 Recent Herp Discussion | | | | | | | |  | 
13-Oct-06, 06:32 PM
| | |  Feeding spotted hatchlings
I have a couple of questions regarding spotted hatchlings and feeding.
1. How long after a hatchling has been born, should I begin to feed him/her?
2. Once the hatchling begins to feed, how much should I feed him? I mean how much of a pink mouse would you feed him? Obviously you wouldn't feed him a full mouse.
Anyway suggestions or help would be appreciated, thanks. |
13-Oct-06, 06:52 PM
|  | Subscriber | Join Date: Aug-06 Location: Alexandria - Sydney Gender:  | | | | Full mouse pinky.
If they don't eat do a search for feeding hatchlings, and there are heaps of suggestions.
From braining to rubbing a skink and fish over the pinky. |
13-Oct-06, 06:54 PM
|  | Regular Member | Join Date: Mar-06 Location: Brisbane Age/Gender: 23 | | | I havnt bred them myself, but im fairly sure you wait until the first shed and then start feeding. They do eat whole pinkies, unless they refuse mice in which case you need to look at scenting with lizards or feeding fish or lizard tails. A pinky mouse isnt really a big meal for a hatchling after a month or two of feeding they can eat pinkie rats.
Generally breeders dont sell snakes until they start feeding. In qld i think its actually illegal to sell an animals that isnt feeding. Also they tend to hatch  |
13-Oct-06, 07:02 PM
| | | | Thanks for the information, I thought a whole pink mouse would be too much for a hatchling. The breeder I will most likely be buying my blonde spotted python from has already begun to feed her pythons, I was more curious. Is it common for a spotted python to refuse a pink mouse when they're young? |
13-Oct-06, 07:04 PM
|  | hazz Subscriber | Join Date: Jul-06 Location: Hazzardous area Gender: | | | | They can be very fussy.
Most will start feeding on thawed pinkies after there first shed 2-3 weeks. Make sure the temp is good 30-32, and then annoy the hatchling with the thawed pinkie. It may grab it and let go, try and try again (be persistent) If not leave it a few mpre days and try again.
A few require lizard scenting, and really fussy feeders can be fed with rat tails (force feeding, only as last resort) |
18-Oct-06, 10:33 AM
| | | Thanks for the information.  |
24-Oct-06, 08:42 AM
| | | | I have one more question. I'm having some trouble feeding my spotted python, he/she does strike at the food, after she strikes at the food should I leave it on the bottom of her tank? Or should I keep moving it back and fourth? |
30-Oct-06, 09:18 AM
| | | It's been 11 days and still my baby has not eaten. However, recently I've noticed when he coils up, he skin wrinkles, suggesting that he/she might be shedding. This would explain the bizarre behaviour, I'll be checking with a reptile expert today.
I'm really excited  |
30-Oct-06, 09:30 AM
|  | Sapere aude Sponsor | Join Date: Oct-06 Location: ACT | | | | You will probably find that the striking you are talking about, if she is striking then letting it go, is nervous striking and more defencive than anything.
I found that one of my blondes would continually refuse while he was in slough, the worst thing is that due to their size it is hard to tell.
How long have you had him and how long since last feed.
D |
30-Oct-06, 09:55 AM
| | | | It's been about 11-12 days since he/she feed. She does strike, but only when I disturb her, I've had him for about 10 days now. |
30-Oct-06, 10:03 AM
| | Sapere aude Sponsor | Join Date: Oct-06 Location: ACT | | | | Yeah that is pretty normal for them to strike like that, you will find that they will generally strike for a while until they become comfortable with you. This is only going to come with time and some patience
As far as the eating goes, if he is coming into slough, he may not feed until afterwards.
You can try putting a pinky into the enclosure for a few hours and just leaving him alone. The skittish male blonde doesnt like to eat in front of anyone, but the female will happily eat while you are holding her. Each will be different.
If he has already been fed before on pinkies then i would assume that he will eat them again. Just try putting it in there for a while and leaving him.
What is the temp of the enclosure too?
D |
30-Oct-06, 11:38 AM
|  | Subscriber | Join Date: Nov-05 Location: QLD | | | | get a pair of long forceps, and grab a pinky with them, and lightly bash the spotted around the head and body untill you anouy it enough, it will then grab and constrict the pinky, at this stage DO NOT move, evey part of your body will start to itch but do not move untill it has eaten it.
You should only need to do this once or twice and then as soon as you dangle the pinky in front of it next time it should not hesitate to grab it. |
30-Oct-06, 11:57 AM
| | Subscriber | Join Date: Aug-06 Location: Alexandria - Sydney Gender: | | | I LOVE that period when you freeze, its so funny having to not move a muscle so your snake can bloody eat.
Who would have thought.
Most people around freeze from fright, we freeze to feed. |
31-Oct-06, 09:14 AM
| | | | The temperature is about 31 - 32*C, apparently he is not sloughing, my friend who is an expert with reptiles tried to feed him; he said the snake was interested but was very slow at striking. I have left a pink mouse in his enclosure (even over night) but that didn't seem to interest him. |
31-Oct-06, 12:54 PM
|  | Sdaji Subscriber | Join Date: Jun-04 Location: Victoria | | | Quote:
Originally Posted by gillsy  I LOVE that period when you freeze, its so funny having to not move a muscle so your snake can bloody eat.
Who would have thought.
Most people around freeze from fright, we freeze to feed. | Strangely, I used to find that I had to do the freeze thing when feeding pythons their first meals, but over the last few seasons it hasn't seemed necessary. Yesterday I gave a clutch of Children's Pythons their first feeds (all but one took thawed pinkies within about a minute, I haven't before had this much ease with anything other than Water Pythons! ) and I didn't only forget about the freeze thing, but I took multiple macro pictures of most of them, with the camera flashing away about 5cm from them. None seemed at all bothered. I'd love to know what I'm doing right, but as long as it's working, I'm happy
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