I have a baby ball that lost 12 grams and we have been assist feeding because he looked malnourished. Unfortunately we are have to use smaller that what he should be able to take on his own. We are trying to get his weight up but he has still yet to take on his own or even really track when presented. I feel like giving him a chance each time and if not taking then assist feed until his weight gets up a little and we can wait longer to see if his hunder sets him right. Any suggestions?
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How much does your BP weigh in total, and how old is it (in months)? What size and type of prey are you trying to feed it?
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Also is this a snake that you hatched?
If not and this snake had been eating prior that can also be a big no no…you generally don’t want to assist feed an animal that had been eating previously.
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Born july 18th this year, we hatched it. was born at 62 and got down to 50 and that was at 5-6 weeks after so we started assist feeding to save it. We has started on mouse fuzzies and small hoppers. The rest of the clutch was about the same size and for the most part they regularly take. This one in particular has not taken on his own. I have 2 others that are about a week -2 weeks younger that have not taken on their own and were at 74 g and got down to around 60 but had the concave belly and spine was becoming prominent.
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By assist feed, I presume you are holding the food item in the mouth until the snake starts to eat the item on its own. Is that correct? How many times have you assist fed the hatchling. You say it doesn’t track but are talking about tracking a FT item or a live prey? If you’ve only tried FT, do you have access to live. Do you have any type of hide in the hatchling’s tub? I usually try to start all my babies out with a small hide until they are eating pretty regularly. In the wild, these are ambush predators, They need to have a place of concealment that also doubles as place of security. When I hatch my babies I leave them in a the same tub with a watering bowl until they all shed. Inevitably they will all be crammed between the water bowl and tub wall in a tight pile. They like to be squeezed into a space. To be suddenly isolated and have no cover can be very traumatic, That is why I always start with a hide. Even if I have an older animal go off feed suddenly with no good reason, I may give them a hide to see if the change in environment helps them relax and get back on track.
Hope you get things worked out soon.
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we have ony tried live and yes on the CO2 live and place in the back of the throat so it won’t spit it out. We have AF 5 times. We do have hides for all of the hatchlings. We feed in separate totes so from what you said maybe we give it a few hours with a hide in the feeding tote too. I have also heard a brown paper sack so they hear the pitter patter more and then maybe the enclosed makes them feel more concealed. We do shut the lights off after we place the round of feeders in the totes.
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Just so I’m clear. Are you gassing the mice before you feed?
Also, not to be too pedantic, but nothing can make a snake hear better since they are essentially deaf. Now the paper bag may offer more vibration for them to feel and sense, but they have no true auditory system.
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I would stop feeding in a different tote. Some snakes are really shy, and it’s entirely possible that moving the baby to feed is enough to get it out of feeding mode and is preventing it from wanting to feed. I would just keep offering live, offer in the evening when the baby is already more likely to be in hunting mode, and I’d strongly recommend having a hide in the regular enclosure and feeding in the regular enclosure.
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Yes we gas the rats only before we assist feed. Other than that we offer live. We will definitely try putting the rat in the regular tote.
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Also thank you for all of the helping. It’s great to be part of a community hobby.
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Definitely don’t feed them in different totes. Too much stress on an ambush hunter.
Anna gave some great advice in your last thread as a recap:
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appreciate it.
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