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Grey banded feeding?

soopadoopa

soopadoopa

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Hello all. Thanks for putting together such a great forum for us newbies to learn from. Among a few others, i bought a baby grey banded kingsnake at the Daytona show (the 23rd of Aug.). That Monday, I was able to get him to eat by leaving a thawed pinky in with him overnight. I tried again this Tues. and a time or two since then and he shows no interest. Am i expecting him to eat to soon, or do i keep working at it? My other three babies have eaten twice since that weekend. Thanks.
 
Hi David -

Sometimes these guys are problem feeders when they are babies. There are a whole series of tricks people use. Most of the ones I have are adults, but a pair of babies I bought last year required a little work (they had never fed). A friend suggested I try putting them in deli cups and taking them for a ride. Believe it or not, they both ate after doing this. The female kept eating, the male was still a little stubborn. I starting scenting his pinkies with a live anole and gradually scented less and less until he ate the pinkies unscented. Hopefully, these suggestions might help you. I have also heard people say that they will gently assist (force) feed a meal or two and cool the babies and they sometimes come out of brumation with an appetite.

Bill
 
Thanks so much for taking the time to reply. In fact he was going into a shed and I didn't realize it. I was hopeful that he'd be ready to eat a day or two later, but no such luck. It's going on four weeks since he ate. According to the seller, he had already eaten several times, and he ate once for me. I'll leave him a pinky again tonight, and then tomorrow move on to, a ride? In a car? How long? Then maybe force a small part of a pinky to get something in him if that doesn't work. When you say brumate, what does that entail, just turning off his heat? For how long? Again, thanks. I really like him and he's warming up to me, which is more than I can say for the Pueblan Milksnake, who just LOVES to sling .......Stuff all over me. :D
 
I bought a Rosy at Daytona that took 3 weeks to eat. I also have a Hognose that has stopped eating but I know is fine. (Been about 4 weeks since he ate) I also had a E. Diamondback that went 3 months without eating.
 
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soopadoopa said:
Thanks so much for taking the time to reply. In fact he was going into a shed and I didn't realize it. I was hopeful that he'd be ready to eat a day or two later, but no such luck. It's going on four weeks since he ate. According to the seller, he had already eaten several times, and he ate once for me. I'll leave him a pinky again tonight, and then tomorrow move on to, a ride? In a car? How long? Then maybe force a small part of a pinky to get something in him if that doesn't work. When you say brumate, what does that entail, just turning off his heat? For how long? Again, thanks. I really like him and he's warming up to me, which is more than I can say for the Pueblan Milksnake, who just LOVES to sling .......Stuff all over me. :D
Click to expand...

Hi David

I am pretty sure that i am the seller on this one. You and I spoke a couple of weeks ago and I suggested he was going into a shed. With reacclimation to a new environment, I would probably give a live pink a try. I feed both depending on availability but Graybands are always very inclined to take live over frozen.

Absolutely DO NOT forcefeed him. He has already demonstarted that he will eat on his own, several times for me and once for you. Force feedng is something you never do except as a last resort. It stresses the animal and can prevent voluntary feeding going forward.Brumation will not be necessary either as long as he is eating. i never brumate neonates. Why lose the steady growth potential?

One thing that has been said is correct. A grayband with good weight can go a fair amount of time without feeding with no ill effects. I would pop a live pink in late in the evening and let him have it overnight. I am confident it will be gone in the morning.

The setup should be something like this:

A couple inches of aspen chips or shavings on the bottom. A waterbowl and good hidebox for security, and a warm spot in the cage up to about 86 with an ambient around 80.

Email me again if you continue to have an issue but i think this will do the trick
 
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Thanks so much for the info. With that, I'm feeling a little better. Guess I just got caught up in thinking that they're more high maintenance than they are. Plus, I've been guilty once or twice of being paranoid. Gonna slow down, read this thread a time or three more, and get a live pinky in the next week.
 
Suncoast Herpetological said:
Hi David

I am pretty sure that i am the seller on this one. You and I spoke a couple of weeks ago and I suggested he was going into a shed. With reacclimation to a new environment, I would probably give a live pink a try. I feed both depending on availability but Graybands are always very inclined to take live over frozen.

