65 hatchlings and all...

[BoidKeeper]

...ate the first time offered! I know corns aren't like starting GTPs or anything but out of 65 hatchlings I expected a couple of problem feeders at least. Last night I fed my clutch of 11 aneries and 5 ghost for the first time and they all ate F/T the first time offered.
It may or may not be a factor but I am doing something different this year that I didn't do last year and last year I had 3 problem feeders, one didn't make it.
I was told that vermiculite can dehydrate hatchling snakes. So this year when removing the snakes from the egg box I placed them into a rubber maid with wet paper towel. They stayed in there while waiting to be weighed and the placed into the rack. The Rubbermaid on the scale also had wet paper towel in it. The container that each snake goes into that is in the rack is also lined with wet paper towel which I let dry out on it's own.
I also read that baby boas should be kept damp after birth to help keep them hydrated. So with this info and knowing that vermiculite can dehydrate them (although after a long period of time I'm told.) I decided to keep my corns damp for about the first 24 hours after hatching.
So like I said, I might have just been extremely lucky this year, or maybe there is a correlation between hydration after birth and feeding response. Either way I thought I would share my observation with all of you. I will test my theory by double clutching one of my females and use the same male for both clutches. For each clutch I will wet only half in hopes of testing my hypostasis.
I still have a clutch yet to be laid so let's hope my luck doesn't run out. With the balls I'm about 50%. Half are on F/T rats the other two are on live and fresh kill. They are on rats at least and not mice!
Cheers,
Trevor

[lostwithin]

Hey , keep up the good work. That is a very interesting observation, I had never thought that vermiculite could dehydrate a young corn but it does make since. As does keeping them moist.
Thanks for sharing ,

Devon

[BoidKeeper]

I was told that last year before leaving on my honeymoon by Roy Stockwell. I was affraid to go because the hatchlings were due to hatch the day before I got back. I consulted Roy who told me to change the clutch over from vermiculite to sphagnum moss because if the corns were left on vermiculite for too long it would dehydrate them. So he told me to use the moss put in a small water bowl if I was going to be really long and to enjoy my honeymoon or it would be a short marriage! And then to my surprise when I got home and opened the egg box a ghost corn was staring me in the face! Totally unexpected and a NB first as far as I know. Boy when you are claiming ghost corns as a first you know you're reaching eh! Hopefully I'll produce some albino balls soon and maybe that might over shadow that accomplishment.lol
Cheers,
Trevor

[DragnDrop]

I was told that last year before leaving on my honeymoon by Roy Stockwell.

You might be a herper if......

... you give snake hatchling set-up advice to someone leaving on a honeymoon.

;)

[Stockwell]

LOL

[gonesnakee]

I keep all my hatchlings in wet papertowels for the first week or until they have shed whatevers first. If they are only say 1/2 hatched when I first check I may throw in a little water container for them while in the vermiculite for a day or so in case they get thirsty & will throw a damp towel at the edge for them to gather under. Makes for easy shedding & good hydration, Mark ;)

[Jeff_Favelle]

As soon as any clutch pips, it gets pulled out of the incubator and put in a small Rubbermaid (11.4L) on damp paper towel. I thought everyone did this?? I can't imagine a baby snake on vermiculite for more than 24 hours.

Not always possible though. I've found that colubrids can all jump the egg within the turn of a back, LOL!!

After that, all baby snakes go into individual cages (except the BP's) with wet newspaper or paper towel to await their first shed.

http://members.shaw.ca/galleryb/paper_towel.jpg

[BoidKeeper]

You know Jeff it's funny. I've read this for boids but never for corns.
After that, all baby snakes go into individual cages (except the BP's) with wet newspaper or paper towel to await their first shed.
Why not BP's and what do you do differently with them?
Cheers,
Trevor

[Simon]

Hum......
never really actually noticed this...
cause once I find them hatched, they're into their little individual containers...with water bowls....
but not on wet paper towels to keep them moist. They're just on regular dry paper towels.~

Maybe I should give it a shot next year and try...(if I have time)....

but interesting theory though~

I do hope that you do find a corelation between hydration and eating habits for hatchlings~
cause it would save me some time (even though I am now using a pinky pump, side note, thanks so much Roy for all the help provided!)

It would be a lot better if I don't have to force feed 50-100 hatchlings a year.....LOL!!

[Jeff_Favelle]

I just do it so that the 1st shed is always successful. 1s shed starts everything for a baby snake, so if it goes bad, then you and the snaklet could be in for a heap of trouble.

Chewie, for the BP's, I just sex out the clutch immediately after hatching, and put the males into one 11.4L Rubbermaid and the females into another. When they shed, I pull each one out and it goes into its individual container. I think most Ball breeders do this, but don't quote me on it. I don't do it with the Carpets because I wait until the 4th feeding to sex them (usually), I don't do it with Rainbows or colubrids because they eat each other, and I don't do it with anything else because Ball Pythons have SMALL clutches. 30 baby boas or 25 Jungle Carpets in a Rubbermaid just doesn't sound right.

But yeah, wet paper towel right away. I thought everyone did that? Whatever works though! :D

[BoidKeeper]

Maybe something else to add to the top ten list eh? I put my balls straight into their own cage in the rack with wet paper towel like the corns.
Cheers,
Trevor

[MouseKilla]

So is the theory that the wet paper keeps the animal itself hydrated which in turn causes better feeding response or do you just mean that having the first shed go well makes the difference? Whatever it is, you're definitely doing something right! lol!

[BoidKeeper]

So is the theory that the wet paper keeps the animal itself hydrated which in turn causes better feeding response
Yup, that's the theory. Last year they all shed perfectly with out being kept wet. Like Simon I was just putting them straight into a dry cage.
Cheers,
Trevor