Assist feeding question

[JulieInNJ]

My older bp has spoiled me; she's always been a great eater, striking as soon as I start the F/T dangle.

My two little hatchlings, which came from an expo and were VERY small, need to be assist fed. To those of you who have assist fed hatchlings before, how long have you had to assist feed before they learned the strike on their own? I just want to make sure we're generally on track.

[Simplex]

Not to hijack but if i can add a question.. Last time i tried assis feeding mine he kept spitting it out. How do u get past this? He wont take it.

[JulieInNJ]

I get it just into the beginning of their throats so that if they clamp down, their teeth hook it. So far, so good, lol.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

To the OP

I am curious what is the setup for those two hatchlings and were they bought as animal that were assisted?

The key with hatchlings is security, warmth and stimulation from the prey.

If you don't already have them individually in a 6 quarts tub with some aspen as bedding (this is very important) , have temps of 88-90 on the warm side, and offer live hopper mice.

Not to hijack but if i can add a question.. Last time i tried assis feeding mine he kept spitting it out. How do u get past this? He wont take it.

You need to put it far enough in the mouth if it still manages to spit it out you will need to force feed and not assist.

[JulieInNJ]

I am curious what is the setup for those two hatchlings and were they bought as animal that were assisted?

The key with hatchlings is security, warmth and stimulation from the prey.

If you don't already have them individually in a 6 quarts tub with some aspen as bedding (this is very important) , have temps of 88-90 on the warm side, and offer live hopper mice.

Each is set up in one of my quarantine tanks which are 10 gallon tanks with a UTH, and hides on both sides. I've been using paper towels; I do have some aspen but I thought they couldn't eat while in aspen (am I wrong?). Temps have been good and stable.

When I picked them up, I specifically asked if they were being fed f/t, because I haven't found anything in my area that sells live feeders (there's a store about 45 minutes away). The breeder said they were doing well on f/t. In retrospect, I'm thinking that wasn't accurate and he was just pushing to make a sale . They were both VERY light weight when I brought them home and have gained steadily since I've had them.

At any rate, I've tried a couple of different tactics. I prefer to feed in a separate tub (I know it's not necessary, but it's a habit I got into with my older girl), but I've tried feeding in their tank too. I've tried wiggling, gentle bumping on the nose, just leaving it, but neither hatchling will strike. As soon as it hits their mouths, both are great about getting it down (curling around it, etc.).

Any suggestions? My last resort may be to make the 45 minute trip to get live feeders.

[rperry03]

I personally never had a young snake accept anything other than live.
The one that I did have to assist feed realized how good food was after that

[JulieInNJ]

I personally never had a young snake accept anything other than live.
The one that I did have to assist feed realized how good food was after that

How far into south jersey are you? Where do you get your feeders? I'm wondering if maybe there's a place I don't know about.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

I saw the setup and I can tell you it is part of your issue, they need extra security that your current setup does not offer the 6 quarts tub will solve that and aspen bedding is part of the solution as well.

You also need to feed them in their enclosure, BP can be very prone to stress so much so that putting them in an enclosure to feed them can and will lead to refusal if the animal is already inconsistent.

Live feeding is very important at this point they are not eating for you and live is what will stimulate them, on they eat with consistency you can switch them but at this point live is needed.

Assisting an animal is VERY stressful and can lead to stress which in turn can lead to other various issue.

All it takes in you case are a few changes.

[JulieInNJ]

I saw the setup and I can tell you it is part of your issue, they need extra security that your current setup does not offer the 6 quarts tub will solve that and aspen bedding is part of the solution as well.

You also need to feed them in their enclosure, BP can be very prone to stress so much so that putting them in an enclosure to feed them can and will lead to refusal if the animal is already inconsistent.

Live feeding is very important at this point they are not eating for you and live is what will stimulate them, on they eat with consistency you can switch them but at this point live is needed.

Assisting an animal is VERY stressful and can lead to stress which in turn can lead to other various issue.

All it takes in you case are a few changes.

Okay, I'll give it a whirl. I have some 6 qt tubs, so I'll set them up. Thanks for all the advice!

[JulieInNJ]

Forgot to ask - they're okay eating in aspen? I thought that wasn't a good idea.