Advice Needed on Feeding My New Babies...?

[Jack Neary]

Hi Gang!
I cut up some very small pieces of Pinky parts and small Minnows to my new 18(correction...20!) best friends;) None of them show any interest in food as of yet.
Would love some sound advice from everyone! (Is there a baby feeding care sheet available I have missed?)
Thanks sooo much!
Jack

[adamanteus]

Hi there, Jack. I would have been surprised if many of your babies had eaten so quickly after birth. Give them a couple of days to use up the last of the nourishment from their yolks, then feed them as you would an adult... only in miniature.
If you don't have the space to separate the babies, watch very closely during feeding times, to avoid 'accidents' and to take note of the eaters and non-eaters.

[infernalis]

Jack what I have found very effective, and inexpensive, pick up a few "sandwich boxes" (wal mart, $2) they are just small poly totes.

After your babies are a few days old, they will be hungry.

Place 1 snake in the sandwich box with either some cut up worm, or a small guppy feeder fish. or both:D snap the top shut, and the snake will settle down and generally eat what you have offered.

These boxes were $2.44 each and work great for garters up to yearling's.

http://www.danceswithreptiles.com/radix/feedin.jpg

[Jack Neary]

Wayne,
Do you need to put small holes in these boxes? I would be fearful of my garter babies would go through a VERY small hole and end up on my wife's pillow one night:p
Is there enough O2 in the closed boxes so my new buddies don't sufficate?:confused:
Thanks!

[infernalis]

Wayne,
Do you need to put small holes in these boxes? I would be fearful of my garter babies would go through a VERY small hole and end up on my wife's pillow one night:p
Is there enough O2 in the closed boxes so my new buddies don't sufficate?:confused:
Thanks!

There is plenty of air, and they usually only need to be in there a short time.

I have a big one, so when each of the five have ate, I move them to the big one, and grab 5 more, repeat till done.

Lately I have been doing 10 at once, It was getting tiring sitting up till 1:00 am feeding garters!

By keeping the babies separate during eating, it prevents the siblings from fighting violently over food. I have had babies break siblings necks over a stupid minnow, when a whole pile of minnows were present.

Survival of the fittest, fight for your right to feed.

It also works as a tactic with non feeders, I have had consistently repeatable results placing a stubborn baby in a box with a power feeder, and watch, the stubborn one will sometimes take the food item and start fighting over it, then I reach in and break up the fight.

Now the non feeder will eat:D