Won't baby BP get stress?

[Lolo76]

Don't worry, they usually know what to do with their prey! I hatched my first clutch last year, 6 baby BPs, and 5/6 took their first meal without hesitation... I just threw in a live hopper mouse, and within a few minutes they were striking/coiling & swallowing.

I did have one who refused, and he was the runt of the clutch - born with un-absorbed yolk, a small neck kink, and 10-15g smaller than the other babies. He ended up refusing for almost 8 weeks, despite numerous attempts with different prey types & two failed assist feeds. His weight held pretty steady, though, and as soon as it started to drop he decided to eat. Guess he just wasn't hungry until then! Btw, I still have that snake, and he hasn't refused a meal since.