Video of Ekoh need some answers

[jwolfe152]

ok in the first video i scented a pinky and you can see she goes for it but she "spits" it out 2 times do you guys thinks its just to big for her making her choke? or maybe she just doesnt like them? i ask that because i cut it in half long ways and rescented it and NOTHING not even a faint interest in it. i have the 2 halves sitting in the night crawler container till tomorrow, anyone have any concerns over that?


and this second video this is how she is with night crawlers. and at the end i sat my Zippo in there for reference size. and the extended darkness in the beginning the power had Just went out


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WghsQruO8ug

i know the quality is not great its recorded from a PlayStation Vita but my phone is worse.

[jwolfe152]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UU0FtIdMl4E

sorry this is the video of her having trouble with the pinky

[jwolfe152]

i had another question what do you guys usually pay for pinkies from a local pet store these were $1.19 each so i only got 4 i know they cheaper online if ya buy 100 but i just wanted to know if she would eat them or not.

[kueluck]

The worm & pinkie seem to be pretty big for that little snake, I would cut them into smaller pieces. But then I tend to be over cautious when feeding & pretty much every thing else too. And I wouldn't feed on printed paper because of ink residue. We'll see what the "experts" have to say.

[Selkielass]

He's interested in the pinky, but seems to get nervous, or uncomfortable with the dry texture- he igjt just want quiet and privacy. A dark wet feeding container might help.

Is that s night crawler or a redworm? The size is fine for an aggressive worm eater, but might put off a snake who isn't treasure to tackle a n active worm.
It looks suspiciously dark tho... if its a redworm its hood that the snake refused it.

[guidofatherof5]

I don't think that worm is too big. You might just have a nervous eater there. I've had a few snakes that won't take their food unless it's in the perfect position. I think she spit out the worm the first time to get a better starting point to make it easier to swallow.
Do you have any hemostats you can fed with? If not, PM me your name and address and I'll sent you out a couple pair free of charge. They make feeding time much easier and less stressful for the snakes.

[jwolfe152]

I've had a few snakes that won't take their food unless it's in the perfect position.

Well I wish would have been recording earlier she was pushing that damn thing all over the cage rolling over and over. I thought maybe she was just looking for the worm, but, maybe it just wasnt right lol.

[guidofatherof5]

Well I wish would have been recording earlier she was pushing that damn thing all over the cage rolling over and over. I thought maybe she was just looking for the worm, but, maybe it just wasnt right lol.

Could you explain what you mean? Something doesn't sound right here.

[jwolfe152]

she was pushing/rolling the mouse around, getting her nose under and rolling it. i just though she was looking for the worm.

Ekoh was not rolling.

[guidofatherof5]

Thanks for the clarification.

[jwolfe152]

btw these are all night crawlers that i caught just after a good 3 day rain spell just after sunset also i like fishing too i know what night crawlers are lol. but seriously is the newspaper a big concern for anyone else i can use paper towels or even the shaved aspen stuff if you guys really think it will make a difference. oh and i left the 2 halves of pinky in the night crawler container will they be ok for a day or 2 or should i just throw it out and try again later?

[RedSidedSPR]

The worm is not too big.

I don't think the pinky necessarily is either, but cut it up and see.

[mikem]

try cutting the worm into several quarter inch pieces and then offer those. see how it handles that.

[jwolfe152]

she handles night crawlers GREAT its the pinkies that are the problem but I finally got a bigger aquarium for her I just need to make a lid (with no tape this time lol) for it before I stick her in it. i also plan on doing a little herping at my mom and dads before i start mowing so i may need that smaller one for a quarantine tank. I also have another 20-30g aquarium coming for free from a buddy of mine so i wont have to keep any in a smaller aquarium.

[mikem]

cut the pinks into smaller pieces. do it while they're frozen, much easier that way.

[Light of Dae]

Try serving it in a dish of water or after dipping it in water. I have some snakes that wont eat dry food... they used to do the exact same thing.

[jwolfe152]

I think I will try the dish with water in it maybe it needs a little help going down. one more thing i know they need to be thawed but do they have to be warm at all because i read somewhere that after thawing run some hot water in a dish and then submerge the pinky in it for about 10 mins to warm it and help the scent come out.

[guidofatherof5]

Warm or cool, garters will eat them.

