Babies wont eat

[Izzys Keeper]

I hatched my first clutch of the season on may 20th. So far none of the babies have eaten. All have been offered live rat pinkies. I know its still a bit early to consider forcefeeding but i dont know what my other options are. Some pics

0.3 normal bp, 1.0 albino bp, 1.0 lesser bp, 0.1 spider bp, 1.0 jacksons chameleon, 0.1 veiled chameleon, 1.0 pit bull doggie

[PitOnTheProwl]

might try mouse hoppers, more movement equals more interest

[Jay_Bunny]

I second the use of mouse hoppers.

[LotsaBalls]

Yeah try hoppers. Also, assist feeding would be the next step not force feeding.

[Annarose15]

What size are your hatchlings? Mine usually start fine on rat crawlers (aka fuzzies), which are larger than pinkies. I then try hoppers before resorting to assist feeding.

How many times have you offered, and how many days apart?

When did they have their first shed?

[Izzys Keeper]

Yeah try hoppers. Also, assist feeding would be the next step not force feeding.

Yea sorry. I wrongly use that term all the time. I meant assist feeding. No worries though, i know the difference

0.3 normal bp, 1.0 albino bp, 1.0 lesser bp, 0.1 spider bp, 1.0 jacksons chameleon, 0.1 veiled chameleon, 1.0 pit bull doggie

[Izzys Keeper]

What size are your hatchlings? Mine usually start fine on rat crawlers (aka fuzzies), which are larger than pinkies. I then try hoppers before resorting to assist feeding.

How many times have you offered, and how many days apart?

When did they have their first shed?

They said exactly a week after being born. I've tried crawlers and hoppers and I usually try feeding every 5 days or so

0.3 normal bp, 1.0 albino bp, 1.0 lesser bp, 0.1 spider bp, 1.0 jacksons chameleon, 0.1 veiled chameleon, 1.0 pit bull doggie

[Stewart_Reptiles]

I posted this in a similar thread a few days ago

PATIENCE

I have hatchlings that have hatched a 5 weeks ago and have not taken a meal yet.

Not sure what you want to feed but this is what I do.

Offer rat first feeding some will take it some not.

Offer rat second and third feeding.

Offer mice to those that have refused rats previously.

Offer mice again to those that have refused the previous week

Offer mice in brown paper bag

Important things are to make sure the temps are not too hot, 6 quarts tubs do not allow much room to thermo regulate and I would consider providing temps of 88 on the warm side (not much hotter than that)

Have aspen bedding this allows them to burrow which means it allows them to feel more secure

Do not offer more than every 7 days.

Add crumble newspaper in the tubs of those that are hard to start.

Monitor their general look make sure they are well hydrated.

Note: I generally do not consider assisting before weeks 6 or 8 in most cases (that's an average).
It is base on overall look, health, weight, whether or not the animal absorbed it's yolk (in the case it did not it would be VERY different) etc.

[Balls Out Morphs]

I posted this in a similar thread a few days ago

I too am dealing with a hatchling that doesn't want to feed; she hatched on 05/05/12. I have done everything almost identical to what Deborah has copied and pasted in this thread. I started off offering rat fuzzies and pinks once a week for 3 weeks and then went to mouse fuzzies or small hoppers for the last 2 weeks. I tried to assist feed her a mouse fuzzy last night but wasn't successful. She was very calm during the entire process but she would never start swallowing the mouse. I held her calmly for about 10-15mins with the mouse in her mouth before carefully placing her back in her tub. Once I let go of her she spit out the mouse and went back in her hide. This is my first clutch and the first I've had to deal with this. I would think I was doing something wrong but all of the other hatchlings in the clutch haven't missed a meal since I started offering food and all but one started on rats. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Rallisonreptiles]

I use mouse hoppers for the first 2 then I try to switch them to. Live rat Pups