter ( :

This is one of the stubborn eaters.