Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi All,

I am a new burm owner, and, as luck would have it, I automatically had trouble getting my baby burm to eat. Tried f/t mice...nothing, tried f/k...nothing, tried live mice...nothing, tried rat...nothing. Then, a few days ago my local pet store had baby hampsters, so I thought I would give it a try. The hampster didn't survive the ride home (it was really hot that day) and I thought there would be a slim chance to the burm taking it, but I still put it in with him. I came back an hour later, the hampster was gone and there was a little hampster-shaped bulge in the burm's belly. Today I went down and bought out the baby hampsters and the burm took a f/k right off my tongs (2 days after the first feed). So if you are having troubles feeding...hampsters seem to do the trick

That is great that you found a way to get your baby to feed. Actually your method of offering different prey is good advice. I am receiving two baby Burms next week and it will be the first time I raise up babies without starting on live fuzzy rats which is an excellent method that has always worked for me. I am going to start these on quail chicks since I cannot handle rodents anymore due to allergies. The very best advice for starting babies is for the new owenrs- don't panic. Take it slow, make sure the prey you offer is fresh and has no scent on it other than its own. Brian brought this up a while back about pet stores spraying rodents with lice/mite spray. I know some who have sprayed their cages with air fresheners. Feeding can turn into a stressful time for both the keeper and the kept if things don't automatically go well.
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Marcia Pimentel
Tango River Reptiles
GiantFeeders

I recently got a great deal on frozen hamsters and have found them to be eagerly eaten by all of my snakes, especially my blood python, which has always been very picky about how and when she eats. She currently in shed due to a few good size meals. My burm loves these hamsters and would eat one after another if I let her. I'm also waiting for my rats to breed so I have a good selection of food. Take care, Scott.
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Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

"In any civilized society, it is every citizen's responsibility to obey just laws.
But at the same time, it is every citizen's responsibility to disobey unjust laws."
—Martin Luther King Jr

My Blood is just the opposite...she'll eat just about anything. So far she has had mice, rats, hampsters, gerbals, spiney mice, finch. If it is small enough to eat, she'll eat it.