Kenyan sand boa babies feeding problem

snakefreak007 · 10-27-03, 02:30 PM

Can anyone suggest a good way of getting kenyan sand boa babies to start eating? I've had about 25 born this year and still have about 8 that have not eaten at all. I've tried feeding them live only, in small deli containers with aspen bedding, partially on top of a heating mat. I've also tried the same without the aspen bedding. They have all been given 2 mouse tail bits each already, and still they wont eat. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

PJ

BoidKeeper · 10-27-03, 02:40 PM

Gee I don't know. I would have sugested the feeding inside a small dark container trick were you place them inside with substrate and then put in a live pinkie and leave it there over night. It sounds like you may have tried that already. Hopefully Unkie Roy will chime in and offer some advice. You don't work with KSB since the 80's and not pick up a trick out two.
Good luck,
Trevor

Invictus · 10-27-03, 03:01 PM

Try scenting the container with Chicken broth. This can sometimes stimulate a better response. If you are using F/T, you can just scent the prey itself, but if you're feeding live, the chicken broth scented container can work. How long are you leaving them in with the pinkies? Sometimes even a few hours doesn't cut it. Overnight usually works.

Beardonicus · 10-27-03, 05:00 PM

Have you tried braining the pinks? Also, I've heard dipping their heads in chicken brith works.

Stockwell · 10-27-03, 05:37 PM

I have very little trouble getting Kenyans eating by feeding them in the dark, in small 12 once deli bowls, keeping them close to 90F and giving them enough substrate (Beta or Alpha chip) to completely cover them. I actually keep all babies in my incubators until they get going, so there is no night dip, 85 to 90 24/7.
I feed only live pinks, and sometimes they will take them the second night.. I leave the pinks in for a couple days, and don't disturb the snakes at all . Most will eat in total darkness, the first night. Some might eat the second or third night.

About one in 50 of mine will be stubborn, and I generally don't have time to mess around, so I put them straight on the pump, and usually after pumping them a couple times, they get some size and strength and click in.
Sometimes simply waiting a couple weeks will help get their appetites up.
Another important thing, often overlooked is Dehydration.!!!
They NEED WATER. Baby Kenyans tend to dehydrate rapidly when kept hot and dry, and if they aren't taking in food, they need to drink. You can simply mist the containers and they will drink the droplets, or put them in a shallow rubbermaid with a tiny bit of water, and let them drink, or use tiny bottle cap type water bowls.
Failure to offer water to non feeders, will cause them to continue to refuse food.
Dehydrated snakes will not eat, or worse, they'll eat and regurge.

Some sand boas will eat if you offer them geckos, or simply scent live pinkies by rubbing them on Leos, or along the side of a Leos mouth, before tossing them in the sandboas container.

If its been over a month since they were born, I'd continue with mouse tails or get a pinky pump, and pump them a few whole meals , to get them going.

Invictus · 10-27-03, 05:59 PM

Roy - Where would one get a pinky pump? I have 3 kenyans refusing food right now, and a corn snake that I took home from the pet store to try to get him eating. He's probably going to have to be force fed if he is to survive.

jay76 · 10-27-03, 09:46 PM

Isn't there one in the store? I know the one here sells them, in the same display case as the sexing probes and collapsable snake hooks. I sort of assumed most stores carried those kinds of tools.

BoidKeeper · 10-27-03, 10:50 PM

I got three on ebay.
Trevor

Stockwell · 10-28-03, 12:54 AM

The pumps I use are the orignials by BJ Specialties. These are made by Bob Barker, the father of Dave Barker, the Texas Python breeder.

I imagine the other ones are about the same. Essentially, they are all just vet hypodermic syringes, with machined serraters and front nozzles, instead of needles.
All the herp supply houses have pinky pumps now.
PCPC sells them here in Canada, or you can mail order them from US suppliers, but you'll get nailed for duty and tax at the post office.

By the way, for some snakes, I don't always use pinkies in them.
When I have dozens of tricky feeders to get going, like Solomon boas,I load the pinky pump with Fancy Feast Beef and Liver..(the purple can)
It's cheaper, easier and more humane than using pinkies.
I've raised dozens of Solomon boas by starting them on pumped cat food. It's high in protein, very digestible, and is great food to get babies going. Obviouvly it won't be their life long diet, but it's a key trick to getting size and weight on fussy non feeding babies.
The pump will also self load by simply ramming the barrel up and down in the cat food.

BoidKeeper · 10-28-03, 06:40 AM

Now I've heard it all! Hey if its been proven to work...
Cheers,
Trevor

Stockwell · 10-29-03, 12:43 AM

Yeah, it's been proven to work alright!!
Plus there's hundreds of snakes out there that now
Purrrrr and meow, for their keepers.
Now if I could just keep my skinks from scraching
on the furniture!

Piers · 10-29-03, 03:42 AM

well Roy has said it all. but as for chicken broth/soup or whatever Iv'e tried it and so has most of the people Iv'e talked to and It doesn't work, or at lest never for me or anyone I know.
As for the pinky pump, I never put pinkies in it. I find that pinkies over a day or two are too hard to push through. I'm not dissing the pump,it's saved lots of snakes!
Piers