[Logiosmc]

Hello to everyone! First of all, sorry for my English, it's not so good.
On the 30th of January I bought a pair of Gonyosoma bulengeri, from an unknown breeder but CB neonates. Their set up is a simple plastic tab
30x16x15 cm with water bawl for each animal separately. My temperatures are 26 -27 degrees Celsius in the basking Spot and 23-20 on the cold side. There is a newspaper for the substrate. The first day I had took the animals I tried to feed with pinkie mice, the male ate normally with a tweezer while on the female i left the pinkie in his place and ate it alone. After 5 days I tried again to feed while both refused either with tweezers or I left the pinkies in their places. After 5 days I tried again and the male ate with tweezer after a lot of effort. On the female I resorted to the method of assist and succeeded because she did not eat either with tweezer neither by left the mouse in her enclosure. Today after 10 days I tried again but again they refused the food by any method( and with assist on female). They have eaten a total of 2 times each . weight we have the male 14 grams while the female is 8 grams. Is there anyone with experience in the species to help me with some tricks tips to find a proper routine on my animals. I have experience with pythons but never with colubrids. Thank you very much in advance.

 

[loxocemus]

put some live guppies in their water bowl, plus a couple of small defrosted pink mice, they often grab the pinks trying to get the guppies. After a few such meals try holding a small defrost pink in forceps and splash it about gently in their water bowl, mimicking a fish. Once thats successful your on the road to simple pink feeding from tongs.

good luck
rgds
ed

 

[loxocemus]

PS make sure they have very small hides and a light warm misting every other day. you are not alone in neonate boulengeri difficulties, it is somewhat the norm for the sp.

good luck
rgds
ed
[/QUOTE]

 

[Logiosmc]

Thank you very much for your prompt reply. The animals have been eaten in my hands twice without having to use fish, one of which the male ate with tong twice,.the female the first time I left the mouse in her enclosure and ate it immediately while the second time she ate with an assist. I mean we use fish when they are about to start eating mine they have eaten in my hands twice pinkie mouse. there is nothing else to make them show interest in the mouse without the use of fish, thanks?Is it right to use fish again? If I put the mouse in their water and let it there is a chance they will show some interest; Thanks again for the reply.

 

[loxocemus]

i know it might seem like a backwards move to go back to fish, their very movement orientated, its the splashing in the bowl that prompts the strike, if they miss and grab the pink, even better.

since urs have eaten from ur hand there is another method, but i would only use it a few times in a row then try guppys if it fails (it can be stressful for them). let the rhino hang down from ur finger and really annoy it with a small pink from below (try puncturing the pinks head before the attempt), so what i mean is hold a pink in forceps then poke it around the mouth, keep doing it till their pissed off, ur looking for a strike, it might just be out of anger but they often hold and swallow, but you have to stay still till its finished. if this method goes really really well, as the pink is disappearing down the mouth BUT the mouth is still open, gently place another pinks head into the mouth, they'll often swallow both thinking its just one food item.

u can also sit them on the edge of their bowl and gently splash a pink about in the water on the forceps.

i know their stubborn but once they get some grams on them, once they enjoy feeding they really take off, and given how they look as adults its all worth it, no matter how hard they are as neonates you'll forget all that once you have them in ur hands as adults, i promise

rgds
ed
ps also trying tuna scenting (tuna in water in a tin) iv had the oddest things take that scenting

 

[Logiosmc]

Thanks very much for your reply. I keep you informed about what is going to happen. I keep you updated 😃!

 

[Logiosmc]

Good evening new information as a reference to gonyosoma bulengeri. I put guppy fish and pinkie mouse in their water bowl , as you told me .the female ate the fish. The male did not eat either the fish or the mouse. I will put it again in three days. As a reference ,the female how to manage it from now on where she ate the fish? and how often to feed her from now on? Thanks! I will post photos from theirs set up below!

 

[Logiosmc]

 

[loxocemus]

at this age and size you can feed twice a week, ie every 3-4 days.

your setups look great, perfect for baby rhino's.

baby rhino's are an exercise in patience and perseverance

rgds
ed

 

[Logiosmc]

Thank you very much! How do I manage it now? I put again guppy fish with mouse or I try only with mouse, and if it does not eat I put guppy fish again; thanks

 

[loxocemus]

food is food, so keep offering whatever they'll accept, my advice would be to continue with guppy's and a couple of pinks in a bowl (a smaller bowl increases the chance they'll hit a pinkie by mistake), after they have fed 4 or 5 times in a row THEN you can experiment with trying to force them on pinks again, id start with while the guppys are swimming about hold a pink in forceps splash it gently in front of the rhino, trying to force a distracted strike, also try rubbing the pink on a guppy and offering it directly to the rhino's face, if a test feeding fails offer the guppys and pinks in a bowl the following attempt then next time try a test feed

so kinda like this

guppys/pinks/bowl -- test feed. -- guppys/pinks/bowl. -- test feed


the idea is to make sure the animal is still getting food even if a straight pinkie attempt fails. if a test attempt fails don't wait 3/4 days to offer guppys/pinks, 1-2 days is fine.

I hope I haven't confused you more

rgds
ed