Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Recently a friend of mine dumped off a bunch of children's hatchlings that were claimed to be "runts" and would not feed on their own. They were given to me to see if I could start them off, yet I have never worked with them before. Any tricks of the trade from the Antaresia fans? Any ideas or would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

~Brian

>>Recently a friend of mine dumped off a bunch of children's hatchlings that were claimed to be "runts" and would not feed on their own. They were given to me to see if I could start them off, yet I have never worked with them before. Any tricks of the trade from the Antaresia fans? Any ideas or would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
>>
>>~Brian

What worked for me to start my 15 hatchlings....
I set them up in an inch plus of Carefresh. (recycled paper fluff small animal bedding) Some might use aspen with success. Put in a 3X5 card and the water dish on that (helps stabilize it and give an extra hide. Shoebox enclosure with the water end over the heat tape. 90 plus degree tape. Let them be for a day or two after setting them up. Then offer a brained newborn pinkie right before lights out and DON'T bother them til morning.
I will say, I correlated all my info and all of them started to eat within a few days of being set up like this. I had fussed with them for a month previous and had no luck. Whether it was the time, them being a month old, or the setup is best guess....I vote for the setup.
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Sonya

Haven't we warned you about tampering with the structure of a chaotic system?
Mrs. Neutron

I'll give that a whirl (haven't tried braining or the mulch).