update on dekayi babies

[Boston Mindy]

The 6 babies I kept are doing good, and ate 2 nights in a row, now that I have found a good size to cut the worm bits. and momma Chara seems to be recovering nicely. It's odd seeing her looking so thin, because I never knew she was gravid in the first place, but she enjoyed a nice big worm the day before yesterday.

[guidofatherof5]

Sounds good. The food is equally important for mom as she needs to recovery and put some weight back on.
Glad the little ones are cooperating.

[Invisible Snake]

Glad to hear the mom and babies are doing well, maybe get a reptile vitamin to supplement the worms.

[Boston Mindy]

Unlike garters, which eat several different things, from what I've read, Dekayi generally only eat worms and slugs (and the occasional snail, which Chara mostly refuses) and typically I alternate between the 2, so supplementing is rarely necessary, right?

[guidofatherof5]

Wayne had a few of his dekayis eating pinkies also. I would think scenting the pinkies with worms slime would make the switch to rodents much easier.

[-MARWOLAETH-]

Dip half the worm in Ca and multivitamin powder and offer her the end that hasn't been dusted.

[EasternGirl]

If you decide to use supplements...like calcium with D3 and multivitamins...make sure you get recommendations from us on which ones to use and only use them every 3 feedings or so.

I know what you mean about the mom looking so skinny...Cee Cee has been gravid more during the time I have had her than not...when I looked at her after her last litter, she looked so thin it worried me. I just made sure to feed her often until she put some weight back on and now she is fine. Glad the babies are doing well for you!

[infernalis]

Wayne had a few of his dekayis eating pinkies also. I would think scenting the pinkies with worms slime would make the switch to rodents much easier.

Xena was the only one big enough to take a whole pinkie. The others just ate legs and tails.

I can't be certain that it really did them any good though.

As long as the babies are eating slugs and worms, I don't see a need to suppliment, since this is exactly what they eat in the wild,.

[Boston Mindy]

The babies are almost eating slugs, but aren't as interested in them as the worms, I just wanted to get them eating in general before pushing the slugs more intently now that they've all got a couple feedings in them, I'm not as nervous about giving them the slugs until they go for em.

[setfree]

Glad they are doing good!:D

[Invisible Snake]

When I was recommending the reptile vitamin it was more so for the mom as to help her with the recovery from giving birth. With the babies it really isn't necessary at this time, your main concern with them should be to have them feeding consistently.

[Boston Mindy]

6333
A hungry momma Chara downing a monster slug. She had a little trouble from starting with the tail end, where it kept trying to climb out of her mouth, but she managed it just fine. :)

[guidofatherof5]

Northwesterns are also experts at eating slugs. They seem to eat them as fast as they can to reduce the amount of slime in their mouth.

[Boston Mindy]

The slugs in my yard don't seem too excessively slimey. After what I've read on here about snakes choking on the slime, i was concerned, but even with the large size of this one (just shy of too large, but the smallest I could find today), Chara didn't seem to have much trouble with it.