Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have 12 newborn black racers that are 1 week 2 days old. they have already sheaded for the first time, and i am trying to get the to eat a pinky but they act as if it isnt there. I have put them individually into small 6x6x6 cardboard boxes with a pinky and they still wont eat. Any suggestions? What do i do? i need help....

Newborns tend to be the most finicky, Try lizards and other snakes. Some new borns refuse to eat altogether and eventually need to be force fed. I'd give them about a month and then start force feeding rosy reds until they eat on their own.

They will eagerly eat lizards, frogs, crickets and other insects. Scenting pinks with a cricket or a frog will get them on pinks. You mentioned feeding them in a box? For the most part, they need to be housed separately and provided proper lighting and a heat lamp and keep in mind that they disperse as babies and will stress when kept together as a group. Also, they need to feed in day light so if the box is dark, they are not going to feed. Perhaps release the majority and keep a couple to work with so you are not overwhelmed with caring for them.

Dan

Hatchling black racers are a booger to get to eat. Chances are, you won't get them to eat and will have to release them. If you can find lizards or frogs small enough, they might take them if you're lucky. Try crickets. Make sure that they are warm enough and have plenty of hide spots. Good luck, let us know if you are successful.

i have never had trouble with them eating try skinks.. and anoles that seems to work best of all...

Juvenile racers, in my experience, are easy to keep. They need some space. A ten gallon aquarium for example. Light, they are active by day. Proper heat source. They aren't active if cool. Try one in a ten gallon with a light and heat source. Start with the juvenile lizards that are common at the same time they hatch in the wild. Wait a week before you try to feed again. They are nervous so give them some peace. I believe that with the addition of the active lizard, you will see the racer go into hunt mode, raise his head off the ground and run the lizard down. I doubt you will have to scent pinks, once the snake becomes used to feeding and hunting in his/her enclosure. Once the comfort level is there, the wiggling pinkie works fine. Consider racers hatch when there is an abbundance of juvenile lizards. In my experience there is no better solution. Once started juvenile racers and coachwhips are a joy to watch and keep. Adults, in my opinion, aren't practical for the average person. I believe they require more space than what is practical for most.

Racers are active during the day, so it needs to be light when you feed them and during the daylight hours. You also need to make sure your temperature is decent for them. Racers prefer hotter temperatures. Try keeping the temperature between 25 to 38 degree celcius (77 to 100 degrees farenheit). As for feeding them, newborns will take more small lizards and small frogs. The lizards they will mostly feed on when young are anoles and small skinks, and they will also take small tree frogs. Hatchlings and juvenile racers usually do refuse to eat mice, they can usually be switched over to mice when they become adults. If it's possible, try rubbing a pinkie over a small skink or anole, or even a tree frog, and then try putting it in the snakes enclosure. This will also help to switch them over to mice as they grow older. Also, when you feed them, try disturbing them as little as possible, just drop the food in and leave the snake alone, as racers are very nervous snakes and easily stressed. It's difficult with racers. They are hard to raise in captivity, but if they are captive born and they are raised properly and under the right conditions, you should have a pretty healthy snake in captivity. I hope it works out for you. Good luck.

Go to a pet store and get some feeder fish, We have got a lot of all spieces of baby snakes to start feeding on them. The racers around our home (S.C.) all eat fish from the ponds, so that might help them get going and worry about switching to pinks later on.

I am also in south carolina this is where i found the eggs. And how do you go about feeding them fish?

My son's newborn black racer would not touch a pink or anole, but loved a small treefrog. Finding ones the right size are a pain, so we scent small anoles (VERY plentiful around here) with a larger treefrog and he gobbles em up. Alot of them get placed in his enclosure in the afternoon and he eats them for breakfast the next day.
Gotta run, off to Daytona!

I've had alot of success with gently shaking f/t pinks in front of stubborn racers. It may take a few attempts, but eventually they will bite to hold on and start chewing, and then realize that there is food in their mouth and begin swallowing. The only drawback with this is that it may reinforce their aggressive behavior. If that's not a concern of yours then you should consider this technique. In my opinion, it is much better than force feeding.