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I've been working for years with various combo's of Bodner & Lopez Thayeri and have some beautiful lines going. Last years 2 clutches however were tougher than usual to get started on F/T pinks. To get a meal in them, I scented pinks or tease fed House Gecko's. My concern is that now, this is all they want to eat and continue to stubbornly refuse F/T pinks. I have 25 left from 2016 and can't sell them until they flip. I have worked with Alterna for decades so I'm no stranger to picky hatchlings. Does anyone one have any tips to wean these babies off of their preferred meal of House Gex? ( I have even tried live pinks and they won't touch them-but offer a F/T lizard and they eat with vigor)

Sorry about your frustration -- I have been there. And it always seems like the prettiest thayeri don't want to have anything to do with a pink mouse. It's gross, but have you tried "braining" a pinky? That sometimes works for me. Also, putting a piece of shed lizard skin on a moistened pinky head has worked. In general though, over the years I have developed a hard-nosed philosophy that it's a fact that not all hatchlings are going to make it (i.e., become mouse eaters). Plus, if an animal will eat nothing but lizards, I would worry about using that animal as a breeder in case food preference is a heritable trait (I don't know if it is or isn't, but it's something to think about.) Happy New Year and good luck with getting your animals on mice!

Thanks TG. Appreciate your feedback. Yes, I use all the tricks: braining, scenting, lizard skins or tails, tease feeding etc. I just brought them up from a 6 week brumation and 4 of the 25 are now on pinks and another 3 have eaten scented. You are probably right that not ALL are going to flip and I may lose a few. I can get them ALL to take a house gex or lizard tail but I can't sell an animal like this as most buyers don't have access or the interest in feeding lizards. As far as being inheritable, you may be right. My question still remains however, I wonder if I have "imprinted" them now on lizards, obviously the preferred meal instead of being patient and just offering pinks when they were 4-6 weeks old?

>>I've been working for years with various combo's of Bodner & Lopez Thayeri and have some beautiful lines going. Last years 2 clutches however were tougher than usual to get started on F/T pinks. To get a meal in them, I scented pinks or tease fed House Gecko's. My concern is that now, this is all they want to eat and continue to stubbornly refuse F/T pinks. I have 25 left from 2016 and can't sell them until they flip. I have worked with Alterna for decades so I'm no stranger to picky hatchlings. Does anyone one have any tips to wean these babies off of their preferred meal of House Gex? ( I have even tried live pinks and they won't touch them-but offer a F/T lizard and they eat with vigor)

Still dealing with Picky feeders.
Try throwing frozen pinks in boiling water for ten mins. Then rinse, serve warm.
You'll be surprised!
Let me know how it works for you.

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R.Bichlers Colubrids

Thanks for the tip. I haven't tried it yet but will. Fortunately I got most to go on live pinks and sold them as such. These last 2 clutches have been as hard as any Alternas I have worked with. I am still re-thinking the whole lizard scenting though for the future as I believe it makes it even harder to get them on pinks in the long run.

>>Thanks for the tip. I haven't tried it yet but will. Fortunately I got most to go on live pinks and sold them as such. These last 2 clutches have been as hard as any Alternas I have worked with. I am still re-thinking the whole lizard scenting though for the future as I believe it makes it even harder to get them on pinks in the long run.

Someone told me about this at the beginning of the year, I had 6 graybands that I tried everything to try and get them to feed, not even lizard scenting was working, tried the boiled pinks. 3 out of the 6 fed right away. I tried liz. scent with the boild pinks and that also worked. Within 3 months I had wined all 6 of them off the boiled, Liz. scent pinks and on to reg F/T pinks.
Good Luck, Bob

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R.Bichlers Colubrids

Thanks for the tip! I boiled 5 pinks for 10 minutes and 4 of the 5 Thayeri that were lizard eaters ate them within 10 minutes! This could have saved me hours of tease feeding if I had known about it sooner. IT REALLY WORKS! Thanks again!

>>Thanks for the tip! I boiled 5 pinks for 10 minutes and 4 of the 5 Thayeri that were lizard eaters ate them within 10 minutes! This could have saved me hours of tease feeding if I had known about it sooner. IT REALLY WORKS! Thanks again!

Glad it worked for you.

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R.Bichlers Colubrids

I am late to this thread, and I hope you see this and reply at some point.. how did anyone think to boil a pinky? I understand why the first person to wash a pinky would try that, but boiling?

I now have some leonis, so this feeding tip for stubborn hatchlings is vital info for the future. Appreciate it!

>>I am late to this thread, and I hope you see this and reply at some point.. how did anyone think to boil a pinky? I understand why the first person to wash a pinky would try that, but boiling?
>>
>>I now have some leonis, so this feeding tip for stubborn hatchlings is vital info for the future. Appreciate it!

I miss worded original post,you actually bring water to a boil, I pore it in a bowl, then throw the frozen pinks in for 5-10 min. after they get started on boiled pinks you can reduce the time in the water so they will gradually convert to frozen Thawed.
Good Luck, Bob Bichler

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R.Bichlers Colubrids