Non-feeding hatchlings, how do I get them to eat.

[HerpsforU]

Well I am

goona wait at least 7 days before I try feeding again. I don't want to freak them out too badly...so wish me luck and I will post about this topic after the next try. Thanks again guys for all of your suggestions.

 

[diamondlil]

When I tried tuna scenting for Lil, didn't like the sound of brine or oil on the tuna, so found tuna in spring water. It didn't matter, she just pooped on it every time anyway

 

[NI GUY]

I can't see tuna juice doing them any harm.I know people that feed there garters tuna with calcium with no problems.

 

[gnarhimself]

I'll try it on my next fussy eater....I know that the futures gonna hold some of those for me.......

Thanks
:cheers:

 

[debcash]

I have tried both tuna in spring water and chicken broth, neither worked for my non-feeders lst year. What has worked very well for me is chicken skin. Peel a piece of fresh chicken and take a small piece of the skin - wrap a frozen pinkie in the skin and defrost is as usual. When defrosted, take the chicken skin off and throw it away ...feed the snake the pinkie while it is still nice & warm. I have had 5 out of 6 non-feeders eat the pinkies done this way. One snake took 2 trys, the others ate on the first try.)
I hope it works for you.
Deb

 

[MegF.]

I may try tuna scenting. I've got 19 of the 21 eating consistently on either live or f/t pinkies. One non feeder ate once, but has since refused again. The other hasn't eaten anything. I had a lot refuse these last two feedings and I think most are getting ready to shed again so they may be put off because of that. I put the two non feeders in a dark box overnight and the one ate then. Put the wrong one in the box this time....wasn't paying attention to my numbers so the non feeder didn't eat again. I might try force feeding a mouse tail but if I can't get it feeding in a reasonable time, it's going to be euthanized. I don't need to sell someone a cranky feeder. Too bad cuz it's a nice little amel.

 

[jjspirko]

Anole is often the key to success. Baby corns in the wild feed on them heavily. In all my years in the herp world I have wondered why doesn't someone start making "sents" in a bottle.

Gecko and Anole being top ones!

I just happened to be reading Carl Kaufields book "The Keeper and the Kept" circa 1969 and was reading my favorite chapter, "Like and Death on the Okeetee" where Carl remarked on a freshly captured hatchling corn who ate while held in hand and consumed two anoles on the way back to the truck.

Now if a wild corn freshly captured and not yet even placed in a sack will take a live anole from the hand, :eatsmiley that says a lot.

If he won't eat a sented pink try a small anole or a large anole tail. A lot of times getting one or two meals digetest turns on the metobalism and after that, chomp, chomp, chomp.

If you are considering force feeding a "pinky pump" is the best bet.

I am big on this idea of spay on lizard sent now if somone would also make "african gecko sent" for my house snake hatchlings I would be one happy dude, :dancer:

 

[HerpsforU]

Well seven days

and tuna juice didn't work... :crazy02: So now to wait and try a new method...hmmm anoles...where can I find them small enough????

 

[jjspirko]

and tuna juice didn't work... :crazy02: So now to wait and try a new method...hmmm anoles...where can I find them small enough????

Well you could just use an adult, moisten his body a bit and try rubbing him on the pinky to sent the pinky. As for finding one small enough a pet shop might have some young ones. A hatchling corn should be able to eat most half grown or smaller anoles. When I was just on vacation in Florida there were about thirty of the things on ever building and tree in the state. Lot's or the Bahama anoles too,

 

[HerpsforU]

It Finally Worked

Well tonite I decided to give it one more shot. These two hatchlings are a little smaller than the rest of my clutches. SOOOO, I cut two pinkies in half and gave each one a pinky head with a little cut (brained em...ewwwww) and they finally ate. YAAAAAY :cheers: Last night the tuna didn't work and I was getting desperate....so now I am gonna sit back and see if in four days they will take another half. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

 

[gnarhimself]

Brilliant!
Thats great news,am definatley holding thumbs for you

GOOD LUCK! :cheers:

 

[dionythicus]

That's great to hear! Good luck!

 

[jjspirko]

Well tonite I decided to give it one more shot. These two hatchlings are a little smaller than the rest of my clutches. SOOOO, I cut two pinkies in half and gave each one a pinky head with a little cut (brained em...ewwwww) and they finally ate. YAAAAAY :cheers: Last night the tuna didn't work and I was getting desperate....so now I am gonna sit back and see if in four days they will take another half. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

So you cut the heads off and fed the heads vs. spliting them lengthwize and feeding a half that included body and head? Not judging just asking, :wavey:

 

[HerpsforU]

hmmmm

I never thought about cutting them lengthwise (probably would've been easier) but you work with what ya know. so now to wait four days and try again, hopefully they will eat a second time for me.

