I hatched my first clutch of babies back in October (6 babies, no hatching issues) but one of them, which we named ghost, wont eat. He didn’t eat as a hatchling, we’ve been syringe feeding him carnivore care and trying pinkies, we even tried live, but he shows zero interest in any of it. Lately, he’s been pooping less. I’m not sure what to do, i want to give him the best care possible.
The first two pictures were right after a syringe feeding. All the siblings are healthy, with 0 issues and eat great. just trying to figure out where to go from here.
Another note- when we started syringe feeding he took it well, but lately we’ve been having to give him smaller amounts or he regurgitates it
Let’s see if we can help you help your baby. A few questions first. Please describe how the baby is housed, including temps. How often are you handling it? How often are you attempting to feed? What did you try initially, and at what point did you start syringe feeding? What quantities?Have you syringe fed before, or where did you learn how?
Regurgitation in a baby is very worrisome. They don’t have much in the way of reserves, and a regurge is very damaging to their GI tract. It’s a much bigger deal than a human vomiting. *DO NOT * repeat do not feed a baby who had regurges for at least 10-14 days. Keep them warm, 85°F is good (not over 87°F). Don’t bother them at all apart from changing their water for at least 10 days.
Edit to add: if you have a scale, what has been happening with his weight? (If not, I suggest getting one. A little kitchen scale which weighs in g works great and they’re inexpensive and easy to find.)
You’ve already gotten good advice, so I’ll just start with the photos.
What is the timeline between the first 2 photos and the last one? The baby in the last picture looks very dehydrated and thin.
There might be something going on with the baby internally if all of the other siblings don’t have these issues, regurgitation in babies is not good at all especially if its already pretty much getting a pureed diet syringe fed into its mouth and declining in that reguard.
You’ll have to get in contact with your vet for this one. Do not attempt another feeding until you get ahold of a vet or a week passes after your last feeding & regurge. Keep the baby in a humid environment with sphagnum moss, make sure it has access to clean fresh water thats changed daily.
And I know this may sound a little harsh… but I’d absolutely refrain from naming and getting attached to hatchlings that are in poor health. This doesn’t dismiss the care they need but in the world of breeding and caring for animals sometimes you will have sad moments, not every hatchling you will bring into the world will make it. I’ve made this mistake in the past with a few different types of animals that were in a rescue situation and I ended up hurting a lot when some of them didn’t make it.
I’m at work currently, so I’m starting with the questions i can answer.
The top two pictures are dated November 17th
and the one of him in my hand was November 15th
Ill try to get some more recent photos soon.
We don’t handle him much, maybe once a week, if we do.
We’re attempting to feed ~5 days (When his siblings eat)
We tried several methods, including leaving him in a dark box with a warm pinkie, and at one point tried live, though there was no interest. I think our first syringe feeding was 11/8, so 2/3 weeks after hatching (siblings had all had i believe 2 meals at this point)
He’s in very simplistic housing right now, in tupperware containers with a hide, water bowl, some fake flowers and a rock, and paper towel substrate, so we can monitor his pooping.
My friend showed us the syringe feeding, which he had done before, and provided us with what we needed.
To clarify, he isn’t regurgitating everything, just some, most of it stays down. That’s why we’ve been giving him less.
As for the name, it was simply to keep track of the babies. One has already passed in a tragic accident in his new home, so I am aware theres a possibility he doesn’t make it.
He has had 2 sheds, and actually grew faster than his siblings in the beginning, though hes starting to slow down.
Hopefully I answered most of the questions so far <3
Gonna pop in and ask a few questions: What temperature is this hatchling being kept at, and how is the enclosure heated? If he’s regurgitating some of the feeding, do be careful as you don’t want an issue with aspiration. Everyone else has given solid advice. I will ask, are you leaving the pinkies in overnight? Have you tried boiled? Scented? Just checking what has and hasn’t been tried. You might also consider giving him some substrate, can’t hurt to give a bit more cover and see if that helps.
This is much earlier than I would have started syringe feeding.
My most effective tricks for baby corns are: feeding in a small container, in the dark, overnight; feeding a boiled pinkie; feeding a lizard scented pinkie. And you can combine tricks as well. But I would definitely give him at least a few weeks of tricks before syringe feeding.
I would also like to see a fresh pic of him. The one in your hand doesn’t look great, kinda thin and small. But he looks okay in the other pics.
Until he’s feeding well on his own, it’s best not to handle him. At this point he’s very stressed. This is counter productive in a lot of ways.
If your babies are normal weight, 5 day intervals are a bit close. It’s not wrong, and it’s helpful with little bitty ones. Once they are about 10 g, which they likely are, you might consider spacing out to weekly feedings. (You probably already know it’s best not to feed when they’re in shed.) Part of the logic is that short intervals don’t give them much time to digest and get out and about to hunt/explore. Movement promotes good health and appetite.
Agreed. Some of them simply take a little longer to decide to eat. Sometimes a new scent or trick works, sometimes one which didn’t work before will work when it’s tried again. Honestly, syringe feeding is the very last thing to try, usually after several months and noticeable, significant loss of condition/weight. Not trying to gang up on you or anything, just info for the future. Syringe feeding is an aggressive thing from his perspective and should be only a last-ditch effort. You should also refrain from repeated syringe feedings in a row, again unless the snake us really frail.
More cover, some substrate to burrow in, etc. will be helpful for this little guy’s sense of security. That in turn may help him to feel more like feeding down the road. They’re vulnerable when eating and digesting, and they know it.
ANY regurgitation is too much for a baby. Please don’t offer anything except water at this point. He needs to heal, if not to be seen by a vet. Losing weight or condition is a bad sign, especially with repeated regurges, even partial regurges. Their metabolism works at about 20% the rate of a human’s. Healing takes time.
Definitely give him warmth, cover, water, and peace for at least 10 days from the last regurge.
There are so, so many tricks for getting one started feeding. First prioroty is to maximize little Ghost’s chance to heal. Then focus on what comes next.
Regurgitation is definitely a big concern regardless of the amount as the others have said.
It’s mostly been seen in a few larger species, but the stomach acid in snakes is so potent that it has killed the snake that regurged. It’s usually a full regurge and the snake sitting on paper in the cases I’ve heard, but not only can it severely burn the esophagus, it can cause ulcers in the skin of the snake if they are weak and sitting in it.
I agree this little one should see a vet to figure out why if the regurgitation continues.
@bleeding1nk If the first 2 pictures are the most recent ones, ghost looks like he’s a somewhat decent weight. I agree with Olivia that you started syringe feeding too soon. It’s possible you are feeding too much, more than he can digest before you feed him again, thus regurgitation results. Just a theory of course.
I am echoing what has also been suggested. Give the little guy a good rest and time to heal his insides FIRST. I would say a couple of weeks. Give him a comfy cozy little room with hides on warm end and cool end and some shredded aspen to curl up in. Only do water changes during those 2 weeks.
There is one thing I haven’t see mentioned and that’s assist feeding. Sometimes a snake, for some reason, does not recognize a rodent as food but once the rodent is introduced to the snake by assist feeding, a lot of times that does the trick. But little ghost needs time to heal. Even after that, assist feeding is a last resort……
Btw, I have used the boiled pink method before and it’s worked like a charm for me……