[Foxrun402]

If you cut the pinky up and then let it thaw... The blood and any moisture will cover the pinky bits... and the scent WILL be out there.... I have even been struck at just from trying to take the screen off after chopping worms... Anything that is cut up will have a more potent powerful smell... Another thing is to try feeding tongs and wiggling the pinky parts you cut up to tease Ekoh and trigger a feeding response... They sometimes like movement and the "thrill of the hunt" Sometimes you can even get them to chase food with their mouth wide open! haha! Hope you and Ekoh are doin alright ;)

[jwolfe152]

yea i just got a bigger aquarium for her for $10 somewhere around 20-30g and my buddy just brought one that's supposed to be 20-30g but its bigger than the last one i bought so she will be moving AGAIN.

[jwolfe152]

well that does it i left a piece of fish and a pinky scented with worm and some extra pollock i have in the freeezer it her tank would not touch it for anything but after i setup the new tank with the repti bark and put a worm on a lid not 5sec and she was all over the worm chunks. but at least she eats something and they are free lol i got one pinky left anyone want it she wont eat it lol

[jwolfe152]

well i just tried the last pinky scented with night crawlers using the stats...and she was flicking her tongue all over it came to it several times flicking her tongue and then i think she figured out what it wasnt and i spent another 20 mins trying to mimic twitching and still nothing the slime from the worm dried out and got all sticky nasty so i gave up. i guess it just wasnt meant to be, because i put a night crawler on the lid and bam it was gone.

[guidofatherof5]

Not meant to be this time but it will work. Especially if she's hungry. Hungry snakes aren't as picky.;)

[jwolfe152]

oh i am sure it will work after her interest today. today was really the most interested she has been in a pinky since she coughed it back up. i will need to order some from mice direct its a heck of a lot cheaper than $1.19 a piece locally.

[guidofatherof5]

It's also a good company to deal with.

[jwolfe152]

ok good im hoping i dont go through this to much because i usually just throw the mouse out afterwards, well i have from the local place the last one i used, the gut section of it looked kind of dark like blood pooled there i dont wanna risk it.

[guidofatherof5]

You could safely refrigerate it for a day or so and try again or refreeze it for one more go. In a sandwich bag works well.

[jwolfe152]

yea i got the really small snack bags that i use to thaw them

[EasternGirl]

Some of my garters are picky in how they want their pinkies and worms. Some like them whole, some like big pieces, and some want everything cut into small pieces. You may just have to figure out what she prefers. I feed my two large females whole pinks, but I chop up the pinks for the smaller snakes. I just think it's better for digestion. I even chop the worms for the large females, as one of them got a worm stuck around her chin when she was trying to swallow it whole and started choking. As far as prices go...pet stores will rip you off since they charge so much per pinky. The best thing to do is to buy in bulk...I order from Mice Direct. It seems pricey when you have to pay for shipping and all...but when you compare the price per pinky, it can't be beat. I pay $70 for a bag of 100 large pinkies with shipping...which includes dry ice. You can try Mice Direct or RodentPro. I think the prices are better at Mice Direct.

[jwolfe152]

well i was at walmart tonight and finally remembered to pick up some calcium, i bought the Flukers calcium with vitamin D3. so after i unloaded the groceries put them away and ate some pizza i decided to feed Ekoh a nightcrawler to see how he would react to the powder on the worm. tonight was the easiest feeding i've ever had, 2 flicks of the tongue and he went after the end with the calcium on it with no problems. so i think i will just leave the pinkies out of the equation and use the powder. with the powder i only need to do it once a week right? he will eat every 2 days no problem and i don't want to over do it or even know if i can overdo it.

[guidofatherof5]

Yes, it can be over done. Once a few or every two weeks should be fine. Try dipping the lower part of the worm. That way the worm is all natural tasting at the beginning and the calcium will make it in at the end.

[jwolfe152]

yea i was more scared of him wasting the powder but he got a good bit in his mouth he kept trying to get it down and then i noticed he had a little calcium beard he looked funny especially trying to wipe it off

[EasternGirl]

When I remember to use the powder...yes, I know...bad Marnie...I use it every 3 weeks and I just dust it lightly on the food. That is great that your garter liked it...I have a very hard time getting mine to eat food that has the calcium on it. I would say that you may have gotten a little much on there if he had calcium powder on his face though....just a light dusting will do.

[jwolfe152]

well i have had him for probably over a month now but i just kinda dipped about 1/2 inch of the worm in it. how do you guys just "dust" it without getting to much

[EasternGirl]

I just take a pinch of the powder in my finger and kind of sprinkle it all over the food so it looks lightly dusted...but Steve knows more about this than I do...if he says you can dip the lower part...then that should be fine...I'm not sure how much to dip though. Steve?

[guidofatherof5]

I dip the lower 1/3rds of the crawler and sprinkle on worm pieces just like Marnie does.

[jwolfe152]

hmm i will have to try it a little different so that there is not to much on the worm like last time