force feeding a few hatchies HELP!

[ellis01]

ok, so i have a few bhp hatches and they are unpredictable atm when it comes to feeding. Sometimes i have to do what a very experienced breeder told me and cut an adult mouses tail and feed them that by pushing it in there mouths they swallow it no problems!

now my question is by doing this will i stop there natural feeding response of striking and contricting or will they strike and contrict when ready even though i have to force feed actually??

thankssss

 

[rockstar_jones]

I don't have the experience or know the answer to your question, but have you tried baby quails?

Michael

 

[whyme]

Give them a few more tries wiggling a def mouse, if that doesnt work, force feeding may be the way for a couple of months. It won't stop their "natural" feeding response in the long run. I've got 8yr olds that still don't constrict all the time, but every now and then they will constrict. I'll get ripped for this, but chopsticks work well with pythons, tails work well with elapids.

 

[pisces20]

There is nothing natural about captive breeding si it is best to forget about all that is natural. I always start with rat pinkies with a peice of chicken feather in the mouth. Works with about 50% first time. Rat tails forced after about two months if they have not fed and then pinks again. This always works. From then on they are like a steam train.

 

[hoppyone]

I have a blackhead that has taken 14 month to feed buy him self now i cant stop him he loves his food now both rats or mice he has been assist fed for the whole 14 mths and this has'nt stoped his natural feeding response at all just be patient

 

[Airlie]

Ive never force fed but if i did have to i would get a pinky pump for the herp shop.com.
And maybe some mutton bird oil will get em going.

 

[ellis01]

thanks all im relieved now!!!!

 

[Airlie]

Did you try live fuzzy mice?

 

[MrThumper]

Can someone tell the steps to force feeding?

 

[Bryce]

I learnt this from Neil Sonneman, put into my own words. (EVERYONE WILL HAVE THERE OWN WAY, I LIKE THIS ONE used for BHP'S)!

1. Get 1 BHP
2. 1 rat tail
3. One knitting needle to pry open the mouth of animal
4. Have a thawed fuzzy mouse, pinky etc to put in cage after the animal has been force fed
5. Get the animal from cage, restrain firmly but still be gentle from behind the head
6. Use knitting needle to open mouth if the rat tail wont open it
7. Put the fat end of the tail in the mouth of the animal in first slide in until it has around 10cm or so left to swallow by itself
8. Put the animal down to swallow remaining tail
9. Put the thawed food item in with BHP
10. Put cage/tub what ever you have it in back to where you originally got it from

 

[Luohanfan]

"9. Put the thawed food item in with BHP
10. Put cage/tub what ever you have it in back to where you originally got it from"

I'm guessing this is just to see if it will eat the food item in its own time without being assisted?

 

[cement]

Yes this works.
Once they have finished the tail they eat the rat pinky too.

 

[FAY]

BHP's are notoriously hard to get feeding as in the wild they eat other reptiles and the occasional furry thing.
BHP's as hatchies are big enough to put a pinky/fuzzy in their mouth to swallow. I personally wouldn't bother with a mouse/rat tail.Some may take months, some straight away. It will not change their natural strike, wrap response. Once you get them feeding though, there is no stopping them and are voracious eaters and a very fast growing snake.

 

[Bryce]

I was lucky enough to purchase a 100% from Neil, by the time it arrived it was 4 weeks old and was sold to me not feeding as i had no dramas with force feeding. I decided to leave a couple days and then just throw in a thawed pinky rat and see what happens, with in about 2mins the little guy came straight out to the pinky rat and whamm! it was gone and he is magic when it comes to feeding as are all BHPS.

Best thing to do is leave them for a month at least (some people leave alone for 2-3months then try to feed, i dont do this) and then try to feed!

It's always worth a try!

 

[Owzi]

BHP's as hatchies are big enough to put a pinky/fuzzy in their mouth to swallow. I personally wouldn't bother with a mouse/rat tail.

The difference I have noticed about these two options is that I've had BHP hatchies regurgitate or rather spit out fuzzy mice quite easily after assist feeding, but a rat tail (perhaps because of its slightly stronger hairs) seems harder for them to spit out.

 

[deebo]

agree with bryce - neil told me the same thing and I tried it on two of my hatchies who werent eating and bingo! they ate a pinky rat after being force fed a rat tail and from then on ate voluntarily.

 

[Ozzie Python]

wish my hatchies would do that, cant even fit the head of a pink mouse in my children hatchies mouths atm. going to be a lot of assist fed tails before they start eating voluntarily i think :x lucky there are only 2 of them.

 

[Torah]

Im in for all this now too ... hmmm any good vids on youtube ???

 

[sookie]

If the tails are harder to spit up do they just try harder to get rid of it?Could it hurt their insides trying to heave up something that won't go?Please excuse my ignorance.

 

[Avery4]

I have a 6 month old childrens that hasn't eaten in almost 4 weeks. I've had him for 3 weeks and he has not fed for me yet but was feeding fine prior. Should i have a go at doing a force feed with him?

I'm new to snakes and am beginning to feel worried for my little Kato.