 

[nehpets1]

Brilliant!
Thats great news,am definatley holding thumbs for you

GOOD LUCK! :cheers:

:-offtopic What does this saying mean?

I mean, where does it come from.

Warning, i'm an englist major, and just curious about the origins...never heard it

 

[Bobo's Mama]

:-offtopic What does this saying mean?

I mean, where does it come from.

Warning, i'm an englist major, and just curious about the origins...never heard it

Sounds like its similar to "thumbs up", or maybe fingers crossed :shrugs:

 

[gnarhimself]

Sounds like its similar to "thumbs up", or maybe fingers crossed :shrugs:

Its exactly that !
Thanks Nobo's Mama

 

[gnarhimself]

:-offtopic What does this saying mean?

I mean, where does it come from.

Warning, i'm an englist major, and just curious about the origins...never heard it

Not sure where it comes from...I guess its just an old South African way of saying "good luck"
:shrugs:

 

[moreptiles]

I have tried both tuna in spring water and chicken broth, neither worked for my non-feeders lst year. What has worked very well for me is chicken skin. Peel a piece of fresh chicken and take a small piece of the skin - wrap a frozen pinkie in the skin and defrost is as usual. When defrosted, take the chicken skin off and throw it away ...feed the snake the pinkie while it is still nice & warm. I have had 5 out of 6 non-feeders eat the pinkies done this way. One snake took 2 trys, the others ate on the first try.)
I hope it works for you.
Deb

Deb, I have three very important hatchlings from the same clutch that I have tried most of the usual methods on, including anoles with no luck. I tried the chicken skin scented method and all three of them ate. I was thrilled. After that worked so good, I also tried it on 8-9 other non-feeders from different clutches, and none of them went for it. Have you found this to work with some clutches but not with others?

Mark

 

[Taceas]

What does this saying mean?

I mean, where does it come from.

Warning, i'm an englist major, and just curious about the origins...never heard it

:-offtopic and all....
Me'thinks you should maybe think about a different major. :sidestep:


As for the non-feeder issue, I just want to know why people really try to get snakes who have no earthly interest in food or sustaining themselves....to eat, grow up, and pass on those derelict genes.

No, I am not meaning this to start a fight. My very first clutch I had a few non-feeders and I would try everything, short of force feeding to get them to live. Those that I did end up tricking into eating never really thrived or turned into the big robust snakes I wished.

But after that first clutch I learned its really not worth it to get all bent out of shape and do cartwheels to get your hatchlings to eat. It's sad when they choose starvation, but force feeding an animal that should have an uberbasic need to survive just seems counter-intuitive to me.

There are plenty of snakes of a particular morph out there that eat great, its those who should be the torch-bearers of their morph and be the ones to champion on a bloodline.

I just never saw the logic in jumping through flaming hoops to get a hatchling to eat. If it won't eat, then there's something amiss somewhere. Not ALL hatchlings are meant to make it. Hence the point of female corns laying a lot of eggs. The strong will survive. Although in humanity, we cater to the weaklings for some strange reason.

If its a rare morph, even more reason to not coddle it in my honest opinion. It's my first year ever to hatch out Bloodreds and Hypo Bloods. I know the risks generally associated with that clutch. I bred two individuals from unrelated stock that both have aggressive feeding habits, so hopefully that scores one for the home team. But you can be certain, if a few won't show interest in an anole-scented pink, it's not getting a tuna or a chicken chance. I want healthy and ravenous feeding snakes, not a snake that wonders why its favourite food is in a tin can. Since when have you seen corns in the wild with can openers or the very least a P38. :grin01:

Last year, after going on two months after hatching without ever eating, I set my one last non-feeder next to my Calking's viv overnight as a threat. The next day, she ate and has not looked back since. But as gorgeous as she was, it would have breaken my heart to do it, but had she not eaten she would have been eaten.

Before I would always give poor-feeders away for someone to try to get to feed. But after a while, I realized I am not doing my hobby that I love any favours by doing so. Look at Joe Pierce's snakes, they'd eat a Humvee if it smelled like a rodent. He didn't get to that point by "helping" the non-feeders. And for that, Joe is my idol as far as viability and robustness of his stock. We should all aspire to have bloodlines that ravenous.

As always, just trying to spark an intelligent discussion, not meaning to belittle those who spend countless hours perpetuating the poor-feeders into the next generation.