I was so excited to see my first clutch hatch June 10-13. 9 (6.3) normals & 5 (5.0) albinos. A few ate almost immediately and a few have begun eating since. But about half of the normals still show absolutely no interest in food--live, f/t, f/t dipped in chicken broth, etc. I just force-fed one but would REALLY rather not put another baby through that type of stress. It has been 6.5 weeks since they hatched--when should I become concerned enough to force-feed the remaining non-eaters? All are very active and have a constant 88 degree hot spot with a 78 degree hiding area. Humidity is constant and they are handled very regularly. They are separated into individual containers to (try to) feed. Thank you in advance for any advice you guys could shed.
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HELP!! Babies won't eat!!
Replies (3)
If I understand right, they are all in together, or at least multiple babies per enclosure when they arent being fed? If I misunderstood please forgive me and forget what comes next.
I would definitely get them separated. Even though you are separating them to feed them, there is still stress with them being kept together. And separating them may help get them feeding.
I think you probably have a few more weeks before I would be super worried about them eating. If they go more than 3 or 4 months, then I might start to get worried, or if they start to look pretty thin. I may be off on my timing a bit, but the non-feeders may still be surviving off the egg sac.
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1.0 Albino Green Burm
0.2 Normal Burm
1.1 Java Retic
I keep them in a fairly large enclosure with both parents. The size is 8'Lx5'Hx3'W & is custom-built. See attached pic. I figured this would provide adequate room for the babies to maneuver and would not stress them. Please correct me if I am mistaken in assuming that they need not be separated with this type of space. For size reference, the adults pictured here are 12' & 10' and that is a standard-sized bar stool.
If all of your babies are in a cage with mom and dad, they are almost undoubtedly too stressed out to eat. These are solitary creatures! They have no desire to be with mom or vice versa. Get them into their own separate containers, give them a few days, and try feeding them again.
~Brian
