Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have six youngsters that hatched about three and half weeks ago. All shed about 10 - 12 days ago.
The problem is they're not wanting to eat. They strike at me, but not the FT pinky mice.
This is the first time I'm using FT feeder animals (the parents eat live)so, I'm not sure if I'm "thawing" correctly. I place them in warm water (slightly warmer than my hand, maybe 100*) for about 7-10 minutes. When the pinky comes out, it is slightly warm to the tounch. Then I put the pinky in with the young snake. The snake strikes at me but doesn't eat the pinky. I'll leave the pinky in the tank overnight, but it's still there in the morning.
I've had the adults for years and am very familiar with their picky eating habits and have gotten used to that. But, since this is the first time with babies, I'm having a little anxiety.
Any suggestions?
Thanks.

Hi! Are you taking the mice right out of the freezer and then thawing them for 7 or 8 minutes? If you do that the inside of the pinky may still be frozen and it may cool down quickly. I take my frozen feeders and put them in a bag in the fridge in the morning before work. When I get home they are thawed but cool, then I use the warm water to warm them up a bit. Or sometimes I will just let them sit out on the counter for an hour or two before warming them up. I also use a pair of hemostats to jiggle the mouse in front of the snake. This has worked most of the time for me. Hope it helps! Andy.

Hi Andy,
I'll try the "pre-thaw" and see what happens.
I do the hemostat thing, but they just launch right past the pinky and at my hand.
Thanks for the tip.

Stick small live hopper mice with them at night. By morning they will be gone I bet!

Christy

i hope you dont mean leave the hopper in the tank unattended overnight. feeding live might help, but ALWAYS supervise. shes probably striking at your hand because the mouse seems cold compared to the heat of your hand.
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-thizzicist

A small hopper put in in the evening and left overnight is not a risky proposition. If you are worried, stick a lab block in with it. I still like my advice .

Christy

and if you going leave in over night it helps to drop a piece or two of food in there so the mouse has something to eat... 99% of the time will leave the snake alone...but hopper are the best way to start them off on the move more and the snake can see thrm better...

Hi,

Pinkies are really too small for even a freshly hatched baby ball. I agree with Christy in that a live hopper or small adult mouse would be a much better choice. Your babies have never fed, so they are probably puzzled by the lifeless mice in front of them, warm or not. You will get a much better feeding response with a live mouse walking around the cage. However, I would not leave them in overnight as even a hopper can bite and stress a timid baby ball. All of my babies are started on live hopper/small mice and are switched to live rat fuzzies by their 3rd or 4th feeding. Oh yeah, I don't handle any of the babies right after they hatch, other than to wash them off and sex them, until they have eaten a couple of meals, in order to minimize stress.

Honestly, I don't even bother with thawed or fresh killed rodents with any of my ball pythons. They have a much better feeding response when offered live prey, in my collection anyway. Good luck with your babies.

Will

Lye produces caustic gasses when it's added to water. Your rescue snake may have permanant damage from breathing it in.

Cheryl

Should have shown up below!