Absolutely DO NOT forcefeed him. He has already demonstarted that he will eat on his own, several times for me and once for you. Force feedng is something you never do except as a last resort. It stresses the animal and can prevent voluntary feeding going forward.Brumation will not be necessary either as long as he is eating. i never brumate neonates. Why lose the steady growth potential?

One thing that has been said is correct. A grayband with good weight can go a fair amount of time without feeding with no ill effects. I would pop a live pink in late in the evening and let him have it overnight. I am confident it will be gone in the morning.

The setup should be something like this:

A couple inches of aspen chips or shavings on the bottom. A waterbowl and good hidebox for security, and a warm spot in the cage up to about 86 with an ambient around 80.

Email me again if you continue to have an issue but i think this will do the trick
Click to expand...

Do you agree with the post in the other forum that babies normally go 2.5 to 3 months without eating their first meal and then all of a sudden go? I'm just curious if other Grey breeders feel the same.
 
soopadoopa said:
Thanks so much for the info. With that, I'm feeling a little better. Guess I just got caught up in thinking that they're more high maintenance than they are. Plus, I've been guilty once or twice of being paranoid. Gonna slow down, read this thread a time or three more, and get a live pinky in the next week.
Click to expand...

I think many of us have programmed are brains into thinking snakes MUST EAT every 4 to 10 days and when they miss a day we freak out. They are not like a dog that must eat or it will die soon. The healthiest snakes go off feeding for periods of time. Sure we all would love to have that one snake that eats every mouse like it's his last but not all snakes are the same.

On that note my Rosy was put in to a 4 foot cage and didn't eat for 3 weeks as I said. I put her into a 1 foot plastic shoe box and 2 days later she ate. Go figure... I give her a CASTLE and she prefers the STUDIO APT! Just remember young snakes are prey and want to hide and feel secure. Try a shoe box and a good hide if your paranoia doesn't get better my friend ;-)
 
Hi David -

Any word on how things are going with the feeding? I am overseas right now, so I can't check as often as I like. Hope it is chowing down for you now.

Bill
 
No, thanks for asking but he he hasn't eaten yet. Still seems healthy and active. Unfortunately I don't have a reliable source of live pinkies nearby. The last one I was able to get was MUCH too big for the kingsnake. The milksnake enjoyed it, though. I'm still attempting a F/T weekly.
 
Did the snake eat yet?

As far as whether they can go 2 or 3 months without eating, this depends alot on the size of the snake and the temps it has access to. If it's a large baby that hatched with alot of yolk and it has access to cool temps in the 60's to low 70's then yes. But if it's a smaller baby or the temps are constantly in the high 70's or above, the answer is no. It may be alive but it will probably be very thin and may regurge if it does eat.
If it hasn't eaten yet and you can't provide brumation temps soon in the high 50's to at most low 60's, I would try brained pinks or lizard scented pinks.
 
I have some semi-good news. :hurray: Today, after trying a brained pink and then scenting the pink with a large anole, I found a smaller anole out in the yard. My intention was to save him for scenting, but I put him in the cage with the snake b/c i was busy. Well, while I was out, my wife called to tell me that the snake had the lizard in the death roll.:thumbsup: As I got to him, he was finishing up.

SO. I'm thrilled that he's finally gotten something in his belly, but it's probably two steps forward and one back. I imagine that I'll try scenting pinks with lizard parts and go from there. Remember, he wanted nothing to do with the pink that i washed, dried, and rubbed the anole on. The lizard sure had a strange look on his face. I told him it was better than the alternative. He seemed not to care.

Good news i guess is the moderate winter we have in GA. Probably will be some lizards out for a little while longer.

Anyways, let the good times roll.
 
Kingetula said:
Do you agree with the post in the other forum that babies normally go 2.5 to 3 months without eating their first meal and then all of a sudden go? I'm just curious if other Grey breeders feel the same.
Click to expand...

Sorry Scott. I must have missed this post before.

