Might be time for a pinky pump

I would not recommend a pinkie pump if you are unable to assist your snake (snake will not swallow the prey) then you will need to force feed your snake, while force feeding is stressful it will still be a better option than a pinkie pump.

If that makes you feel better I had a very small hatchling that refused to eat on her own last season, would not make any effort to swallow the prey when assisted I had to force feed the first meal and assist afterward, now she is one of the most aggressive feeder I have ever seen.

If you have no experience force feeding I would recommend to find someone knowledgeable near you that can help you.

Jay,
From readin the post, I would try a pinkie pump for a while, or some egg yolks. However, he may not be able to eat ever. With that being a possibility, I would hate to see ou nurse him back to health, and have to put him down because he can never eat on his own. It is a tough call, but only you can make it. I know assist feeding a snake for 20-30 years would be a daunting task.

I wish you the best of luck,

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Deborah

I would not recommend a pinkie pump if you are unable to assist your snake (snake will not swallow the prey) then you will need to force feed your snake, while force feeding is stressful it will still be a better option than a pinkie pump.

If that makes you feel better I had a very small hatchling that refused to eat on her own last season, would not make any effort to swallow the prey when assisted I had to force feed the first meal and assist afterward, now she is one of the most aggressive feeder I have ever seen.

If you have no experience force feeding I would recommend to find someone knowledgeable near you that can help you.

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I agree completely.

I am not sure if you tried this not or yet, but it may be an option. I had one female hatchling this year that simply refused to eat. She skipped her first 5 meals in total i think. What worked like a charm though was a brained hopper. I used a sharp razor knife and made an incision on top of its head and spread it open slightly with the blade of the knife. I left it outside of her hide and it was gone 20 minutes later. She ended up never eating a live meal and was on fresh kill right from the beginning and eats fine now.

Robin
H2 Exotics

Hi,

I don't think the worry is she won't eat on her own but that she might not be physically able to eat at all.

the pinky mouse sat in her throat for 24 hours. :(


dr del

Yea, and when the egg yolk went into his throat, I saw a little sitting in his throat so I went to massage it down and I felt bubbles, as if it couldn't pass into his stomach. I could have an xray done to see if his digestive tract is even able to pass anything down, but x rays cost a lot of money. :( I'm going to give him a few days rest, keep him hydrated and attempt a pinky pump on Monday or Tuesday. I will attempt a tube feeding or pinky pump feeding 2-3 times a week and if he doesn't start gaining weight, then we know its not working and I will put him down.

But if he does start gaining weight, we know something is getting through and we can try and get him large enough to start eating whole prey items. We can at least try. I chose to breed my snakes and I brought this snake into the world (with the help of two of my snakes) and I have to give him a chance. I have to fight for him. He's trying to eat. He's making the effort. If he's at least trying to live, I have to do everything I can for him.