Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,
A female Prairie Rattlesnake of mine had babies and I got a couple of them to eat but the rest of them won't. I thought it might be because they were born later than normally they are suppose to and they think they are suppose to be hibernating so they wont eat. All of them have shed and I have been trying small live pinkies lately, but most of them won't even try to eat them. Am taking any suggestion.

Thanks
Kris
CrocodileKris@msn.com

have you tried scenting the mice with frog?

No havent tried to that yet but a friend of mine told me also to try that so I think I will give try and hope for the best. Were do you normally get feeder frogs?

Kris

Frogs are not part of their primary diet. Doubtfully even part of an occasional diet.
I know they are very small, but put a large fuzzy or preferably a sharpnosed hopper (just after the fuzzy stage) in with them. they will eat.
I see dozens upon dozens of baby prairies come thru here with adult mice in the stomach as a first food item. they have the birth button and the first shed segment and a full grown field mouse in the stomach.
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It's what you learn AFTER you know it all that counts!

Terry Phillip
Curator of Reptiles
Black Hills Reptile Gardens
Rapid City, SD.

www.reptilegardens.com

I got kinda fed up with fighting CB baby pyros, greeri and various rattlesnakes and took a hardcore approach with the attitude that if it died, oh well, I was selecting for better captive stock. Turned out to be the best thing I ever did and I haven't lost a baby to starvation since I went that route. I have come to the conclusion that until they get that first meal in them a newborn/hatched snakes metabolism is "ZERO" Once they get something in their stomachs the metabolism kicks in. Natures way of getting late babies through the winter till next spring. Nowdays those babies that don't eat within a month or so after being born/hatched go straight into four months of hibernation. They always come out fine and very ready to eat.

In the past I used to force feed a couple of meals then hibernate, or force feed all winter, but they didn't do nearly as well, and I often lost a couple babies. Not only was the hardcore approach much more successful for me, it was a lot less work!

I don't know if your babies are large enough but I have found that most baby rattlesnakes will kill and eat a live fuzzy mouse when they refuse pnkies. I have found surprisingly small rattlesnake babies capable of eating a fuzzie even though a pinkie looks far more apprpriate in size. It appears to me that fuzzies move around enough that they eventually irritate the little one into biting defensively, but once the bite has been made the feeding reaction kicks in. Good luck, keep us posted!