Stan Chiras:
Exert from an article Published in "Reptiles" Magazine March 1998

Pinkie mice are NOT a preferred food item for emeralds. This is probably logical, since emeralds aren't the kind of snake that would invade a rodent den to find food, as would many other kinds of baby snakes. They most likely take small hopper sized mice right after birth, mice that would be wandering the forest floor within striking distance of baby emeralds. Although it hasn't been documented yet, baby emeralds most likely feed on basking lizards for their first meals of life. Nevertheless, starting them on mice in captivity is relatively easy.

There are two reasons for starting emeralds on hoppers: first of all, baby emeralds are quite large and can readily handle larger meals, unlike Chondropytho ssp.hatchlings. Secondly, hoppers offer a more attractive "target". Pinky mice don't give off much body heat, whereas hopper mice do. A common mistake is for keepers to try to feed pinky or small fuzzy mice to baby emeralds, and there just isn't enough heat and activity from the prey animal to interest them! It's amazing how a reluctant feeder will turn on instantly to a larger, warmer mouse!

Caging is critical to food presentation. One of the best setups is the 12 inch Bush, or Neodesha unit. It's easy to provide a perch about two to three inches over the cage floor, where baby emeralds can avoid being bothered by a hopper; but at the same time can just as easily make a killing strike with little effort. It's important to make it easy for the snake to see, heat sense, and approach the mouse without being spooked in the process.

Keeping the snakes over water, an oftentimes preferred method, poses feeding problems for neonates. By using carpet, cut to the cage bottom size, and then kept wet the humidity requirements of the emerald can be met, while offering the hopper a relatively dry surface to move about on before it's arboreal demise. Once an emerald has become an active feeder, they can be transferred to larger caging with even wetter substrate, if needed.

Reluctant feeders happen from time to time. One of the wonderful things about emeralds is that you don't have to force feed them. "Assist" feeding becomes an easily facilitated option. "Assist" feeding is accomplished by gently holding the snake and pushing a fresh killed fuzzy into its mouth.Be patient, it may take some time. Hold the snake behind its large jaw muscles and begin pressing the mouse up to its mouth. The little bugger will eventually open up and take the mouse. Now is when the patience part really comes in! Watching a favorite TV show while performing this operation is the best way to wait the snake out. I like to watch the Animal Planet channel, so the snake can also enjoy the program.

If the snake trys to eject the mouse, keep it in its mouth - not by forcing, but simply by keeping it there. Allow the snake to move back, but keep the mouse in its mouth. Eventually, and it sometimes takes more than ten minutes, the snake will give up trying to eject the mouse and will begin to swallow. Most reluctant feeders start feeding on their own after a few of these sessions. Remember to give them a voluntary try after a time or two of this method! It helps to let them go a few weeks without a meal to increase their hunger - similar to what they might experience in the wild. And use small fuzzies, they're a lot easier for reluctant feeders to swallow.

   

One Gently push the mouse against the emerald's mouth, it will take it.

Two Don't let the snake spit it out, keep it there no matter what. Note size of food item.

Emeralds naturally feed best at dusk, the period of a few hours just after the sun goes down. It's best to capitalize on this tendency and feed them at that time. Conversely, it is difficult to get them to feed during daylight hours, when they're usually in a deep sleep. Once an emerald takes its first meal, they quickly become savage feeders and both the keeper and the emerald are a lot happier. You can then watch Animal Planet all alone, unless your snake wants to watch too.

Photographs and text Copyright© 1999 by Stan Chiras. All Rights Reserved.