Help Feeding

[Sluf]

Now people i have had my new mate for 2 weeks and it is time to try and get him to feed ,he was eating live pinkies when i got him but only have available fozen ones so how do i go about feeding him.
i have the info from the breeder but it only explains live food
My mate is a hatchling Childrens
Enclosure temp 30 hot end 25 cool end
Please help

 

[Alexahnder]

I have the same problem too. My snakes haven't eaten for about 6 weeks(they are adult childreni) They were eating thawed mice before.

Sluf, you could try "braining" the pinkies which is when you get pin of something sharp and stick it into the pinkies head. Then smother the disgusting stuff over the pinkies head

 

[lutzd]

Feeding

What have you tried so far?

I find it helps if you pre-heat the prey to normal body temperature. I usually bung 'em in the microwave after natural thawing for about 5 seconds. Be careful though - test for temperature after heating and allow to cool a bit if necessary.

Some people say to cut them to get the blood scent, others say to crack the skull so brains are exposed (yuk!), although I haven't had to try that, luckily!

Have you tried waving the mouse in front of the snake (on the end of tweezers or similar)?

Another option is to "tease" the snake with it - make it a little agro so it snaps at the prey. Once it gets a taste it might encourage it to eat.

Last suggestion is to try it at night rather than day time, as they are normally night eaters in the wild, so they may be more likely to take it then.

Hope this helps.

 

[James]

My male Stimsons ate his first dead pinkie the other day the female has not eaten in 7 weeks so I gave up and gave her a garden skink yesterday that she ate in no time at all.

I have this stuff called lizard maker 2 drops on the head of the dead pinkie and my male went at it straight away.

But the female did not. I have tried braining a pinkie (be careful as it can squirt across the room) :shock: and my female turned her nose up at it. I have tried rubbing lizard guts all over a live pinkie and she will not touch them. My next trick is to feed her a live garden skink and get another and rub its guts all over a pinkie and give it to her straight after the lizard.

These are some of the things I have tried if you get really worried give them a garden skink I only did as my female is really skinny not like her brother.

 

[lutzd]

feeding

I like the idea of the lizard drops - where did you get them?

I have read where it may be a problem feeding garden skinks due the the possibility of parasites being passed on to the snake - just what I read somewhere....

 

[James]

I got the drops from wings and fins in sutherland there made by T-Rex I think Pet care 2000 also sells them.

About the parasites its a risk I had to take she is so skinny

I am thinking she might have to be force fed has anyone had to do it :?:

Just posted a pic of Lizard maker

 

[snakehunter]

I have tried that lizard maker b4 but it didnt work for me.
Ive heard that because it is an american product, it smells like american lizards, which is unfamiliar to our aussie snakes, and so may contribute to why it doesnt work all that well

 

[Alexahnder]

haha

 

[Simon_Archibald]

*^*

 

[hey_im_sam]

just a note on the heating - i used to use a microwave until someone brought up a very good point... think, sometimes food you heat in the microwave gets very hot in the microwave. i doubt that'd be too different with a rodent... i bet their internal fluids would get hot very quickly. i just dont think that would be good for the snakes.
though i'm sure you would avoid that most of the time, it's the other times im worried about.
anyway that was years ago, since, i have always used warm-hot water to thaw and heat the rodents. once they're fuly thawed, 10 seconds in hot water will bring them up to temperature for the snakes quickly. If the snakes dont mind, i also dont dry them off - i figure they get some fluids into them, just another way to avoid dehydration.
hope a bit of that might be useful

 

[lutzd]

yep

Yep - you're absolutely right, Sam! That's why I said to check the temperature afterwards. 5 seconds on light setting works for me. ... but whatever - reheating is the essecne of what I was trying to say, so hot water, hair dryer, or whatever - it sometimes helps.

As for contamination - I assume you mean to me, rather than the snake! Sounds reasonable. I always put the mouse inside something (bag or similar first. :lol:

 

[James]

Guys thanks for the info on heating pinkies. My female ate a pinkie tonight I think she was not eating as they might not have been hot enough.
I ran hot tap water over the pinkie for a good few minutes and she ate it.

That's a lot of worry gone now as its taken 7 weeks to get her to eat.

 

[africancichlidau]

Isn't it a great feeling when a worry about one of your animals goes away Congrats mate

 

[hey_im_sam]

awesome james, really glad to hear it worked for ya

 

[CheeJ]

I think persistence and patience is the key.........but it's always good to have all these wonderful ideas to try.....
I hope you don't use that microwave for your normal food lutzd.. :lol:
Sometimes a newly acquired snakes may take a while before settling in which during that period would not feed.....Let them settle in with minimum handling and they should start to feed voluntarily....
By the way, I have never tried 'braining' or cutting open pinkies to entice the snakes to feed....too messy

 

[lutzd]

I don't see why not?

... by the way, how would yoiu like to come to my place for dinner tomorrow! Yummy microwave meals!

 

[James]

David

I will have the roasted pinkies with rat pup on the side :lol:

 

[Nicole]

Congrats James! Great news!

 

[Hawkeye]

Reminds me of my student days. We cooked and ate a lab rat.........they taste just like human.....but thats another story :lol:

David should I bring the Fava beans and chianti?

Cheers "Hannibal" Hawkeye

 

[grahamh]

I guess if nothing else they are clean(ish) and if they're good enough for our scaley mates then ..........I'll be up for a leg.

Is there any evidence of Leptospirosis in lab rats - and are snakes susceptible to Lepto?