question abt feeding....

[gold&black...]

Hi All, i picked up this jungle abt a month and a half back and have tried to feed her but haven’t had much luck... Have tried live and frozen fuzzy mice, have tried brained fuzzie's and fuzzie’s dipped in chicken stock.... Have also tried rubbing the fuzzy against her to see if she strikes but haven’t had any luck... Tried leaving the fuzzy over night with her and the next morning found her coiled around the fuzzy almost like keeping a guard on it... I tried feeding her once every week and have decided at this point to leave her alone for abt two weeks b4 I try again... Well now is where I need u'r help... I have decided to scent the next fuzzy with a skink or a live gecko but am a lil worried cos with all the posts on OPMV and other such diseases being mentioned am not too sure if this would b a safe attempt... I do realize that hatchies can go for months without a feed but I would much rather get her feeding on her own rather than force feeding her in the future... Well what I want to find out is, does freezing the skink kill the germs or harmfull bacteria that it may carry or is it safe to feed her live one's itself if I decided against scenting... Is there any method of making sure that the animals I catch in my house r treated b4 I feed them to her???

Also I was told that I could try scenting the fuzzy with finch feathers.... In this case is it only finch feathers that come handy or can I use feathers from any other bird??? Cos if any other bird helps then I just need to run to my neighbor’s house...

Well that’s my question for now and thanks a lot for taking some time off to read my query... Would really appreciate any help that I can get.... Thanks again

G/B........

[sengir]

I don't think you have to be worried about getting OPMV or any of the other major diseases from scenting a fuzzy with a skink. From what I understand the biggest porblem with feeding "whole skinks" not scenting them is the worms and parasites a wild skink would carry. Have you tried using chook feathers or down, that has worked for me. A friend of mine uses a pidgeon to scent his fuzzies, the hatchies love it.
Have you tried contacting the breeder to find out wht it was feeding on before you got it/ how many feeds it had, had before you got it? Also I know my jungles are fussy eaters one week they are keen the next 2 they aren't, then they are keen always then not again fro 4 wks, at this time I wouldn't suggest feeding live or frozen skinks however freezing th eskink for an extended (6wks) period would kill the worms not sure about other parasites, but I just wouldn't suggest live or frozen skinks unless it was a last resort. Just my opinion adn I am in no way an expert.
Hope it all goes well for you
Cheers

[gold&black...]

Hi Sengir, thanks a lot for posting..... I was worried abt opmv was cos I have heard of instances where people have carried it from one collection to the next.... I guess what u'r saying is right... Keep scenting with skinks as the last resort... I do intend on keeping it as the last resort but was hoping to get her feeding on her own rather than force feeding... I am open to suggestion and want to hear what others have to say... I do have a neighbor who keeps cockateels as pets and was wondering if I could use them for scenting b4 I use a skink... Do let me know if those birds help cos then I could try there scent this week end...

[sengir]

I don't see why it would hurt to use a cockatiel as the other methods aren't working I can't see any damaging affects as long as there is no mites on the fuzzie after scenting. Hell people with all this experience had to try new stuff so why not be the one to give it a go.

Cheers

[Bundy5]

Juevinile snakes (some) do not see a pinkie as a food source. They are not widely available. I have had a few babies that have needed tempting. One skink is usually enough as long as you are resourceful. Yes they will eat the skink, stress less. Quarantine them if you are worried but mostly go with the flow.

[junglecarpet]

Do you buy skinks or!? Sorry for being naive, but I have never heard of feeding a skink to a snake...

[gold&black...]

Hello JC, unfortunately haven't heard of any one selling skink's and so I catch them in the garden... I was told that in the wild skinks are the natural diet for hatchling snakes and so tend to feed with ease when a skink is offered as food.... I would also like to know if there is anyone breeding skinks cos I'd much rather feed my hatchy with captive bred skinks rather than wild caught ones......

[Hoppa1874]

i have fed skinks to my fussy eaters b4.. and it was fine.. no worms or mites or anything..they are now eating pinkies and doin really well .....hope this helps
Cheers
Hoppa

[gold&black...]

That is good news Hoppa.....

[gold&black...]

what do u guys recon,,, should I try day old quails b4 I try the skinks?????? would that b a smart move????????