feeding baby timbers

[dunawayeric]

they just turned 3 weeks old on saterday..and still did not eat...i tried pinky mice and they did not eat them....they were captive born......any suggestions....please help...

[BWSmith]

I would make sure that they are separated and each cage has a hide in it. Wait until they are in the hide and drag the prey item slowly in front of the hide (with hemos of course). Keep doing that till you get a strike and then leave it there for them eat at thier liesure. I would also try hopper mice. Newborn Timbers should be large enough for them and sometimes a little hair on the rodent makes all the difference.

[reverendsterlin]

definitely go with hoppers, the timbers should quickly suck them down. I think size might be a trigger, I had the same problem with atrox.

[dunawayeric]

i just put the snakes into seperate containers to try and feed them..the pinkies had a little bit of hair but where definately small enought for them to eat...where can i get hopper mice at...i started raising my own mice but they havent had any little ones yet...

[BWSmith]

Pet store should have them.

[dunawayeric]

the mice i used are field mice babies...that i happened to find..none of the pet stores have baby mice...and mine proably wont have any for aboit another 2 or 3 weeks..do they have to eat mice or when they are that little will they eat crickets and things like that..

[reverendsterlin]

only mice, a hopper is fully haired and very active but still nursing. They are small enough to sit on a quarter. I personally think that the size of the prey triggers the feeding instinct and that pinks and fuzzies are just too small to act as the trigger. I haven't had any luck with getting crotalus neo's to accept f/t as first meal but they have always switched readily after a couple of meals.