How long before I assist feed?

Hey everyone,
I have a Pastel hatchling that hatched on 7-7-11. It has yet to eat. All others have. I have tried both pinky mice and rats. Weight born-62g and weight today-55g. Just wondering when do I try and assist feeding her? I will be feeding the little ones today, so I will see if she eats on her own first.

thanks,

Dave

I go by the overall look and health of the animal. I don't think it's as simple as just setting a date. I had a set of twins this year that refused for several weeks...I assist fed them several times and they are eating like champs now. On the other hand I have a snake that has not eaten yet and it's been over a month. Her weight and overall health seems to be fine, so I'm not stressing over it yet...Just keeping an eye on her and offering her meals every week. I think you just have to use your personal judgement.

Can also try, if you have them available to you, live asf pups or hopper mice cause they are a bit more spastic then rat and mouse pinks. The movement might trigger a feeding response

Sent from my Phone

I agree with trying a hopper mouse, as the lack of movement in a pink won't typically interest them. One of my babies from last year (the runt) refused food for 8 weeks after hatching... his weight wasn't dropping much at first, and then took a sudden dive around week 7. Lo and behold, that's when he decided to finally start eating - so I guess he just wasn't hungry until then! He hasn't stopped eating since, and while he's still pretty small for his age, he's growing steadily & doing great. :) So I would say not to worry quite yet, although I'm hardly an expert at this point. Does your baby look really thin and/or lethargic?

Thanks everyone for the great advise! I just offered her a pinky mouse and after looking at it for several minutes, she finally hit it and consumed it! :D
With all the new hatchlings out there, maybe someone else will benefit from the answers in this post!

thanks again,

Dave