Stuffed!

[Tyrel26]

Just a thought.

Some snakes seem to all but refuse anything other than their favorite type of food, if their favorite is pinkies than thats great; but what about the ones that will only eat worms or fish? True, snakes can be kept on a diet of fish and worm but mice gives them what those items can't.

I was wondering if anyone have every tried liquefying a pinkie and using a syringe to inject the result into a small fish or a night crawler?

I have seen a similar type of device sold at many store that pumps the night crawler full of air allowing it to float for fishing.


Any thoughts?

[guidofatherof5]

It may be a viable option if regular scenting methods aren't working.
Good thought.

[ConcinusMan]

Seems like a lot of trouble, and messy.

[Tyrel26]

The trouble and messy part wouldn't deter me if it was the only way to get my snakes to eat something that is better for them.

I was merely curious about this, it may prove to be a useful idea someday.

[ConcinusMan]

I'm just saying we already have been feeding pinkies to snakes that won't normally eat them. Scenting is usually enough. I do have some fish eaters that won't eat pinkies. Simply chopping up some fish and pinkies together in a dish, then thawing and stirring, and those fish eaters will then eat it all. If it's whole pinkies, usually rubbing it thoroughly with a smelly variety of fish will do the trick.

I use a similar tactic when pinkie eaters won't eat night crawlers. Again, I mix them and they think that it's all pinkies, and they eat it.

Some people get the weirdest snakes though. Snakes that won't eat if it doesn't move, snakes that aren't fooled by scenting, etc. In all the years and all the snakes I've kept, not once have I had one like that.

If the scenting trick doesn't seem to work for your snake then he just isn't hungry enough. I found it doesn't always work right away but if they get hungry enough, it starts working. You just have to keep trying and not be discouraged by a little thing like them not eating for a week or three. They eventually come around.

[Tyrel26]

I agree with what you have said. I have been working a lot of hours lately and my mind tends to wander when I finally get home, which leads to ideas like a pinkie smoothie lol.

It would be very messy and impractical but I believe it would be helpful if the circumstance called for such a measure to be taken. Lucky for me I do not have any problem getting my snakes to eat, though they are a little hit and miss right now due to the changing season.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

I wouldn't go so far as to say that mice gives them what other food can't... snakes can and will live a long healthy life without ever ingesting a single rodent! Remember, garter snakes are semi-aquatic and while some species may encounter and eat the occasional rodent, you can't really argue against the fact that the bulk of a garter snake's diet is amphibians, fish and worms, or one or the other. Feeding whole prey items are key, (heads, organs, bones and all) and it's even better if the feeder items get the proper nutrition and are gutloaded before feeding. But garter snakes do not need to eat mice to grow big, fat, and be extremely healthy. I have stuffed small feeder fish with reptomin sticks before... it's really no different than if you fed the fish a large meal right before feeding them to the snake. As for filling fish with liquid, I actually have done it. I used a gel form of penicillin once to treat a baby garter snake with an infected, abscessed hemipene. Twice a day I would evert the hemipene and clean it, and would give him a small fish filled with this gel. I would take scissors and slice the throat of the fish open, use tweezers to pull out the organs, and fill the empty body cavity with the liquid. The problem is that when the snake grabs it, the liquid does seep right back out so you have to kind of cradle it as they eat it so that you are sure they get it down. The snake made a full recovery.... but as for having to use that method any other time... forget it! It's messy, and takes like 10 minutes just to gut, stuff and carefully feed one fish to your snake! Pinkies also do not liquefy too well... I have tried it! (for scenting purposes)... the bones make your pinky smoothie chunky.

I have stuffed large silversides with whole pinkies before.... that works rather well

[ConcinusMan]

I agree with what you have said. I have been working a lot of hours lately and my mind tends to wander when I finally get home, which leads to ideas like a pinkie smoothie lol.

It would be very messy and impractical but I believe it would be helpful if the circumstance called for such a measure to be taken. Lucky for me I do not have any problem getting my snakes to eat, though they are a little hit and miss right now due to the changing season.

And I too have been working all day every day for weeks.

You are so right about the idea being useful. Injecting whole pinkies or fish with medications or nutrition is a tactic that works.

So I would think it could work the other way around.

[Tyrel26]

Good points to bring it. I agree that garters don't "need" mice to grow big and healthy but as i sometimes find it hard to get whole fish i like to slip in a mouse or 2 every month or so.

My snakes are fed on a diet of fish I caught over the summer (trout) and also frogs that i have in the freezer. I also have worms but they arent used as often as fish.
I use supplements from time to time also but I prefer to stay from those.

[ConcinusMan]

I wouldn't go so far as to say that mice gives them what other food can't... snakes can and will live a long healthy life without ever ingesting a single rodent!

True. My first pair of concinnus lived to be around 20 years old (she even had a litter of 50 babies one year) and they only ate fish, worms, and occasionally amphibians. I had heard that garters will eat mice so I tried, but those two wouldn't touch them and I saw no reason at the time to make them eat rodents. Male died at 3 feet, 18 yrs old. Female was over 3 feet and 20 when she died. No rodents involved.