Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've tried all sizes, scented and non. One sometimes takes live fuzzies. The other has not eaten since capture in October. Any advice?

I would like to breed them and release their offspring. Easterns are getting pretty rare around here.

Thanks.

.

Wisconsin

Where in Wisconsin......I'm in Milwaukee 7 have caught & released in the Ozaukee area.

Mine are Waukesha county locale. Have had any luck getting yours to eat? I think I'll put them down until about mid April and then try feeding them again.

Eastern milks are notoriously hard to start feeding.You caught yours just before it was set to sleep for the winter.If only you had LET IT SLEEP then removing it from brumation is usually enough of an incentive to get them feeding.You didnt.If they havent fed I suggest to try and put them down NOW so that when you bring them up in 6 weeks or so they will feed.I wouldnt plan on breeding them as their cycle is likely WAY screwed up now.And as far as the milk being RARE....they are common in most areas just difficult to find as they spend 95% of their time underground.Good luck,Jeff

Speaking of which, one of mine that was caught back in October and then brumated (when she wouldn't eat) until about two weeks ago just ate for me. I hear so much about how hard it is to get WC eastern to eat. Four out of four from the same locality have fed for me. Tthree out of the four ate on their first day in captivity. My biggest problem is two of them have come in with blister disease. It killed one of them. (Probabaly my fault...I didn't notice her soaking for about a week.) They take small live mice or live rat pups. I've never tried f/t. Oh also, out of the four that I've had, all of them were female.
-----
Martin Whalin
My Email

Quotes from guys named Carl:

"Science stops at the frontier of logic. Nature does not, she thrives on ground as yet untrodden by theory."
-Carl Jung

"It is foolish to let singleness of purpose deprive one of the joy and delectation of the many wonderful sights and sounds incidental to the quest."
-Carl Kauffeld

Blistering is from being kept too moist and cool,you likely know this already.Remove all water and hand water daily as they lose LOTS of fluid in fighting this.Feeding can be a hit and miss thing and alot depends on where you get your milks and when you find them.Its my belief that even in the wild they fast for extensive periods as I have had colleagues tell me of a 7 month fast followed by a 2 month GORGING session.And as for finding 4 adult eastern milks and them ALL being female....time for me to buy me a lottery ticket!! From what I have seen its typical to find 3 males per female.....I am either following you to your spot or showing you how to correctly sex snakes,lol!!Jeff

"Blistering is from being kept too moist and cool,you likely know this already.Remove all water and hand water daily as they lose LOTS of fluid in fighting this."

Yeah I know. She came in with one blister and I have treated her accordingly since then. (except for brumation) It's still there. I can smell it. I can smell it on my other one but she has never formed blisters. What is that smell? Is that the bacteria that cause it, or just the way WC milks smell.

"Feeding can be a hit and miss thing and alot depends on where you get your milks and when you find them.Its my belief that even in the wild they fast for extensive periods as I have had colleagues tell me of a 7 month fast followed by a 2 month GORGING session."

Like I said all four that I have had have eaten and at least two others that I know of from that locale have eaten also. Maybe there is an escape population of lab mice there. lol

"And as for finding 4 adult eastern milks and them ALL being female....time for me to buy me a lottery ticket!! From what I have seen its typical to find 3 males per female.....I am either following you to your spot or showing you how to correctly sex snakes,lol!!Jeff"

Actually it's three, I don't know why I said four. The first was a male and he escaped from a friend's in captivity. It's funny that you mention showing me how to probe. The first three females were also soem of my first probing subjects. I had only probed females and I started to wonder if I knew what I was doing. I have probed male snakes since then, so I'm fairly sure I was right. I'd like to breed them but I would have to get a permit to legally sell them and I'm not sure if it's worth it.
-----
Martin Whalin
My Email

Quotes from guys named Carl:

"Science stops at the frontier of logic. Nature does not, she thrives on ground as yet untrodden by theory."
-Carl Jung

"It is foolish to let singleness of purpose deprive one of the joy and delectation of the many wonderful sights and sounds incidental to the quest."
-Carl Kauffeld

Figuring a bacterial infection was always the cause for this,when I get wc animals like you have there I try and hold it by the head with one hand while the other takes a rag SOAKED in hydrogen peroxide and wipe the snake down.If the snake HAS blisters already it does leave scars....but it kills the infection PRONTO.A couple treatments is usually all it takes,just make sure to keep away from the eyes,mouth and vent...wow,think of how that would feel on YOUR vent...OUCH!Remember the most important ORGAN in any reptile is its skin! I have put needles THROUGH the heart(by accident of course)while administering medications with NO side effects!And you wont be the first to MIS-SEX snakes,lol.Buying animals from even the biggest breeders can be a crapshoot.....I figure of the animals bought and sold to me this year about 10% were Mis-sexed....the only 1 I wanted to be a male was a female....you have to wonder about the other 9 as 9:1 isnt coincidental in mis-sexing is it??Jeff

How in the hell did you hit the heart when giving meds n/m I don't want to go in to this or do i have the time

Cool! I'll try that. I bet it really pisses 'em off.

As far as mis-sexing. I'm pretty sure I got it right butI've got another test coming up. They're both in shed so I'll throw them together in a week. If they copulate, I'll be fairly sure I'm wrong. lol
-----
Martin Whalin
My Email

Quotes from guys named Carl:

"Science stops at the frontier of logic. Nature does not, she thrives on ground as yet untrodden by theory."
-Carl Jung

"It is foolish to let singleness of purpose deprive one of the joy and delectation of the many wonderful sights and sounds incidental to the quest."
-Carl Kauffeld