Samantha shed again and I'm worried about the babies

[Sssssnakey]

Sammy (Samantha) shed yesterday. I figured after having the babies she'd shed. She had a tear in her outer layer of skin right after giving birth. It was a complete shed and she was really happy to get out and play yesterday after she was done. She loves soaking in her pool. Lucky girl.

I'm worried about the babies though. I've tried feeding them red wigglers, cut up night crawlers and pinky parts and they aren't eating. It's been two and a half weeks since they were born and I'm really worried. I'm thinking that I can't handle having all these snakes. Maybe Sammy and one baby is all I can deal with and not have it stress me out. Is there someone near here who would like some babies?

[Corinne33]

I'd take one or two but I'm all the way across the country from you in Ohio :-\

My little one won't eat if I'm anywhere near the cage, even sitting on the couch across the room. So i put a few pieces of worm on a paper towel in his enclosure before bed. Usually by the next morning one or two (depending on size) are gone.

[gregmonsta]

Red wrigglers should not be on the menu as they are toxic. You just have to persevere with them. Are you offering food daily?

[ssssnakeluvr]

yes, avoid red wrigglers.... I am in Magna and I can take them!!!!

[Sssssnakey]

Thanks for the pm Don, and for talking to me on the phone. I've gotten all the red wigglers out of their cages (stupid Petco guy told me they'd be best). I'm going to find some feeder guppies and try those. I have had food in their cage every day, but since the red wigglers are toxic to them Don said they would know not to eat them. I wondered why they were snuggling with them instead of eating them.

I'll keep you posted on how they're doing once I get the guppies. I guess I'm just a nervous mom. I don't want them to die on me. I'd feel awful!

[guidofatherof5]

Thanks for the pm Don, and for talking to me on the phone. I've gotten all the red wigglers out of their cages (stupid Petco guy told me they'd be best). I'm going to find some feeder guppies and try those. I have had food in their cage every day, but since the red wigglers are toxic to them Don said they would know not to eat them. I wondered why they were snuggling with them instead of eating them.

I'll keep you posted on how they're doing once I get the guppies. I guess I'm just a nervous mom. I don't want them to die on me. I'd feel awful!

Place a large number of guppies in a small container. Place 1 or 2 snakes in the container with a lid. The floppy guppies will do their magic. Just used that system on a couple of my non-eaters and now there is no more guppies. Happy snakes, now.

[Sssssnakey]

I'm on the hunt for guppies today.

[mustang]

if u want to i know some friends whom love snakes! but they hate shipping!, glad theyre better! and the only snake i know that loves red wriglers was my flathead tantilla gracias ...coinsidentally great first day of school and when i look under boards i find a little flat head and a snake shed!

[Sssssnakey]

Just a little update.

Sammy's babies are all eating guppies and doing well. They're still in separate containers and the snake in container 5 is the slowest to finally find and eat it's guppy, but it is still eating. The others usually get to theirs quite quickly and a few even eat two guppies in a couple hours. They're all different. It's fun watching them strike at the guppies and chase them around the bowl.

I need to take some pictures of them and have you all help me identify their gender so we can name them. I feel bad calling them by their container number. It reminds me of the Borg (from Star Trek). I guess we could call them by their number and their birth number like 5 of 7 or something like that, but the kids want to name them and I don't want to give a boy snake a girl name and have to change it like we did with Samantha (aka Sammy).

Sammy is eating pinkies, gold fish, worms and I gave her a fuzzy, but it was so large it seemed hard for her to get it inside her mouth. My kids and I were really worried about how long it took her to swallow the fuzzy. So I'm just giving her multiple smaller pinkies or two small gold fish, and feeding her smaller prey seems less stressful to her and us.