Graybands are hit or miss when it comes to feeding as neonates. I had one clutch of 14 this season that all ate live pinks within 3 weeks of hatching. The norm however, goes like this for a 10 snake clutch

A week or so after feeding 1, maybe 2 will take a live pink.

Within a couple more weeks 1 or 2 more will start on their own

Now the fun begins. You start with braining. Again maybe one or two more will start.

Then comes the scenting. Mediteranean house Gecko works best for Florida native lizards. Fence lizards are almost as good followed by anoles. The best way to scent is to prekill and brain the lizard and then stick a rinsed live pink's nose in the brain and blood. Gross i know but it usually jumps your total one or two more animals.

The last two will probably need to be fed live small lizards for a couple of meals. you then try and shift them over.

Inevitably, about ten percent will not take anything and eventually pass.

The annoying thing with david's animal is that it had eaten several times for me here. Mostly live but a couple of frozen thawed as well. It took an f/t for him the day after it got home. So we know it is feeding.The only thing I can think of is that there is enough of a difference in the set up he has it in that it threw it off feed. A live pink should do the trick though
 
Many times I have bought nonfeeders at shows and driven them home and had them take live pinks. Also I have sold or bought feeders and had them go off feed. Change in set ups and, I suspect sometimes change in the ambiant weather will trigger changes in feeding response.
 
Hey, lots of good info.

No, i've only been able to get one live pinky, and it was too big I thought. More like a fuzzy. Have kept checking the two pet stores locally, only one seems to have some once in a while(by accident). Thought i'd try to keep a couple of female mice and surely they'd have some, right? Not quite as easy as that. Anyways, looks like i need to try again.

The snake hit that lizard like a locomotive. Wasn't hesitant at all. Go figure. He's beautiful, and i knew what I might be getting into. On another note all my other snakes are thriving. Young python, adult corn, baby corn, western hognose, and Pueblan milksnake.
 
I agree that it is great that the snake now has a meal in it, but I do hope that it has not set it back in terms of getting it to take pinks regularly.

John has given some great advice!! He knows of what he speaks!

Also Dave, how secure do you think the grayband feels in its' cage? In other words, does he have a really good hidebox? Also, if he does, just for the heck of it, give him another one. Two hides may help him feel more secure and relaxed, and then may help in him relaxing enough to feel comfortable to eat more. Just a thought.

Also, another scenting suggestion that I used for one picky cal king a few years back. Take a shed skin of, let's say, your corn, and then keep it in a plastic bag. Take a thawed out pinky, put it in the bag with the shed corn snake skin, rub it all around, and then offer it. It may work. My baby cal king I did this for years back after he hatched took them right away, and then, after about 2 feedings, was off of scented.

You may need to order some pinks in bulk from a good rodent supplier online as well, as it would cut down the cost of purchasing from a pet store dramatically.

Take care!
 
Hi David -

I would suggest ordering some day old frozen pinks from the rodent dealer of your choice and having them shipped. Now that the snake has taken a pink previously and a lizard, you may want to try to scent. I would also grab a few lizards and freeze them before it gets cold and you can't find any...
I recommended the frozen pinks as it seems you are having a hard time getting live. Plus you would have a ready food supply to "experiment" with. And who knows, he might take an unscented frozen thawed? Glad the little guy ate something though. I'm sure that's a huge relief! :thumbsup: Keep us posted.
The good news is that it sounds like you've got some folks in here that will stick with you through this. I've seen John's animals at shows before, so I know you've got a winner.
 
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Verdiherps said:
Hi David -

I would suggest ordering some day old frozen pinks from the rodent dealer of your choice and having them shipped. Now that the snake has taken a pink previously and a lizard, you may want to try to scent. I would also grab a few lizards and freeze them before it gets cold and you can't find any...
I recommended the frozen pinks as it seems you are having a hard time getting live. Plus you would have a ready food supply to "experiment" with. And who knows, he might take an unscented frozen thawed? Glad the little guy ate something though. I'm sure that's a huge relief! :thumbsup: Keep us posted.
The good news is that it sounds like you've got some folks in here that will stick with you through this. I've seen John's animals at shows before, so I know you've got a winner.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the kind words Bill
 
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