# Pinky press



## thereptilehouse (Jun 9, 2015)

I recently brought a pinky press but it isn't that good as it gets blocked up by the pinkys skin and bursts out with some force rather than being a a gentle fluid movement. (I am assist feeding hatchling corn snakes).

I realise now that I am going to have to use a blender for the pinkies (yuk!!), but was wondering if it would be okay to use an adult mouse instead of several pinkies if it is going to be pureed anyway? I know the contents are the same, its just the fur I am not sure on!!


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## werewolf (Dec 26, 2009)

Never found these work very well, a blender works better 

Mouse tails can be used to assist feed and are quite easy to poke in the mouth to promote a feeding response - you can try add a pink in too once the tail is most the way in.

What else have you tried? Force feeding often stresses them more and can be counter productive


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## thereptilehouse (Jun 9, 2015)

Hi and thanks for the advice on feeding tails, but I have already tried that. I have already tried braining, cutting the pinky into smaller pieces, tease feeding, putting the head into the snakes mouth and hooking it onto the teeth so it's more difficult to spit out. Some of the hatchlings have responded to some of these methods and are now feeding, but 3 are still refusing to feed and just spit it out.

My babies are now about 10 weeks old and one of my non-feeding hatchings died, despite doing all of the above so I have chosen to force feed now as a last resort. 

I have bred and force fed in the past as I was shown how to do this when I worked at a reptile zoo, but decided to invest in a pinky press as I thought it would be a less stressful way of assist feeding than pushing the pinky in with a blunt instrument and getting covered in mouse guts in the process. 

I am of course open to suggestion if there are any other techniques, but what I really wanted to know was does it matter if you feed a liquidised adult mouse rather than pinkie?


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## eeji (Feb 22, 2006)

I've found boiled pinks are good for getting stubborn corn hatchlings eating.


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## SilverWings (Sep 26, 2013)

Have you tired other prey? Chick thighs and plucked wings got some of mine going. Green anole shed skin got the rest started. 

I did the whole blending mouse thing, it's frankly disgusting and hardly worth the trouble. It stinks. I blended an adult mouse and ended up with a paste on the sides of the blender than couldn't be syringed. I tried adding a little water and got a fluid but you don't realise how much fur there is. Strained it through a sieve (then threw said sieve out) and syringe fed the fluid, but it's hard getting it to stay down, and none of my syringe fed babies ever grew whilst being fed in this manner. I would definitely say if chick doesn't work use tails. I used to push them down gently with a cotton bud until they were past the jaw, very rarely would the snake spit it out once it reached that point, then it's just a case of either massaging it down or letting them work it further down if they will.


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## thereptilehouse (Jun 9, 2015)

Hi Silverwings and thanks for a great post, especially about the fur clogging up the press. I have abandoned using the press already, lol. I found it more fiddley and difficult trying to use it than force feeding whole prey. I have therefore gone back to basics and gone back to tails and heads that slide in nicely. Far easier and cleaner as you don't end up with guts over your fingers!!

Good news is since writing this post 2 out of 3 of my non-feeders have started eating by themselves :smile


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