hatchings and food

[darren888]

So last year was my first year to breed and it was a 100% success 11 from 11 good eggs that led to 11 great young, but 4 of them turned out to be total hard heads when it came to feeding , I tried mouse and rat pups had them nice and warm sented them with chicks and still nothing in the end it came down to assist feeding . so anything I missed or any pointers and if all fails at what point do you start assist feeding?

[Alicia]

Did you try live? Mouse fuzzies, crawlers, or hoppers? Even mouse weans? What bedding were they on? (Many babies feel more secure, and so eat better, on aspen or cypress.) Did they have hide boxes?

Assist feeding a last resort. When its behavior around a variety of food items tells me it doesn't understand what food is/how to eat, and, more importantly, its body condition is going down hill - an energetic baby that seems like it could still take on live prey is not in dire need. (Also, just to clarify, condition and energy level are the main things I look for. I felt like I had to mention the behavior, because it has seemed like that can take a while to click in some babies.)

[darren888]

Did try live mice pinkies the bedding was news paper all housed by themselves from day one and all had hide box's lots of water and 80 to 85 in temp range .

[aalomon]

Mouse pinks would have been too small to get their attention. Mouse hoppers normally do the trick with all their movement.

[darren888]

Mouse pinks would have been too small to get their attention. Mouse hoppers normally do the trick with all their movement.

Good I like that.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Well pinkies are far too small those are not colubrids, hopper is the size you want.

How old are they? How often and how many times have you been offering food?

Switch your bedding to aspen it provides additional security.

Do not offer too often.

Put some lose crumble news paper in your tubs

Use the brown paper trick.

Assisting should be done as a last result.

[darren888]

Forgot to say got them all feeding in the end , I know now pinkies are to small and it was a last resort they got to tin so it was a must, the assist feeding was easy it didn't take much and I up'd the food size as they got bigger.the thinking behind the small food size was not to stress them out to much.

[darren888]

Also 5 of them did take the pinkies and never looked back.

[PitOnTheProwl]

I start on rat pinks and if they don't take after 3 or 4 offers then I move on to hopper mice.
Hopper mice almost always do the trick.

[darren888]

In thinking about it it was only the normals I breed that had the problem and there mother got ri when gravid, I rushed her and 4 more of my snakes to the vet that day missing work to treat her and get the rest checked because it was a breeding group 1 male 4 females. I wonder if that had anything to do with it?