| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| jhk2005 |
Posted - 08/10/2011 : 09:54:51
Hi all, hope everybody is well!! I know i've been pretty quiet of late, but I could really use some advice, pretty please!! 
I've bought a baby lesser 2 weeks ago (approx 2mths old) and he's supposed to be strike feeding on baby/fuzzy mice... needless to say he's not eaten since i've had him and just wondering if there's any tricks for getting little ones feeding that I could try? Normally I would worry but he's really tiny (approx 75-80gms) and don't want to leave him too long if avoidable...
setup-wise he's in a 5L rub, 2 hides (1 at each end), 2 small water bowls and the bedding he was delivered with (to provide a familiar scent to help him settle in). Temp in the hot end is 88C, cool end 80C.
He's shed within the first week with no problems and i'm probably worrying unnecessarily but its the first time i've had a baby one and as im planning to breed my bigger ones, any help with feeding hatchlings would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for listening everybody, i'm eagerly awaiting your replies  |
| 5 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Evolution Morphs |
Posted - 09/10/2011 : 09:25:15
What I do is boil the kettle up pour the water in a cup
Dip the rats / mice head in the hot water for about 10-15 secs then offer I've got good results from doing that
Some just take longer to settle in than others
90f is spot on :) |
| jhk2005 |
Posted - 09/10/2011 : 09:09:54
thanks all, your kind words are putting my mind at rest 
You're absolutely right on there Bats, my main concern is because he is so tiny and having never had 1 so small I wanted to make sure he would cope, etc and see if it was just me being neurotic?! At least i'm not alone eh?
the reading are definitely farenheit lotabob, lol! i've actually upped my temps to bring them to about 90degs this morning before coming online  just in case my little ones were feeling the cold - I live in quite an old (rented) house so you can guess how (un)insulated the place is and a drop outside seems to come through these thin walls quite noticeably so I try to keep an eye n check the temps at least daily. He did shed with no probs tho, which i'm taking as a good sign 
I have tried tempting with strike and overnight feeding Jay but haven't lost hope after reading abuot your success. I've only got 1 (Mo) who will eat if I leave it overnight, the rest usually strike feed if i warm the food first.
I'm guessing that the babies can be just as fussy as the adults (but a helluva lot cuter! ) but thanks again for helping, i'll keep you posted on his progress and if I ever get a new camera i'll put up some pics of my (ever increasing) snakey family! big hugs to all |
| Lotabob |
Posted - 09/10/2011 : 00:26:20
I hope you mean Farenheit or that could be your problem! LOL (Though I would say 88oF is still not quite warm enough 90-95oF hot end, cold end is good though, its only a tiny difference but to a cold blooded animal it can make all the difference).
2 weeks is nothing at all for a new arrival to refuse food, even more the case if it decided to have a shed too. |
| n/a |
Posted - 08/10/2011 : 10:57:16
Hi, Jhk, sorry to hear he hasn't fed yet.
I know just how you're feeling as Shahi came last year as a hatchling and didn't eat for three feeds - you do worry when they're as tiny as that, no getting away from it, and in Shahi's case, it turned out that nobody really knew when he'd last fed, or if he'd been eating at all before I got him. I was totally inexperienced, never had a royal before, but a couple of weeks back the lad tipped the scales at 1250g!
Having now read a load of stuff on the forum, as you have yourself, I don't think missing two feeds is anything to worry about for a new snake, even a hatchling - but at the same time it would be much better if he DID feed. I can't think of anything that you won't know about yourself, and the only thing to do, imo is, let him settle in at his own pace, try him with the prey, well warmed, on tongs and if it's refused, leave it with him, as Jay suggests ...you'll know all the other ploys such as braining etc...I don't think baby royals differ that much from adults, feeding-wise, but others may have other suggestions.
I ended up assisting Shahi, as a) I was worried sick in view of his history and b)I was totally inexperienced in the ways of royals. I think he would have eaten by himself, given more time, but as it happened I only needed to assist once; he virtually hung his gob open, and coiled and munched like a good 'un, a case of who assisted who! He struck fed after that. So assist isn't always traumatic but I'm sure you won't need to resort to that.
Fingers crossed and congrats on the new lad, by the way. Sorry if I've overlapped with anyone else.
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| Jay |
Posted - 08/10/2011 : 10:39:52
Hi Mate,
1 thing I have found that can work sometimes is to leave the food item in with the snake for a few hours.
I had it recently with my new royals, 1 of the 3 fed with no problems at all, while the other 2 were just not interested. so I left a mouse with each. the first ate within an hour the second after about 2 and a half hours.
hope this helps
Jay |
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