Baby corns not eating

Captive care and husbandry.

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herpseeker1978
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Baby corns not eating

Post by herpseeker1978 »

I hatched out four corns and one is eating like a champ, the other three don't even seem interested. I started with f/t and then I waited a week and tried f/t again, waited another week and tried live. Nothing. Any suggestions?

Josh
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Kelly Mc
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Re: Baby corns not eating

Post by Kelly Mc »

Feed them in a small dark space and peel open a little rupture forehead area. I use upright brown paper bags sm size. some ppl use deli cups.

when thawing try not to do them in water too hot it may change the character of the tissue in scent. Just nice and warm from the tap or put the pinks in a plastic bag in your pocket while you change waters or something .

If I have anoles that are clean or leos I put a faint smudge of urea on the forehead sometimes. Ive never had to bleed a lizard tail or use a dead one to rub personally. Im sure it works I just never did it.

Make sure the pinks dont stink - mostly its the bigger sizes that can have dirty pine shavings, ammonia or purged on odors that can be overpowering and cause rejection depending on your source. Wild prey doesnt stink like those types of husbandry smells and some snakes refuse it. 30+ years of captive breeding doesnt always stand against millions.

Never forget you have pinkies thawing in your pocket. I ruined a pair of harley davidson cargo pants that way.
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tspuckler
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Re: Baby corns not eating

Post by tspuckler »

Are you keeping them in seperate enclosures?
I find that baby corns eat best when kept individually.

Also, what size enclosure do you have them in?
I find they eat best when kept in something small (the size of a plastic shoebox or smaller).

Tim
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justinm
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Re: Baby corns not eating

Post by justinm »

My old faithful trick has always been putting them in a paper sack with the food item and leave them be for a few hours. Braining works for a lot of folks as well.
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Kelly Mc
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Re: Baby corns not eating

Post by Kelly Mc »

Not to go off topic but I had some anerys last season I kept together and they did this odd communal shedding thing. All sheds in a trippy matrixed clump. There are 4 of them left - still together . They dont do it any more, not even remotely. But when all the neos were together they did that .
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herpseeker1978
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Re: Baby corns not eating

Post by herpseeker1978 »

Success!!! I caught a hatchling fence lizard today and one of them nailed it right away! Now to find more hatchlings...

Josh
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Kelly Mc
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Re: Baby corns not eating

Post by Kelly Mc »

If they ate that - they Eat . But getting them off lizards once you get them started might take more of your time than just getting them on pinkies.

Once they get some gut flora started and a hunger cycle going they should eat without problems. Theyre way less picky than other snakes can be.

But it is great when babies eat their first meal - Congratulations :D
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justinm
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Re: Baby corns not eating

Post by justinm »

Congrats, but be aware that sometimes you just can't get a baby to eat. After a month of that, you might want to give up. Not every snake makes it in nature, as I'm sure you know. If you also have hatchling kings this can be a good way to get a fussy eater to start eating...
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Kelly Mc
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Re: Baby corns not eating

Post by Kelly Mc »

I always get my babies to eat. The reluctant ones coming up just as strong.

I have an older female leo who always threw a runt every year - half size of normal hatchlings and barely able to lift their heads. I cut a piece of braun micro bore tubing and tubed the babies with a tuberculin syringe for the first month and then assist fed them silkworm guts the next. Then they started eating fine and grew into robust specimens who got good homes with full disclosure of their past. It can be done and its fun and most importantly you learn alot by doing it.
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BillMcGighan
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Re: Baby corns not eating

Post by BillMcGighan »

Sounds like you got it, Josh.
I know some alterna specialists that make a puree of a Sceloporus or Uta, and freeze pinks in the slurry.

Tease feeding also works with most NA rat hatchlings, after the yolk has been absorbed.
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