stubborn non-eater

[drache]

one of my parietalis babies hasn't eaten yet
so far I have offered worms, salmon and trout fillets, silversides, live minnows, pinky strips, slugs - most of them I've offered two three times
this little one does not seem to get the eating thing
all the others are eating - worms for the most part, but one of them took pinky from the start
none of the ones that are eating are currently taking anything other than their preferred food - I wish this last hold-out would just settle on something
any suggestions?

[guidofatherof5]

Live guppies might be worth a try.

[kibakiba]

Perhaps you could try separating the non eater, if you haven't already? Also, maybe you could do a very very gentle assisted feeding.

[RedSidedSPR]

How are you presenting the food to them?

[GarField000]

I wonder if the non-eater is already placed seperate?
And then try to feed it? Even leave the food there for a few hours.
Put him on a place where he can't see anyone, and don't look down on him the whole time. Count the peaces of food you place .... i would try fish in small peaces.
Pinky I only do if they are already eating well.

I had a parietalis who didn't eat ... or was very scared to eat ....
I kept him solo for a few weeks and give him food solo, and now he get's the hang off it. Back in the boystank he's now eating very well.

How old is he and did he got bron with you?

[drache]

this little one has been separate for a few weeks, and they've all been fed in separate containers from the start
because of my great fear of feeding accidents, I never feed my babies in groups - I'd probably need something like psych meds to live through it
in my early days of garter keeping I used to feed three babies in their enclosure, and I'd hear my blood whooshing like the pneumatic brakes of a city bus, and my heart banging with huge loud booms - it was just too stressful
so they each get their own container with their very own selection of food, and there is never any confusion over who ate and who didn't
after their feedings they get sorted into groups according to food preferences, and after that I work on expanding their repertoire of acceptable foods
with previous litters from this pairing, the preferences have been for salmon and pinky - only once have I had a worm eater from them
in this litter it's mostly worm eaters, not a single one interested in any kind of fish, and the one slammed the pinky like s/he were ready to kill it if it hadn't been served thawed from the freezer - nothing offered prior had even registered as food
go figure
this litter was born more than six weeks ago http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/breeding/8980-kleine-strapse-little-garters.html

[hjelte]

As previously suggested, live guppys might do the trick. What I´ve found to be succesful with stubborn eaters is putting the guppy in a small drinkingglass/bowl with just enough water to cover the fish. Also, lightly spraying the enclosure with water may help. It helps with spreading the scent. Hope everything works out for you!

[RedSidedSPR]

I've never worried about in-cage feeding except when it's in a dish or the water bowl. Tong feeding doest worry me, that's how I do it, and like you said I control how much they eat.

Anyhoo, that was my suggestion. I thought you were dish feeding, and the tongs could help. From my experience putting them in a container stresses them out so they don't eat.... getting the food in their face with hemostats has always worked better for me.

[d_virginiana]

Is there any way you can get your hands on a frog or tadpole to scent with? My easterns go crazy when they smell frog or toad on my hands, but idk if there are any frogs that would be okay to use where you're at... Sometimes if guppies don't work frog-scenting will.

[RedSidedSPR]

They do love them some frogs.

[drache]

can't get guppies right now, but I did try live minnows
tadpoles are not an option either
Jeff did manage to hunt up a couple of tadpoles at a shop in the city a few years ago when I was in a similar situation; I was so thrilled when he called to tell me, but when he brought them home they were huge - much too huge for the baby I was going to feed it to - probably bullfrog tadpoles
amphibians are very hard to come by in a manageable size

[RedSidedSPR]

Scenting with them is almost the same

[drache]

Scenting with them is almost the same
finding one to scent with . . .
well, actually . . .
last time amphibians were my last resort, I went to the rescue to see whether they had some frog I could rub a rodent on, and they did, and while I rubbed the mouse on him, the damn frog looked at me with those golden-rimmed eyes, and . . .
not that I ever got the snake to eat, but a week later I was the proud owner of five tree frogs
soooo - I do have frogs
what should I scent with them? that little one is too small for whole pinky, and everything else isn't going to pick up frog smell well enough
I did once discuss this issue with a pharmacist who makes favoured medicines for animals (our cat loved her triple fish flavoured thyroid meds), but the best he could tell me was to put the frog in the blender, and I'm not willing to do that

[RedSidedSPR]

I don't blame ya.:D wouldn't want to throw a frog in a blender either, although I bet that would work....:rolleyes:

I had to use tadpole scent to get my baby anery red sided eating, he had gone 4 weeks without ever eating, but when I scented that guppy with a tadpole, he slammed it down. For a few weeks he'd only eat tadpole scare guppies. I wouldn't have though you could scent a guppy but you could.

I bet if you scented fish fillet like tilapia, despite fish strong smell, that could work... I really don't know.