Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've got a small 5050 kingsnake that refuses to eat any frozen pinkie. I've fed many snakes before and haven't had trouble feeding them frozen - I know how to coax them, when the pinkie is thawed and 'done,' etc. etc.. However, my snake will actually get away from a pinkie unless it is alive.
Along with the inconvenience of driving a long way to find a live one, I have another problem - my snake had a case of mites which it probably got because of me feeding it live.

SO long story short, what's the best way to get him to eat frozen pinkies short of force feeding?

My personal favorite is to cut the head off the f/t pink & put head & body in a small deli cup. Squeeze the head a bit to get some brain goo to ooze out the neck. Put the snake in. I have had reluctant eaters go for this several times. It's really just a variation on "braining" but I think it has a few other advantages. The main one for me has simply been that is has worked. I have a couple of snakes in my collection that were given to me as non-eaters. One was literally wasting away to nothing. Both are healthy eaters now, and I credit the "decapitation" method for their survival. Duffy

Try "braining" your pinky. Use a small blad and slit the skull of the thawed pinky. Squeeze some of the brain matter out and present the pinky to your snake head first or under a small hide used by the snake.
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Randy Hallman

Thanks for this advice. I suppose I should have mentioned that I have tried various 'braining' methods, and I still get the same reaction from my little snake .

I agree you should try braining. I have had good luck by just taking the pinkie and poking a hole in the head with an unfolded paperclip. Then paint the head with blood and brain material on the paperclip. That often will get a picky feeder going.

Wetting a piece of shed lizard skin or snake skin and wrapping the pinkie in that works for baby kings. I have also had luck getting a gartersnake or ratsnake to musk a pinkie.

>>Along with the inconvenience of driving a long way to find a live one, I have another problem - my snake had a case of mites which it probably got because of me feeding it live.

I have never heard of a snake getting mites from being fed pinkies. Rodents don't carry snake mites.
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Chris Harrison
Central Texas

Thanks, I'll try the lizard skins the next time I feed.
I don't know where it got the mites from, then... I inspected him when I got him in July and everything was fine. Hm. They're taken care of now, at least.
Thanks for the advice.

Hehe watched my snake gulf down a pink today, it was pleasurable....