Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi there:

All right; he's a scarlet kingsnake. He lives in a vivarium. A natural vivarium. What do snakes do in nature? They eat. They eat in nature, and not in tiny deli cups. So what will I do? Enough with all of these elaborate feeding techniques in a cup. I will simply place a pinky on top of his rock pile, and wait for him to just come and eat it. It makes sense to me. Snakes come and eat food.
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DAVE

1.0 Western green toad
1.1 green treefrogs
1.0 Florida blue garter snake
1.0 brown Anole
1.0 Mediterranean gecko
1.1 Oriental fire-bellied toads
1.0 American bullfrog
1.0 Spanish ribbed newt
1.0 rough-skinned newt
1.1 Eastern ribbon snakes
1.1red-cheeked mud turtles
1.0 dwarf peacock day gecko
1.0 Dubia day gecko
1.0 Sonoran gopher snake
1.1 rough green snakes
1.1 giant African black millipedes
1.0 White's treefrog
1.0 Okeetee corn snake
1.0 Albino African clawed frog
1.0 Kenyan sand boa
1.0 Argentine flame-bellied toadlet
1.0 African bullfrog
1.0 yellow * Everglades rat snake intergrade
1.0 Western hognose snake
1.0 fire salamander
1.0 scarlet kingsnake

You do that...

But make sure you put the pinky mouse in at night time, when the room the enclosure is in is completely dark. If the pinky is not eaten by morning, refreeze it, scent it the next night with lizard skin, and then try it again. If it doesn't eat again, throw the snake a lizard.
Michael
Michael's Place

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Michael_Fedzen@hotmail.com
www.freewebs.com/mikesnake

Hi there:

I did indeed put the pinky in the enclosure at night, when the reptile room was dark and "shut down". This morning, I at least found something better than before. The scarlet kingsnake was out from under his layers of stuff, and was coiled up on top of some rocks. Next to him was the unscented pinky mouse, which I had placed underneath his flat rock on the other end of the enclosure.
Of course this means that the little guy took interest in the pinky, for he would have to move it out from under the rock and all the way across the tank up onto those rocks. And I also liked the fact that he stayed right next to the pinky through the night.
I watched him carefully, trying not to move, He actually bumped his snout onto the pinky's head several times, then crawled under his rock, with his neck out staring at it.

THIS IS A GREAT IMPROVEMENT!!!
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DAVE

1.0 Western green toad
1.1 green treefrogs
1.0 Florida blue garter snake
1.0 brown Anole
1.0 Mediterranean gecko
1.1 Oriental fire-bellied toads
1.0 American bullfrog
1.0 Spanish ribbed newt
1.0 rough-skinned newt
1.1 Eastern ribbon snakes
1.1red-cheeked mud turtles
1.0 dwarf peacock day gecko
1.0 Dubia day gecko
1.0 Sonoran gopher snake
1.1 rough green snakes
1.1 giant African black millipedes
1.0 White's treefrog
1.0 Okeetee corn snake
1.0 Albino African clawed frog
1.0 Kenyan sand boa
1.0 Argentine flame-bellied toadlet
1.0 African bullfrog
1.0 yellow * Everglades rat snake intergrade
1.0 Western hognose snake
1.0 fire salamander
1.0 scarlet kingsnake

That the snake took an interest in the pinky, there have been plenty of times where I've tried to feed a pinky to a snake, left the pinky in over night, and the next day it would be in a different part of the tank. Sometimes the snake will crawl over the pinky, and the pinky will stick to it. It's doubtful the snake dragged it somewhere else and didn't eat it.
Michael
Michael's Place

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Michael_Fedzen@hotmail.com
www.freewebs.com/mikesnake

Hi there:

The thing with the pinky sticking to the snake has also happened to me, but I liked how he was coilded up "on it". And I thought it was a great sign how he was bumping it with his head. Later today I saw him slipping back under his flat rock. When I gently lifted it about 3 hours later, the mouse had been moved under the rock, and the snake had a loop thrown over it and was staring at the mouse with great interest. I am almost positive he will eat this.
I am going to the Cleveland show next weekend, and if this guy eats, I will try to get a female for sure, overwinter them and breed them in the spring. It would be awesome if I could breed scarlet kings. It's really something I have my heart set on doing. All the male has to do is just eat for me. I really do believe that mouse will be gone by tomorrow.

