Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have shared my techniques here many times before, but since there are lots of new visitors to this forum…thought I’d just share my techniques.

My first clutch was produced in 1994 (and I’m proud to say that one of the male “babies” from that clutch is still one of my better breeders today!)…anyway, I did take a couple years off in the late 1990’s, but I have successfully produced between one and 3 clutches during 7 seasons between then and now.

I don’t even try anything until the first shed (not worth the effort). After the first shed, all the babies are offered a f/t mouse pinky with a split nose and left in a small container with the snake overnight. Typically, 10-15 will accept. Those babies rarely present any feeding problems.

Step 2: Wait a week and try scenting with f/t fish guts
Step 3: Try step 2 again in another week.

About 90% of the babies will usually take the fish scented pinks within 1 month.
I don’t sweat at all if they go through a second shed before the first meal (it happens often).

If any babies are not accepting food when they are once again offered it after the 2nd shed, then I go to the freezer and try scent manipulating using baby corn snakes (I keep stillborns…mutants that have died..etc in the freezer). Often, the corn snake smell gets the rest of them going. Indigos seem to relish corn snakes, and, if I had enough babies available, I’d use them instead of fish (and probably have more luck).

Hopefully…and often…all will be started now…but…there’s always that stubborn one you get occasionally. For them…it’s “assisted feeding” wherein the mouth is gently pried open and the f/t pinky placed in the mouth. I gently close the mouth on the pinky and give a gentle “pull” to hook the teeth into the pinky (did I mention GENTLE!?) The vast majority of the time…you sit patiently as the snake swallows it own his own at this point.

With all the babies eating “scented” or “assisted fed”…I will, every 3rd or 4th feeding time, let them go a solid week to get hungry , and try a f/t split-nose pinky left in overnight. I NEVER try live pinks, and have never needed to.

Within a few weeks…sometimes as long 8, 10, or even 12 for the very stubborn, they all come around and start taking the f/t pinks. Once they are eating and pooping regularly…they seem to get more and more hungry…and start to forget about being picky.

I’ve never had…that I can recall…a baby that ate a f/t pinky on it’s own accord revert back to being picky.
They are usually off to the races at that point.

np

Dear Dean,

Thanks for the interesting post. The biggest problem I have with frozen-thawed animals (especially pinky mice or rats) is that they are moist and sticky. With Indigo Snakes, I have always used some form of bedding, even for my hatchlings. The f/t pinkies can get virtually glued to pieces of bedding or something like folded paper towels. I have been guessing to myself that you have the hatchlings in plastic containers with no bedding, at least during feeding. I would really like to hear from you what you do.

I frequently use frozen-thawed rat pinkies and fuzzies. When I do though, I am always "hand-feeding" where I am presenting the food item using forceps, and the snakes must take the food right off the tongs.

Later in your post you mention that from time to time you give the hatchlings a full week before the next feeding. To me that means that your normal feeding interval for hatchlings must be less than a week. How frequently do you normally feed your Eastern hatchlings?

Thanks, Robert Bruce.

Yes, when the babies are in containers over night, it's nothing but the baby and the pinky (no bedding)

When they are eating on their own, I feed them about every 4 days. One mouse pinky is still a relatively small meal in comparison to the size of a baby indigo and I like to feed small meals often rather than, say push them to get on fuzzies..etc.

My techniques are very similar to Dean's and once I get the taking f/t prey (usually mouse fuzzies to start or day old quail) I like to offer prey every 4 days minimum (consistent and regular feeding, in my opinion, is the key to getting these snakes off to a good start).

As far as pinkies/etc getting stuck to bedding/paper towel as Robert mentioned, I haven't had too many problems with that. I will usually room temp. thaw my prey so that they are still relatively dry (rather than soaking which can turn a pinky into sticky goo). For some baby indigos, placing them into a separate container throws them off and they will stubbornly refuse to feed so I tend to lean towards feeding in their individual rack boxes (which is why I just use paper towel initially). Everyone has a slightly different technique and as long as the babies feed, it really doesn't matter too much which we people go (w/in reason).

>>Yes, when the babies are in containers over night, it's nothing but the baby and the pinky (no bedding)
>>
>>When they are eating on their own, I feed them about every 4 days. One mouse pinky is still a relatively small meal in comparison to the size of a baby indigo and I like to feed small meals often rather than, say push them to get on fuzzies..etc.
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Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL

Agreed Rob.

The more times they eat, the hungrier they seem to get the next time.

In this way, if I have a juvie that's a "fish-scented" eater for example, I will let him eat as it likes them for 3-4 meals consecutively spaced about 3-4 days apart, then let him go a soild week and get good -n- hungry.

Often that's what will spark them to start eating non-scented.