feeding hatchling

[drapes11]

I have a 6 wk old coastal hatching who is refusing to eat. I got her at 3 weeks old and she had had a live feed before I got her. After I got her she fed off some frozen pinkies. It's now been 2 weeks since she has had a feed. She seems interested, she's sniffing at it etc. She took one the other day, but after doing the usual squeezing thing she let it go. She's also struck out at my fingers a few times while I'm trying to feed her. I've never had this problem with any of my other pythons. Any tips would be great!

 

[craig.a.c]

Wiggle the prey item a bit more so it looks alive. Or you can pierce the head of the pinkie with a pin. It made my problem feeder eat real well.

 

[drapes11]

done both of them... thanks anyways!!!

might have to get a live one and she if that works. Really want to get her onto frozen though

 

[craig.a.c]

Keep trying dead prey, use live as a last resort. It will eat when its hungry. It took 3 months before my stimmie ate for me.

 

[drapes11]

yer i'll keep trying with the frozen pinkies. She's gotta get hungry one day!

 

[craig.a.c]

Thats it. I was getting really worried about mine, but allot of people said "they will eat when they get hungry"..

Good luck. Got any pics of it??

 

[drapes11]

unfortunately I don't.. i don't have a digi camera! how sad.

Will try and get some up soon.. going to borrow one off a mate (or maybe buy one one day!!!)

 

[southy]

try and make sure that the temperature the snake is at is warm enough for it and some of my snakes will smell the rat but until i bump the rat against its head it wont eat

 

[drapes11]

I've bumped, i've wriggled, i've pricked heads, i've left in the cage with her, it's warm, she's warm.... i'll just give her a day or two and then i'll try again

 

[womas4me]

It may just be coming into a shed. My stimo babies will sniff etc but not eat coming up to shedding. Mine are shedding roughly every 6-7 weeks. Another possible cause anyhow.

 

[playwell]

I know what you are going through. I have many snakes and they all eat very well, except one.

He is a very well marked coastal but he drives me mad with the feeding, he used eat thawed every few weeks or so, but after a 2 month hunger strike will not eat anything but live mice now. But still will not eat often, it has been over 1 and half months now and the little prick is still refusing to eat.

I feel like giving the stupid thing away. I have had it with fussy eaters. I have many snakes that eat well and one pain in the butt. I ve had it with him.

Here is a pic

 

[steve6610]

hi drapes11 and playwell,
never give up, the first snake we got didn't eat for 5 months, we thought it was our fault, it was very upsetting, but after buying a few more snakes and having no troubles with them feeding, we realised it wasn't us, she is 3 years old now and you only have to wave a dead rat near her hide and as quick as a flash it's gone, one thing we have learnt in the last 3 years is that when they are ready they will eat, we now have 2 hatchlings that are a bit slow at eating, but one ate tonight so as most herpers will tell you, just keep trying and they will get better,

ps. playwell, if you still want to give it away i'll take it, no worries, :wink:

cheers,
steve..........

 

[africancichlidau]

I wouldn't worry too much just yet mate. One of my hatchy Coastals this season didn't feed for over 2 months Then he took a dead fuzzy, 3 in fact and now he's just a little pig!!