P.S. Has anyone here ever tried feeding shed snake skins?
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DAVE

1.0 Western green toad
1.1 green treefrogs
1.0 Florida blue garter snake
1.0 brown Anole
1.0 Mediterranean gecko
1.1 Oriental fire-bellied toads
1.0 American bullfrog
1.0 Spanish ribbed newt
1.0 rough-skinned newt
1.1 Eastern ribbon snakes
1.1red-cheeked mud turtles
1.0 dwarf peacock day gecko
1.0 Dubia day gecko
1.0 Sonoran gopher snake
1.1 rough green snakes
1.1 giant African black millipedes
1.0 White's treefrog
1.0 Okeetee corn snake
1.0 Albino African clawed frog
1.0 Kenyan sand boa
1.0 Argentine flame-bellied toadlet
1.0 African bullfrog
1.0 yellow * Everglades rat snake intergrade
1.0 Western hognose snake
1.0 fire salamander
1.0 scarlet kingsnake

I've heard of snakes eating shed skins, but lol they wouldn't really classify as a meal. Use some thread and tie a large piece of shed skin around a pinky, and put the pinky in and leave it over night.
Michael
Michael's Place

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Michael_Fedzen@hotmail.com
www.freewebs.com/mikesnake

Hi there:

All right. I just did that. Even if this fails I am not giving up. I have only had him a few days, and I still really do believe what the seller said about it eating frozen/thawed pinkies. All he needs to do is eat, and hopefully when I get home from Cleveland he will have a girlfriend.
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DAVE

1.0 Western green toad
1.1 green treefrogs
1.0 Florida blue garter snake
1.0 brown Anole
1.0 Mediterranean gecko
1.1 Oriental fire-bellied toads
1.0 American bullfrog
1.0 Spanish ribbed newt
1.0 rough-skinned newt
1.1 Eastern ribbon snakes
1.1red-cheeked mud turtles
1.0 dwarf peacock day gecko
1.0 Dubia day gecko
1.0 Sonoran gopher snake
1.1 rough green snakes
1.1 giant African black millipedes
1.0 White's treefrog
1.0 Okeetee corn snake
1.0 Albino African clawed frog
1.0 Kenyan sand boa
1.0 Argentine flame-bellied toadlet
1.0 African bullfrog
1.0 yellow * Everglades rat snake intergrade
1.0 Western hognose snake
1.0 fire salamander
1.0 scarlet kingsnake

Sounds like good interest level is promising for success-

Motion can be important in drawing a strike response-

I have a gray-banded king hatchling that was problematic to get started feeding- 7 weeks without eating!

She strikes and eats f/t pinkies with gusto now, but it has to be moving at least slightly, not just inert- I use long tongs to present the food item with a little quiver and I let go as soon as she latches on.

If you an get your snake to eat a live pinkie then it is easy to switch to f/t.

Patience pays off- when the snake gets good and hungry it will definitely be more willing to try out any potential meal, including your pink,round, mouse-scented finger tips!

Good luck-

Hi there:

Terrible news may turn into good news today. I arrived home this afternoon to find my Dwarf peacock day gecko dead. It was certainly from old age. I have had him about 3 years, and the people whom I adopted him from had had him even longer. He was a thin, old gecko. Anyway, of course you know what comes next.
After mourning over his loss, I prepared him to become Kingsnake dinner. The kingsnake has been hiding out in a burrow that I hollowed out beneath a flat rock in the moist substrate. I slipped the gecko underneath the rock with him, turned out the lights, and left the room. Later I returned, and gently lifted up the rock. WHAM! The kingsnake struck at my arm furiously, then turned to the gecko, getting into a striking position. Of course I placed the rock back down and left, not disturbing him until morning.
If he eats this, there should be no problem scenting pinkies. I also have a new plan. My neighborhood pet store takes awful care of their lizards, and often there are tons of deceased fence lizards and Anoles in there. Maybe I could get some dead lizards from the pet store, freeze them, and then offer them to the snake for now.
-----
DAVE

1.0 Western green toad
1.1 green treefrogs
1.0 Florida blue garter snake
1.0 brown Anole
1.0 Mediterranean gecko
1.1 Oriental fire-bellied toads
1.0 American bullfrog
1.0 Spanish ribbed newt
1.0 rough-skinned newt
1.1 Eastern ribbon snakes
1.1red-cheeked mud turtles
1.0 dwarf peacock day gecko
1.0 Dubia day gecko
1.0 Sonoran gopher snake
1.1 rough green snakes
1.1 giant African black millipedes
1.0 White's treefrog
1.0 Okeetee corn snake
1.0 Albino African clawed frog
1.0 Kenyan sand boa
1.0 Argentine flame-bellied toadlet
1.0 African bullfrog
1.0 yellow * Everglades rat snake intergrade
1.0 Western hognose snake
1.0 fire salamander
1.0 scarlet kingsnake