Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My L.z. algama only takes live mice, not frozen/thawed. My dead are always heated. I've tried wiggling them, bopping them on her nose, leaving overnight (works just fine for my other kings), tuna juice, chicken broth, brain exposed, entrails exposed, leaving in a box with a live one (worked once, but never again), using the same box for feeding, "lizard-maker" scent, and talking nicely to her. Nothing works... any suggestions? (I've had her for a year now.)

Thanks in advance,
Zach

A couple of things. In my experience, there is a process I use to find out how willing my L.z.agalma babies are to certain food items. The priority is obviously to get them to take frozen thawed unscented pinkies. I don't have access to live pinkies so I use frozens. Here is the list I go by:

1. after first shed offer unscented frozen thawed pinkies

2. if #1 doesn't work, try placing a piece of a lizard tail(preferably a Sceloperus or Uta or skink) into the pinkies mouth and offering that to the baby

3. if #2 doesn't work, take a thawed pinkie and rub it against the aforementioned types of lizards trying to get as much lizard scent as possible on the pinkie and offer it this way.

4. if #3 doesn't work, I either go out & catch some baby lizards( I have many secret spots to catch these little guys and they are like gold with problem agalma feeders) and offer them to the baby or I will gently grasp the baby behind the head and first tease feed and/or bat the baby snake on the head to get him to open his mouth to bite. If the baby won't respond to that, sometimes you can gently pry the mouth open of the baby with the thawed pinkie and they will either start eating it or they will gag it out of their mouth.

5. If all of these methods fail, you might want to cool the baby down for a few months thereby stimulating hibernation. I have found that usually they will come out of hibernation very hungry and will start eating unscented pinks at this point. If this last method fails, you are screwed and the baby will most likely die
Juarez Wonders