I caught a baby milk snake. I've had it for 5 days and it wont eat. Is it too little to try feeding it pinks?

Question

It is still very small, about 8 inches long and maybe .5 inch wide at the middle. I've tried feeding it nightcrawlers, crickets, a grasshopper. I have it in a large clear Tupperware container with plenty of ventallation. It is on Newspaper and it has water. I have a light on one side of the container to heat the one side, so it can stay in the cool side or the heat, whichever it likes. What can i do to get it to eat? Dont tell me to let it go, not what im looking for. It is a gorgeous snake and I intend to keep it.

Answer 1

I believe snakes eat like 1 meal a month. Might not be it's time.

Answer 2

You should let it go because it could carry unknown diseases and parasites that would make you very sick and....it might kill you. Also keeping the snake would kill it because they weren't meant to be kept as house pets. They might not be able to adapt to the new environment, which will stress them out, and that could really kill them. Also why would you want to probably risk your life and the snake's life just to keep it? There are many diseases that the snake could carry and you wouldn't know if the snake is sick itself.

It doesn't matter if the snake has (literally) rainbows on it, you shouldn't and can't keep it. I'm sorry, most people would tell you the same thing. Also it is illegal to keep a wild snake. Sorry if this answer isn't what you are looking for....just trying to look out for your health and if worst comes to worst, your life. And the snake's life too.

Why would you want to take a happy animal from it's home? A wild animal is meant to be in the wild, not being a captive house pet.

Answer 3

You do realise that what you're doing is illegal. You're not allowed to just take a snake from the wild and keep it as a pet. It probably won't eat because it's traumatised, and will likely die. If you genuinely care about it's welfare, let it go back in the wild where it belongs and if you want a pet snake, buy one from a licenced reptile dealer. You'll probably need to also buy a licence.

-doanel, pinkies are baby mice (named because they're too young to have developed fur and are pinkish in colour)

Answer 4

Wikipedia says that the young snakes eat insects, slugs, and earthworms.  I would try the slugs and earthworms since you've already tried crickets.  Also, they seem to be a shy creature.  I would give it some place to hide.  All snakes seem to like cozy places.  And get it a large aquarium with a screen top if you're going to keep it.  Tupperware isn't the right place for them.

Answer 5

Baby snakes absorb the remaining yolk in their egg prior to leaving the clutch and this will tide them over for some time. The snake you caught may not be ready to take its first meal.

Wild-caught snakes are often NOT willing to eating the same commercially produced feeder animals that captive bred animals are accustomed to. You might have better luck offering a small lizard (try lizard tail if the snake is very small) or scent a freshly washed pink with a lizard (rub the pink with a lizard or a lizard's shed skin). If that doesn't work, you might try "braining" the pink and leaving it and the snake in a closed paper bag in the enclosure overnight.

Don't expect it to eat any of the insects that have been suggested. Milksnakes are not insectivores. They will feed on a variety of animals, but bugs and worms are not usually among them. Their natural prey consists of small rodents, birds and their eggs, lizards, other snakes, and frogs.

If more than 2 weeks pass and you haven't had any luck getting the little one to feed I would suggest returning it to the wild for its own good.

Best of luck to you both.

Answer 6

Feeding it pinks?   What's a pink?

Answer 7

Let him go. He doesn't want to be in a cage any more than you do. It's cruel to keep him.

Answer 8

snakes eat rodents....  so unless you can find a mouse...let the snake go

Answer 9

If you want what's best for it,  you should return it to the wild.  Let it go before it dies.  Research snakes and maybe get another one later.

Answer 10

Since you refuse to let it go, here is all you need to know:

http://www.applegatereptiles.com/article...

Answer 11

Snakes caught from the wild usually die in captivity. The snake is stressed out and won't eat because he is unable to continue hunting for his food. The most humane thing to do is let him go, he will not thrive. If he is such a beautiful snake why do you want to be so cruel to it? If you must have a snake get one that was captive born at a petstore. They were born not hunting, living in a tupperware, and eating pinkies. This snake WILL die on you it is stressed. Plus, wild snakes carry parasites in their stools and it can be passed to humans. Do you really want to catch something? There is not one good idea that stems from this. Let the snake go before it dies.

Also, you need a UVA & UVA bulb, not a regular house lamp. If a snake doesn't have the proper lighting it can't digest food and it won't eat. Also newspaper is a bad idea, the snake can't burrow in newspaper.

Answer 12

let it go it needs to be out in the wild.

and go and buy one from a pet store

Answer 13

No, its not, cuz i have a corn snake, i feed it mice 3 times the size of its head.

Answer 14

in many states its illigal to capture an animal and keep it as a pet without a lisince. LET IT GO, IT COULD GET SICK OR DIE!!!

Answer 15

No these snakes only eat rodents and it is big enough to eat pinkies 5 mins research which u clearly havent done would have told u this  

look u need to release it keeping wild caught lizards is cruel immoral and environmentally reprehensible when a wild animal i removed from its natural environment and put in a confined space it causes massive amounts of stress. this affects herps (reptiles and amphibians) very badly worse than most other orders many die simply from the stress of being in captivity it also weakens there immune system meaning more die from disease. those that survive suffer from stress related behavior disorders, stress related illness and have a shortened life span. there quality of life is pretty bad too. u clearly havent done your research and have no idea what your doing release the poor creature before u kill it  

Answer 16

i found a garder snake about the same size, try feeding it a mealworm or something of the sort. i fed mine worms but it didnt eat often and i got scared and let it go. mealworms are small and easy for it to catch