1ST PYRO!!!!!

[capoeirajosh]

After 5 years of searching in the mountains, I luckily stumbled across a couple of pyros for sale at the tucson reptile show. Now, normally it is illegal to sell pyros in AZ, cause they are native but, the parents were actually bought outside of AZ and brought here. So in this case, game and fish said that it was ok for this guy to sell his pyros at the show. OF COURSE, I had to jump on this opportunity. I got this girl for 25 bucks!!!!! Her name is Amber. What a friggin deal!!!!! I haven't been able to get her to eat though. Any suggestions?????

 

[Nigel4less]

Anoles,House Skinks both work great, but if you can get some Fence lizards those work like a charm for scenting! She is gorgeous by the way!

 

[capoeirajosh]

so what would you do with the lizard, just rub in on the pinkie??

 

[lytlesnake]

Here's a good link with some things you can do to get them feeding. My little hatchling male pyro has only eaten once for me so far. The yearling female eats with no problem.

http://www.pyromelana.com/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=21&Itemid=44

 

[capoeirajosh]

Ok, cool. Thanks. I am hoping it is just because she is not acclimated yet, because the guy that sold her to me said they were all eating pinkies and that I wouldn't have to scent them. I am gonna try again on monday.

 

[lytlesnake]

Hey Josh, my little male hatchling pyro just ate again the other day. I rinsed the live pinkie with soap and water. You might try that before the lizard scenting. Someone told me to do that with speckled kings once, something about them not liking the urine smell that mice have. Damn smelly mice!

 

[capoeirajosh]

She still hasn't eaten. I have tried washing, braining, scenting. I am wondering if she is just going into hibernation. Is this possible??

 

[Nigel4less]

She could be going into hibernation, but I would try pulling of a lizard(Anole,Skink,Fence Lizard) and rub the blood on the Pinkies face, or even shove a small piece of tail into the pinkies mouth.

 

[lytlesnake]

Yeah these little guys are picky! I put a newborn washed pinkie in my pyros' tub the other night, and when I checked back the next morning, it was still there. The pyro was in his water dish, which was dry. So I dropped the pinkie in the water dish with him and slid the tub back in. When I checked later he had eaten it.

So scenting the pinkie with lizard is probably a good idea, but you also might try a different presentation, such as what I did. Get a water dish that's a couple inches deep and drop the pinkie in there. I think my pyro is almost scared of the pinkies, and this may help him feel more confident.

 

[Nigel4less]

Also let me correct what I said, I meant pulling off the lizards tail, not pulling of the Lizard LOL

 

[capoeirajosh]

Right now I have a pinkie in a bag of dirt with an anole. The dirt came from the anole tank at the store. I will try the water bowl thing tommorrow night and leave it in there all night. Hopefully, the pinkie won't be there in the morning. If that doesn't work I will try the lizard blood thing. I have tried the washed pinkie. I haven't tried it though in the snakes tub though. I usually feed my snakes in a seperate container than their tank or tub. Could that have something to do with it?? Me taking her out of her tub and trying to feed her might not be what she is used to. I am really worried about this. This is the ultimate snake for me and it is driving me crazy knowing that she still isn't eating.

 

[lytlesnake]

Since pyros are known for being picky feeders, it is probably best to disturb them as little as possible. So yeah, it might be better to feed her in her tub. That may be partly why she hasn't eaten yet. Also, you might want to try putting a washed pinkie in a water dish and feeding her in the tub before you give her the lizard scented pinkie. If she gets hooked on that lizard smell, you'll have to either wean her off that or keep scenting them. So I'd exhaust the other options before lizard scenting.

You are giving her live pinkies right? Or was she already on frozen thawed? A picky feeder is much more likely to eat live pinkies than frozen I think.

 

[capoeirajosh]

Yes, I am trying to feed her live pinkies.

 

[capoeirajosh]

Yes, I am trying to feed her live pinkies.

 

[lytlesnake]

Yeah I figured you were, just making sure. Let me know if she eats one in her tub. Leave it in there for a day or two.

 

[capoeirajosh]

She didn't eat it in her tub. I talked to a guy I know that has bred these snakes before and he told me to get it out of the tub and put it in a 10 gallon like I would normally do. The guy that sold her to me told me that I should leave her in the tub that she came in and put it on a heat pad or else they stop eating and die!!!!! I found this kind of weird, so I asked the guy I know about this. He basically told me that that is a bunch of crap and there is probably a reason that the guy isn't calling me back. Anyways, he told me to go catch some tree lizards and feed those to her and then start the weining process over to pinkies. Sure enough she pounded the lizard I gave her. I guess he starts alot of his variable kings all on lizards and then just weins them off. I am so relieved that my snake ate!! Thank you for all of your suggestions. She just didn't want anything to do with mice right now though. I tried braining, washing, scenting. Nothing worked.

 

[Nigel4less]

Well atleast you got some food in her hopefully you can wean her off soon enough.

 

[fallen_angel]

At least she ate a lizard! I think I saw one of those snakes at the local reptile store too, it was from Mexico. I thought of you and your snake when I saw it

 

[kenske]

Very Nice! Great deal for these awesome snakes. Glad he ate a meal for you! How big is the lizard you fed to her?

 

[capoeirajosh]

Very Nice! Great deal for these awesome snakes. Glad he ate a meal for you! How big is the lizard you fed to her?

Just a baby lizard I caught in my backyard. Maybe a 2 1/2 incher or 3.