Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Has anyone ever tried force feeding neonate snakes that wouldn't take pinkies anything other than pinkie pumping pinkies? I.E. baby food, cat food, etc.

I would definitely stay away from catfood and babyfood! I have had some success force feeding with mouse tails or lizard tails. You can work their mouth open with the end of the tail, and they often start to eat the tail on their own after you get in into their mouth. I have also used pinkie parts (arms, legs tails). This is pretty disgusting but you soon get used to cutting up pinkies with an exacto knife! Force feed as last resort only, and be very careful not to injure your snake. Greg

u can also brain the pinkies...its GROSSSSSS, but just wash ur hands afterwards extra good..and don't eat prior to feeding ur snake...but the fresh blood always works...

this can be done by poking a hole in the head of ur pinkie...this will make the head be eaten first, rathere then puncturing other parts of their bodies...and if u puncture other parts, the insides will come out and be all slimy..

good luck

leland

Vets can give you something called A/D diet which is a generic food for sick animals. You can mix it with pedialyte or Ensure and feed it via a stomach tube. Have the vet show you how to do this if you don't know. I've also used babyfood myself, it worked for the short term, kept the snakes alive. It's better than them starving to death, so if you think they're going to die, act! I've watched baby snakes starve themselves to death.
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"The serpent crams itself with animal life that is often warm and vibrant, to prolong an existence in which we detect no joy and no emotion. It reveals the depth to which evolution can sink when it takes the downward path and strips animals to the irreducible minimum able to perpetuate a predatory life in its naked horror."
Alexander Skutch

Thanks, I have many years experience pinkie pumping. My girlfriend doesn't like the idea of it although she is fine with the snakes killing them the natural way. I don't have ready access to frozen mice and pinkies are hard to kill instantly by thumping and I don't like the idea of just throwing them live into the freezer so I was looking for specific information about the alternate food sources. Anyone else have any info?