Keep the humidity high until their first shed--hatchlings are prone to dehydration.
Offer food no sooner than 4 days after the first shed (most wait a week).
I offer my hatchlings their first meal about a half hour after the lights go out. I offer rat fuzzies first. If those are not accepted, I try again 2 days later. If they're not taken after a week, I try hopper mice. If that's rejected, I alternate them every 3 days again. After another week, I try the crumpled newspaper trick with a rat fuzzy. If that fails a few times, I give up and assist-feed them a rat pinky. 70% of the time, they take the next fuzzy I offer them on their own. If not, they get assist-fed again. 90% of the remaining ones take the next fuzzy after that on their own. A scant few need to be fiddled with further before they eat on their own, and a few never will eat reliably every time.
It's usually about 1 out of 20 that gives me issues, and then just one out of 100 that goes on to be a problem feeder.
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