is Pine bedding okay??

[tikichick]

I think I'll start feeding in a separate tub. I've got 6 checkered babies and 1 in particular is smaller and thinner than the rest and I'm concerned that it's not eating. When you put yours in the feeding tub, do you put all of them in at once? Or one at a time?

[anji1971]

I only have one garter at the moment, and my other is a Dekay's snake, so I just do them separately. I think if you have more than one you could probably put the good eaters in as small groups, but I would feed the little one separate so you can make sure he's getting enough.
I just use a plastic dishpan from the dollar store as a feeding tub-- its about 5-6 inches high, so it keeps them focused on the food, and I know when they're done because they start trying to crawl out over the side!!

[tikichick]

Will do! Thanks!

[anji1971]

Your welcome!! Hope to hear that the little one is fattening up nicely soon!

[tikichick]

Update on the littlest one... It's not eating I've tried putting it in a tub on it's own with minnows, then with pieces of trout and salmon, and nada. It won't eat.

Should I try to force feed it? It definitely needs to eat something, it's skinny and now 1/3 rd the size of its siblings.

It's head is about the size of the fingernail on my pinkie finger. If I do try to force feed, any suggestions on getting it's mouth open safely?

[Lori P]

The only experience I have is with the king snake baby, and I used my fingernail to pry open her mouth a wee bit the one time we put a mouse tail in her mouth. I only had to open her mouth a wee bit to get the thin end of the tail in. I think any thin, blunt edge instrument would work as long as you are gentle...

Good luck!!!!

[Loren]

Yeah, pretty much what Lori said. Sometimes you can get snakes to open their mouths in aggression if you muck with them alittle, but I dont see that working on a tiny garter. Just be careful and patient. If you can get the food in partway and very slowly and gently release some of the pressure- it may start to swallow on its own.

[tikichick]

Ok, thanks yall. I'll give it a whirl. I may use one of those little plastic dental floss y shaped thingies if I can't get it's mouth open with a fingernail. I'll let you know how it goes

[Lori P]

Since this was a bedding thread-- I have a bedding question-- I put the 2 mice on aspen bedding because I had it here for the snakes-- is that ok?? It only just occurred to me that it may not be ideal for some reason...

[tikichick]

You're housing the mice on aspen? That's perfect.

My apologies for jackin' the thread!