| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| nickyff |
Posted - 23/09/2011 : 22:50:58
okay my tiddly baby now hasn't eaten for almost four weeks despite being described as a 'good feeder' by the bloke I got him from, and yes, I do trust the bloke- a combination of stress of the move and then over-excited children all handling him on his second day here are probably the cause; He's in a viv that is a smaller version of where he grew up, temps at 29 and 23, he's got 6 different hides, a lovely bath/drink at the cool end, and apart from the not eating behaves like a very content creature- he's out an about in the evenings, doesn't shy away from hands and is keen to get out and explore,. I am trying really hard to not be neurotic about him not wanting to eat but he's doing my head in, specially when he licks the pinky all over then curls up round it and cuddles it all night but won't eat the damn thing!! I've tried changing every possible variable: feeding in/out of the viv, inside a hide, a dark box overnight, I tried pinky in then snake, and snake then introduce pinky, I've tried wiggling it and not wiggling it, I've managed to leave him alone for 4 days before trying again, I've poked the pinky's head with a pin, I even sliced one in half lengthways when I thought he might've lost weight and not be big enough to eat a whole pinky anymore!
Any HOO- Ive just seen this thing online.... a pinky press- like a metal syringe that squoshes the pinky into mush so you can squirt it down snakey's gob.... all the ads say 'consult someone who's used one before' and they're not cheap- best price I've seen was thirty quid- this is how desperate I'm getting...
Has anybody got/used one of these things? easy/tricky? dangerous to snake? worth the cash?
opinions please?!!!??
ta, nicky |
| 8 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| DTW |
Posted - 25/09/2011 : 21:56:25
Great news :) always a great feeling when they have their first feed |
| nickyff |
Posted - 25/09/2011 : 21:01:25
kehhlyr- thanks for the info re pinky-press, which is what I wanted to know about-  all the places online I found them only said- 'best used with supervision from somebody who's used one before' which doesn't help much- nothing about technique, or potential risks. . . they're clearly only for extreme cases where its much longer than the 4 weeks our baby went- (yes, went = past tense: success this weekend; snakey has finally had some dinner! phew!! neurosis over.. or at least postponed- with a creature so tiny and delicate its impossible not to be at least a little bit precious about him... |
| DTW |
Posted - 25/09/2011 : 10:02:19
Try buying a tin of tuna and scenting the pinky with that, worked on ours and we bought her as a fussy who had only ever eaten heads before. As already mentioned though I would leave him alone completely for a week first, good luck :) |
| gingerpony |
Posted - 25/09/2011 : 07:44:32
as above ^^
small enclosure eg. cricket tub
NO handling AT ALL until it's taken 3 or 4 consecutive feeds
and it's nowhere like needing force/assist feeding in any way shape or form yet |
| eeji |
Posted - 24/09/2011 : 13:48:51
move him into something small and stop handling until he's eating - the handling alone can often be enough to stop some from eating |
| Kehhlyr |
Posted - 24/09/2011 : 01:28:24
If it's getting handled that much then I'd be inclined to put the snake into something as small as possible (braplast tub size??) and using that as it's home for a short while.
Have you tried to cover his viv/faun completely as well and leaving him totally alone for about 5-7 days, then putting food in with him.
In regards the pinky press, they are very good but to be honest your snake is not near needing one of those yet, and using them isn't easy for the novice either. The pinky gets squished by it, but the long nozzle has to be put into the snakes mouth down into the gut before pressing the pinky in, if it's done wrong then air can also be introduced into the gut which can cause issues.
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| fluffycorn |
Posted - 23/09/2011 : 23:16:41
hatchlings do best in very small plastic tubs, something like a takeaway tub or similar sized ... i have never heard of a pinky press so cant help with that sorry ... hope he starts eating soon :) |
| Spreebok |
Posted - 23/09/2011 : 22:53:51
You say he's in a viv, what are the dimensions?
If he is tiddly, it will be worth moving him into a small tub, as hatchlings can stress easily in large spaces, and will go off feeding. |
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