good and bad news

[Zigmund]

GOOD NEWS:)-My thamnophis sirtalis that I was previously force feeding is now taking food that I barly put in his mouth.I know that it's still force feeding but it's a less tramatizing experience for the snake thats being fed because now it dosn't try to spit it out.

BAD NEWS:(:(:(-My other thamnophs sirtalis died.but I kind of expected it to because it had a deformed mouth:(

[Elliot]

Sorry about your loss, but maybe the other one will pull through, good luck!

[Zigmund]

I'm really starting to think so.

[Josh]

sorry for ypur good luck with others

[adamanteus]

Sorry one died, but it sounds like you're making really good progress with the other one. It's only a small step now from 'assist feeding' to the snake feeding for itself. Good luck.

[Zigmund]

thank you how often should I try to feed the remaining two

[Sid]

Sorry for the loss and congratulations on the others feeding. I feed my babies two ro three times per week...depends on how much they eat.

[adamanteus]

I feed my babies twice a week, Wednesday and Saturday.:)

[Josh]

i feed mine every four days.

[drache]

mine get as much as they want twice a week

[Zigmund]

thank you I will feed them every 3 days

[adamanteus]

There are no 'hard and fast' rules, Zigmund...they may eat every three days, or they may wait four or five days between meals before they want to eat again. Let your snakes lead the way on this one!

[GarterGuy]

Sorry to hear you lost the one, but sounded like it wasn't really ment to be. Good to hear that things are going well with the second snake though. Oh yeh, I feed my little ones every three days, but like James said, this is just my case....let the snakes lead the way.:)

Roy

[Zigmund]

will do.I'll try feeding them every three days and if they arnt hungry i'll do it every four

[zooplan]

sometimes feeding becomes more success when spraying some water to the enclosure some minutes before offering the food.

[Zigmund]

do you think that would cause blisters

[Elliot]

Blisters form after more of a long term exposure to overly damp conditions. Misting won't hurt anything at all.

[Zigmund]

loung term conditions like mud in the tank right

[Elliot]

Well I can't really tell you exactly, my snakes have never had it. But I know they get blisters from exposure to overly damp conditions for extended periods (more than a day) or from filthy living conditions.

[Zigmund]

What would you advise on dirt as a bedding in a tank

[ssssnakeluvr]

wouldn't recommend it...anythinglike that can stick to wet food items and then be ingested.

[Elliot]

I just use astroturf. It's not pretty, but it gets the job done. Of course, it doesn't get rid of any odors, but there is no risk of impaction with it. I would just stick with reptile bark or aspen bedding for a more natural look.

[adamanteus]

I don't think soil is a good idea at al. Who knows what's living in there?

[Stefan-A]

Nothing, if you "bake" it before using it. But I wouldn't use soil either, it seems like the least practical substrate.

[Zigmund]

I feed them in a seperate container