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Posted by genaroleon on May 12, 2003 at 10:53:18:
In Reply to: Assist feeding question posted by JM on May 12, 2003 at 10:30:09:
How long have you had these snakes?? Sounds like they are just a recent purchase - and if so you should just let them alone. The snake may need some time to settle into his/her new surroundings... new tank, environment, smells etc etc. Many times newly accuired snakes may be stubborn at first - but again this is for the reasons I just previously mentioned. I understand that you are simply looking out for your snakes, and are wanting them to stay healthy - so dont take this as an attack on your husbandry. Just give your snakes some time. Ask the previous owned how he fed the snakes and try to replicate this. I remember one time when i had bought a new snake, the bad boy hissed and striked at me whenever I got near it - also refused to eat... I left him alone for about 3 weeks and he settled down quite nicely.
:I've got two little 03' babies that have not been feeding. They were sold to me as "Feeders" but I rather suspect that is not true and they have never fed. ~ Both of these babies were in shed when I got them, and they only wieghed 62 grams for one, and 75 grams for the other.
:So yesterday I tried this "Assist feeding" I had heard of. I dispatched a pinky mouse, used the mouses snout to force open the snakes snout, and stuffed the little pinkie in as far as I could shove it. Took a couple goes, where the snake spat out the pinkie, but within a reasonably short time both snakes just went ahead and swallowed the pinkie. Success! (I didn't expect it to work, and it didn't work with the pinkie rat I tried, couldn't get it shoved in far enough to keep the snake from spitting it out)
:So now what?
:I plan to offer another live pinkie in 3 or 4 days, but if they refuse.......when do I resort to assist feeding again? How long will the one mouse pinkie hold them before I need to worry about getting more nutrition in them? What are the chances that now that they have a meal in them, they will voluntarilly take the next meal?
