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I have a new speckled king that wont eat pinkie mice! he is very young and is scared of them..(I know because he rattles his tail!) So how do I switch him over to mice pinks since he was wild caught?

Try catching a lizard or baby garter snake[or any small snake] where you caught the Speck and try scenting a live pinky, and also a f/t pinky with it. That's your best bet,. Tom Stevens

How would you react to the same, frozen-thawed food, every day of your life? Everyone I know likes variety.

Wherever possible, Kingsnake "owners" should supplement diet with lizards, snakes, chicks or other small animals. (Parasites? That's what checking fecal samples annually is for.)

It's best to feed them the diet they would choose in the wild - and which they should be fed.

One more voice for logic & reason...

I agree...Sometimes you just gotta feed it a lizard to keep it going, but still try to get it back on frozen thawed or prekilled mice. It is just way more logical.....
John Lassiter

Hey phiber_optikx,

John Lassiter posted this on the mexicana forum for snakes that are having trouble getting started on mice.

Step 1: Offer live newborn pinkie. If it is refused then....

Step 2: Offer brained, live pinkie. The brained pinkie is cut from snout to base of skull. If it is taken, reduce the incision each time until it is no longer necessary to stimulate feeding. If it is refused then....

Step 3: Offer the brained, live pinkie under a dark, nontranslucent bowl with the stubborn feeder. Cover the snake and the prey and check in about 30 minutes or so. This has been the most effective method w/o scenting involved. If the snake refuses then...

Step 4: I lizard has to be obtained. I use Med. House Geckos. Freeze the lizard in a deep freeze right away for about 1 hour. Get a live newborn pinky and put the frozen mouse and a pink in a container together and remove from freezer. The warmth of the pinkie will absorb the scent. Place it under a dark bowl with the snake and check in about 30 minutes or so. If the snake refuses then....

Step 5: Thaw out the lizard and cut its abdomen open. Dip the head of the pinkie into the guts of the lizard. Place some skin from the lizard on the pinky's head and place under the dark bowl with the snake. If this fails then....

Step 6: Most people would go ahead and repeat all the steps above for about 6 to 8 weeks until they get results. If the stubborn feeder does not feed then drop its temps to around 55 or 60 degrees for about 6 to 8 weeks. After removal from the temps repeat all the steps above.
Other people would feed then small lizards or lizard parts. I have had luck feeding them about 4 to 5 lizard meals then scenting pinks with such lizards. I have also had luck hibernating and then feeding. Remember if you start forcefeeding you will have to continue to do so to keep weight on the snake. It also stresses the snake out and it is harder to get them to start feeding on their own. Also, forcefeeding will kick in their metabolism and they will need to keep eating to keep on weight. They can live for months on the eggyolk absorbed in the egg. Just letting them wait on a winter cooling usually helps alot for spring feeding. I hear of people forcefeeding mouse tails successfully, but I have never even attempted it. The only force feeding I have done has had a low percentage of success. I have blended pinkies and used pinky pumps. I have even used Veal Gerbers baby food mixed with Pedialyte and Multivitamins successfully, but again it stressed the snake.
This is my abridged version but it should help you out. If you have any problems getting any thing eating drop me an email and I would be glad to help you out. Snakes are individual and each need a little something to get them convinced to eat pinkies and frozen thawed pinkies too.
I hope this helps you out.
John Lassiter

I might add a couple more that have worked for me.

Tease feed by hold the snake in one hand and gently rub or tap a pinky on the snakes nose. Once the snake grabs it with its mouth, slowly and gently put them both down. Do move suddenly or startle the snake he should start working it down. Its best to do this in a not well light area.

Also try scenting with chicken or chicken broth.

Good luck

..You might want to re-do step four (#4) because of a typo.

That would be my typo not Chris'.....LOL
I think Chris just copied and pasted it into his post.
I did mean "A lizard...." not "I lizard...." LOL

John Lassiter

Your right John that exactly what I did. But I found a different typo. Lets see which one bluerosy thought it was. LOL

Step 4: I lizard has to be obtained. I use Med. House Geckos. Freeze the lizard in a deep freeze right away for about 1 hour. Get a live newborn pinky and put the frozen lizard and a pinky in a container together and remove from freezer. The warmth of the pinkie will absorb the scent. Place it under a dark bowl with the snake and check in about 30 minutes or so. If the snake refuses then....

Again credit to John Lassiter for the original post on this subject.

John
Scenting mice with mice is really going to help your snake eat.

1st quote:
"Step 4: I lizard has to be obtained. I use Med. House Geckos. Freeze the lizard in a deep freeze right away for about 1 hour. Get a live newborn pinky and put the frozen mouse and a pink in a container together and remove from freezer. The warmth of the pinkie will absorb the scent. Place it under a dark bowl with the snake and check in about 30 minutes or so. If the snake refuses then...."

2nd quote
"Step 4: I lizard has to be obtained. I use Med. House Geckos. Freeze the lizard in a deep freeze right away for about 1 hour. Get a live newborn pinky and put the frozen lizard and a pinky in a container together and remove from freezer. The warmth of the pinkie will absorb the scent. Place it under a dark bowl with the snake and check in about 30 minutes or so. If the snake refuses then...."

Hope you don't take the spirit of the post in the wrong way. It was all meant in good fun

Rainer

Not at all Rainer....Not at all.....LOL
John Lassiter

np

I did mean frozen lizard....LOL
I guess I need to proofread better, eh?
Now Chris why didn't you catch all those typos before you posted it over here????
John Lassiter

Step 3: Offer the brained, live pinkie under a dark, nontranslucent bowl with the stubborn feeder. Cover the snake and the prey and check in about 30 minutes or so. This has been the most effective method w/o scenting involved. If the snake refuses then...

Brained, live pinky... hmmmmm

Take a live pinky and puncture the top of the head and smear brain matter all over the head.

Of course I feed live (thump the bigger ones first) all the time.

"Mice, it's whats for dinner"

Kerby...

...seems to me that a mouse with it brains smeared all over its face would be very dead.

They can be alive like that for a day or so.

Kerby...

I'll take your word on that one...

Thanks Kerby....LOL
It is amazing how long a brained pinky will live.....
John Lassiter

I get a better response with brained, live pinks. A cut from crown to base of skull will not kill a pinkie right away. The movement along with the scent usually kick starts a feeding response from stubborn feeders. It may be a little gruesome for some, but for most snakes it is well worth it...
John Lassiter

I use a neonate size snake probe to the top of the skull and then squeeze a small amount of brain material out. I think this method hits less nerve cells and is more humane than cutting.