New anerythristic red sided baby!

[ConcinusMan]

Another thing to try, just in case you haven't, is to feed them inside their current cage. They may be less "agitated" if you can offer the food to them while they are inside of their hide where they are comfortable and relaxed. Again, definitely not a guarantee, but worth a shot when you're trying many different options.

That's pretty much what I do unless it just isn't working. Everyone's situation and snakes are different and they can't be fed in their enclosure due to group dynamics/fighting, substrate issues, etc. That's why I like to start babies out on paper or bare liner, feeding in their own enclosure without having to move them. Once they get started, you can do whatever works.



But then again, those babies were already feeding well. It's always a hurdle to get them to take their first meal, and I always fuss and worry like the current situation. Then one day, success. After that it's usually smooth sailing and they act like they have years experience at eating.

I've had groups that flat refused eating until I did something like the container feeding thing, but with worms. Once they knew the smell/taste of worms, I could just tong feed them in their own enclosure. The main hurdle is that first bite. That first meal. After that, they become pros (at eating) overnight.

[d_virginiana]

I've never fed mine in anything but his enclosure. He was always going on hunger strikes as a baby. I think we tried fish, then stopped for about a week and tried worms. Then he wouldn't eat the worms, so we tried putting him in a different enclosure to feed him but that didn't work either. Then we had no clue what to do, so we just stuck the fish back in there and he ate like four at once. :P

Sometimes now I think he stops eating when he wants to get a specific food. We just go through a rotation until he decided on what he wants to eat. :P

[ConcinusMan]

That's common in my experience. Sometimes it's not that the snake doesn't want to eat. He just doesn't want what you're offering.

[RedSidedSPR]

I've ALWAYS fed my other in his cage. He won;t eat anywhere else...

But I don't like feeding my baby in his cage because he'll swallow the bedding. I guess I should get some "reptile carpet"...

I did try though. Offered it to him in his hide, and put some guppies in his water bowl. No luck.

[ConcinusMan]

I feed babies in their enclosure most of the time, even with substrate. I tong feed them and keep the pieces small so they swallow it right away. I just put it in front of their face. They know the routine and usually take it on sight without even checking to see what it is. (by smelling it) Works for me.

[RedSidedSPR]

My other snake does that too. Right out of my hands. No tongs needed.

I just bought 20 guppies, put them in an aquarium, went out to dinner, came home and 16 OF THEM WERE DEAD!!! now I only have four.

The crappy, half dead guppies, are in with the snake in a small container. Dying. Is it worth it to leave him over night?

[guidofatherof5]

Freeze the dead one. They will come in handy for scenting or just feeding-off in the future.

[Jeff B]

Steves advice to freeze them is good advice, you might even want to just freeze 3-4 per small plastic snake bag to avoid freeze thaws. That way you can just thaw out a bag with 3-4 per feeding.
Addressing the other issue of most of the fish dead after an hour of being added to your aquarium, (this should not happen, loosing a couple may be norm) means something is out of whack with your aquarium water parameters or you might not have acclimated or normalize their temps before dumping them in the aquarium. This is typically done by floating the bag for 15-20 minutes, sometimes it is also advantageous to slowly mix water from the aquarium with the bag water IF the chemistry (pH or hardness generally) of the place where the fish came is very different from your aquariums.

[RedSidedSPR]

Right I know all that. (including the freezing) i guess I failed to mention that it's a small filter-less tank... I just threw 'em in there. But they usually last a day or two

Anyway, I left him overnight in a container with all the living ones (6) and two dead ones that came out with the net.

HE DIDN'T EAT.

All but one of the 6 guppies somehow survived the night, so they were floppin' and swimming all night. (why didn't they survive the tank I put 'em in?)

Now what.

I guess I'll try the earthworm trick you mentioned, Steve, And wait another few days for guppies again.