this should work

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Posted by dg on March 18, 2001 at 10:42:26:

In Reply to: Feeding baby black rat posted by Dean on March 18, 2001 at 09:15:04:

: Hi Folks;

: gotta small problem with one of my baby black ratsnakes. I bought a pair @ Glade's Herps while on vacation in Florida this fall. The male eats like a pig, the female however eats a pinkie maybe once a month. She only seems to eat when she has to, she's thin but doesn't look starving, I wish I could get her up to 1 pinkie a week. Both hatchlings were the same size when I brought them home, now the male is easily twice her size. I'm keeping them @ about 75 to 79 degrees, everything else @ that temp is doing fine, the Glade's rats, Russian rats & the other black rat. I've tried braining & whatnot to make the food more appealing but she doesn't even show interest in it, when she does eat she'll take food right from my hand so I try to get her to take 3 or 4 when shes in eating mode but she just stops @ 1.

: Any suggestions to get her appetite kick started a little?? You've been a great help in the past.

Hi Dean,
Still covered in snow? LOL

There are two things that I can suggest that might work for your snake. In my opinion the prognosis looks good since she does eat, just not as much as you would like, :)

Have you tried leaving her in a deli cup overnight with a pinkie or two? Sometimes not all snakes will feed immediately from the hand, and some have a tendency to be shy or secretive in their feeding habits. Of course others will lunge out of their cage for food, feeding responses vary greatly. Next time you are ready to feed your black rats, try the deli cup trick and leave her in it overnight. Then the next morning you can always feed the pinks to the other one if it didn't work.

Another tip would be to try to "chain feed" her more than one pinkie at a time. This is very easy to accomplish, and I do it very often to get problem feeders jump started. Here is what you should try:

The next time your snake feeds voluntarily from your hand, BEFORE she is finish swallowing, slowly ease another pinkie up to her mouth and place it against the end of the first one. Usually rat snakes are oblivious to this move, and continue to swallow. Be patient, and the snake will finish the first one, and at the same time begin to swallow the second. Once it is about a quarter of the way down, you can release it and PRESTO, two pinks down the hatch.

Eventually she should begin to eat multiple pinks on her own, but if necessary you can continue the chain feeding routine until she does. I would try two pinks the first time, and ease your way up to three. Go easy at first, you definitely don't want a snake this picky to regurgitate from having too large of a meal.

Hope this helps,
dg

Elaphe obsoleta

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: : Hi Folks; : : gotta small problem with one of my baby black ratsnakes. I bought a pair @ Glade's Herps while on vacation in Florida this fall. The male eats like a pig, the female however eats a pinkie maybe once a month. She only seems to eat when she has to, she's thin but doesn't look starving, I wish I could get her up to 1 pinkie a week. Both hatchlings were the same size when I brought them home, now the male is easily twice her size. I'm keeping them @ about 75 to 79 degrees, everything else @ that temp is doing fine, the Glade's rats, Russian rats & the other black rat. I've tried braining & whatnot to make the food more appealing but she doesn't even show interest in it, when she does eat she'll take food right from my hand so I try to get her to take 3 or 4 when shes in eating mode but she just stops @ 1. : : Any suggestions to get her appetite kick started a little?? You've been a great help in the past. : Hi Dean, : Still covered in snow? LOL : There are two things that I can suggest that might work for your snake. In my opinion the prognosis looks good since she does eat, just not as much as you would like, :) : Have you tried leaving her in a deli cup overnight with a pinkie or two? Sometimes not all snakes will feed immediately from the hand, and some have a tendency to be shy or secretive in their feeding habits. Of course others will lunge out of their cage for food, feeding responses vary greatly. Next time you are ready to feed your black rats, try the deli cup trick and leave her in it overnight. Then the next morning you can always feed the pinks to the other one if it didn't work. : Another tip would be to try to "chain feed" her more than one pinkie at a time. This is very easy to accomplish, and I do it very often to get problem feeders jump started. Here is what you should try: : The next time your snake feeds voluntarily from your hand, BEFORE she is finish swallowing, slowly ease another pinkie up to her mouth and place it against the end of the first one. Usually rat snakes are oblivious to this move, and continue to swallow. Be patient, and the snake will finish the first one, and at the same time begin to swallow the second. Once it is about a quarter of the way down, you can release it and PRESTO, two pinks down the hatch. : Eventually she should begin to eat multiple pinks on her own, but if necessary you can continue the chain feeding routine until she does. I would try two pinks the first time, and ease your way up to three. Go easy at first, you definitely don't want a snake this picky to regurgitate from having too large of a meal. : Hope this helps, : dg

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