Feeding tips for hatchling

[tracym666]

Hi All

Just have another question about getting a fussy eater to start eating for me, just a little worried (maybe too worried) but I am use to having a children's python that loves food and this new one is not interested so it's making me worry a bit.

I have tried the following:

1. Moving the pinkie with feeding tongs
2. Dragging the mouse around in front of her/him
3. Putting the pinky in warm water to heat it up a little

Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Also, how long (born March 2006) can they go without food before I get really worried, I couldn't tell if it was getting to thin or not as I am not experienced in any way to figure that out.

Please help
Thanks
Tracy

 

[adbacus]

How warm is the enclosure?

 

[MrBredli]

Where are you located? How is the enclosure setup? Do you have any pics of the snake? Has it ever eaten?

 

[tracym666]

The enclosure has a day time temperature of approx 28 to 32 depending in which hiding place it goes to (has 2 hiding places) and night temperature of about 24 to 26.

 

[tracym666]

Re: RE: Feeding tips for hatchling

Where are you located? How is the enclosure setup? Do you have any pics of the snake? Has it ever eaten?

Haven't got a pic but I can get one if it helps, I am located on the southside of Brisbane, I have only seen it eat once and that was a live pinkie (not by me but by the person it got the snake from), it took about one hour of patience even then to get it to it.

 

[MrBredli]

RE: Re: RE: Feeding tips for hatchling

Have you tried live pinkies? Also try braining a dead pinky - pierce a small hole in the pinkies head and allow fluid from the brain to drip out onto the pinky, sounds gross but it works. Also try scenting the mouse with a lizard.
If it has only eaten once since March then he is probably noticably underweight, can you see his spine? If he doesn't feed for you soon my advice is to take it to the vet, get it checked over, have it wormed and ask the vet to force feed it.

 

[tracym666]

MrBredli, I tried the braining thing tonight before I posted here,, wasn't interested, apparently since it has been born it has had two skinks (sorry about the spelling) and two live pinkies, can't see the spine, here is a photo I just took, I just placed it in a box with white paper so it could be seen clearer.

 

[MrBredli]

I can see the spine, it's definately underweight and needs some food. As a last resort try and find some skinks tomorrow if you can. Firstly offer him a pinky scented with a skink (rub the skink all over it). Offer the pinky just once, if it takes it then you beauty, if not then go to plan b which is offer the skinks. Just try not to stress the snake too much when you offer the pinky or he might refuse the skinks aswell. If you have no luck with this, then i suggest force feeding, perhaps someone on here may be able to assist you with that, depending where you're located. Or perhaps try a good herp vet.

 

[MrBredli]

With the risk of passing parasites onto your snake by feeding it skinks, it might even be a good idea to skip the skinks altogether and just have someone force feed it.

 

[tracym666]

Thanks will do, I will try and get some skinks and try as you suggested tomorrow, hopefully this works.

Any suggestions or any help from someone in the Brisbane area as to where I go to get help or if some one can give me some assistance, any advice as to a good herp vet in the Brisbane area???

Thanks heaps

 

[mertle]

Yeah mrBredli knows what he is talking about,

You could also try braining the pinkie and leaving it in the doorway of it's fave hide, I did that when my little fella wouldnt eat, he took it when no one was looking, it's worth a shot while your looking for the skinks.

 

[mertle]

Yeah mrBredli knows what he is talking about,

You could also try braining the pinkie and leaving it in the doorway of it's fave hide, I did that when my little fella wouldnt eat, he took it when no one was looking, it's worth a shot while your looking for the skinks.

 

[MrBredli]

Not too sure how far Deception Bay is from Brisbane (not far i hope), but Clayton is one of the best herp vets in Australia:

Clayton Knight
Deception Bay Vet. Clinic
3888 3677

 

[MrBredli]

You could also try braining the pinkie and leaving it in the doorway of it's fave hide, I did that when my little fella wouldnt eat, he took it when no one was looking, it's worth a shot while your looking for the skinks.

That's a good idea too, i should have mentioned that.. try leaving the pinky in the hide with your snake overnight, i have had good results using this method on some fussy eaters.

 

[tracym666]

You could also try braining the pinkie and leaving it in the doorway of it's fave hide, I did that when my little fella wouldnt eat, he took it when no one was looking, it's worth a shot while your looking for the skinks.

I'll give that a go too.

Also:
MrBredli
Deception Bay is about 50mins away so I will give him a call on Monday, thanks for the help.

 

[MrBredli]

No problems, hope all goes well.

 

[TrueBlue]

get a pair of forceps and perferably a live pinky and bash the snake around the head with it untill it gets anouyed enough to take it, it will problly take a while, when it takes it DONT MOVE, wait it out, every part of your body will itch but dont move.
If this fails, make some thick lizard soup out of skink tails and sent the pinky.

 

[AustHerps]

when it takes it DONT MOVE, wait it out, every part of your body will itch but dont move

I had one little guy that would wrap, look around for 15 minutes or so, and then eat. And yep, every part itches :?

 

[Garry2]

One of mine has the same problem...it took me a while to work out why.
He did not like me watching him eat .
Put it in a container with a lid and tap it on the nose with a warm pinky and
when it strikes and curls close the lid .... Has worked each time he gets self consious. They are not all the same when it comes to things they like you just have to work each one out.

 

[Gecko_ProCs]

ok i had the same prob with my mac when i got it, it was fed on live pinkies as a hatchie.
he didnt eat for the first week i had him because i was giving him frozen pinkies
then the next week i noticed that he has a weird way of eating his food, he doesnt strike and coil like a normal snake he just opens his mouth ans slowly grabs a hold of the pinkie and then with ouy coiling he just starts to swallow it, he moves it down with muscles in his neck and then moves his mouth down the pinkie, anyways they way i got him to eat was move the pinkie slowly towards his face until he noticed what it was and once the pinkie touched him i just held it still and he after about 30 seconds he had it by the head..
i know all snakes arnt the same so this my not work but i hope it helps


Cam....