coastal feeding troubles

[user 14970]

hey everyone.

ive got a problem trying to feed my new coastal hatchling. hes only 21 days old today. he has had his first shed already but hasnt eaten yet. i tried on saturday just gone 7/2/09, to get him to eat some thawed out pinky mice i bought. he wasnt interested at all and basically climbed around it like he would on my hand.

He is around 40-45cm. i left the pinky in his hide where he spends the majority of the day and he still didnt eat it.

has anyone had the same problem with hatchling coastals? also a bloke i know said to put him onto fuzzy mice. would this work better than pinkies? any other suggestions would be awesome.

james

 

[Vassallo2008]

Just Chill And try again a little later. Fuzzys May help but also might be to big..

 

[MatE]

He should eat pinkies but you can try fuzzies.Do you warm them up before you offer it to him?Try not to force it on him as this will freek him out.I usually just give it a wiggle in front of him and perhaps touch him on the side with it softly to get a reaction.If he does grab it dont let it go give it a good wiggle to make him think its alive,then leave him with it.Dont move to much as this can make them let it go.

 

[beardy_boy_6]

go straight on 2 pinky rats

 

[user 14970]

He should eat pinkies but you can try fuzzies.Do you warm them up before you offer it to him?Try not to force it on him as this will freek him out.I usually just give it a wiggle in front of him and perhaps touch him on the side with it softly to get a reaction.If he does grab it dont let it go give it a good wiggle to make him think its alive,then leave him with it.Dont move to much as this can make them let it go.

i warm them them up either using water, or heat mat. i wiggled it in front of him and nudged him with it but he didnt do anything at all. just moved away.

 

[disasterpiece7.0]

Alot of hatchling snakes can be stuborn to get started. they're nocturnal so better off trying at night time. Get some fuzzies as this will get a stronger reaction, they won't be too big. Feed with a pair of tongs, dangle it in front of the snake and give it a jiggle. don't let him crawl onto your hand. If he doesn't take it leave him for a week and try again. If there's nothing after 3 weeks pierce the head, this will open it up to all the smelly stuff inside and hopefully get the desired feeding response.

If you're still having trouble in a month or two you might be better off getting someone with experience to get it feeding.

 

[user 14970]

Alot of hatchling snakes can be stuborn to get started. they're nocturnal so better off trying at night time. Get some fuzzies as this will get a stronger reaction, they won't be too big. Feed with a pair of tongs, dangle it in front of the snake and give it a jiggle. don't let him crawl onto your hand. If he doesn't take it leave him for a week and try again. If there's nothing after 3 weeks pierce the head, this will open it up to all the smelly stuff inside and hopefully get the desired feeding response.

If you're still having trouble in a month or two you might be better off getting someone with experience to get it feeding.

thanks mate. i was gonna try at night time this weekend, ill get some fuzzies too.

 

[user 14970]

bump

 

[Surfcop24]

Grimace..... I have 13 hatchies that I had to get to feed this season.... 10 of them fed after 2 weeks out of the Egg......

The other 3 didnt feed till the other Day.... Almost 5 weeks after hatching....

2 off them attacked a Pinkie that was scented with a few tiny Quail Feathers... The other one hammered it without any scenting....

So... They may have just filled themselves with Yolk while in the egg.....

As others have said ..try Braining... Then if you like you can try scenting with a Chick... Or Quail... Or some try scenting with a Small Skinks Tail.... Up to you...

You have a few options there.... Have you got soe small scales.?? Keep an eye on his weight... If he loses weight... It might be time to get an experienced person to assist you...

Good Luck

 

[draqonfly]

if everything fails..... try feeding it a live pinky

 

[user 14970]

Grimace..... I have 13 hatchies that I had to get to feed this season.... 10 of them fed after 2 weeks out of the Egg......

The other 3 didnt feed till the other Day.... Almost 5 weeks after hatching....

2 off them attacked a Pinkie that was scented with a few tiny Quail Feathers... The other one hammered it without any scenting....

So... They may have just filled themselves with Yolk while in the egg.....

As others have said ..try Braining... Then if you like you can try scenting with a Chick... Or Quail... Or some try scenting with a Small Skinks Tail.... Up to you...

You have a few options there.... Have you got soe small scales.?? Keep an eye on his weight... If he loses weight... It might be time to get an experienced person to assist you...

Good Luck

thanks surf cop. yes i might get some scales and check his weight. he does look bigger than he was when we got him. he also did a crap and i hadnt fed him anything, neither did the breeder, so he most likely ate the yoke.

 

[user 14970]

bump

 

[mysnakesau]

hey everyone.

ive got a problem trying to feed my new coastal hatchling. hes only 21 days old today. he has had his first shed already but hasnt eaten yet. i tried on saturday just gone 7/2/09, to get him to eat some thawed out pinky mice i bought. he wasnt interested at all and basically climbed around it like he would on my hand.

He is around 40-45cm. i left the pinky in his hide where he spends the majority of the day and he still didnt eat it.

has anyone had the same problem with hatchling coastals? also a bloke i know said to put him onto fuzzy mice. would this work better than pinkies? any other suggestions would be awesome.

james

At 3 weeks old he may very well still be sufficiently fueled up from the yolk. My babies didn't start accepting food until from 4 weeks to 12 months old. So they can be very stubborn.

Also, speaking from my experience only here, my babies all refused pinkies but they were happier with fuzzies. And trust me they aren't too big. They will get it down. Experienced breeders tell me they like the little bit furry ones.

 

[Mudimans]

mysnakesau, what did you do with the one that didn't accept food for 12 months. We have one very stubborn hatchie coastal that will just not eat, no matter what we do! And we have tried EVERYTHING!! How long can a hatchie go without a feed?? Or between feeds?

 

[user 14970]

At 3 weeks old he may very well still be sufficiently fueled up from the yolk. My babies didn't start accepting food until from 4 weeks to 12 months old. So they can be very stubborn.

Also, speaking from my experience only here, my babies all refused pinkies but they were happier with fuzzies. And trust me they aren't too big. They will get it down. Experienced breeders tell me they like the little bit furry ones.

hes actually 2 months old

 

[Mangles]

I have Coastals that hatched in December, and whilst most feed very well, some were stubborn. What works for one may not work for another. Scenting with chicken feathers worked well for one stubborn feeder, but others I had to get them cranky so they would strike at the food. Usually they would then let go, but after a while got the idea and held on and constricted. I had two that had their first unassisted feed two nights ago, but still have one that will not feed at all.