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Is she well hydrated? A lot of feeding problems with neonates stems from dehydration....unfortunatly there is not always a cure for this. Many young snakes are born premature without full kidney function and they just end up dying a slow wasting away death. Tube feeding is stressful but sometimes the only thing we can do. Because of the nature of how some just won't eat and some just can't process it anyway...I have had mixed results as I am sure many others have as well. Not all snakes are meant to survive...not all seemingly dying snakes are meant to die either though so unless the snake seems to be in agony...by all means keep trying. Generally a liquid diet such as what you made will pass a bit quicker than solid food. BUT...since stress is a factor you want to keep at a minimum...it's still best to only tube feed once a week. I would tube this snake for 3 weeks, then try offering solid food again. I don't know what all is available in Australia so I don't know if you can use what I use..but what you are feeding should be fine. A tiny bit of vitamin B12 would be good though as it is an energy booster and it is a great appetite stimulant for reptiles. A small dab of plain yogurt is good for building gut flora...The part that I am not sure about availability in Australia is ensure...Ensure is a suppliment drink sold here in the US...It is packed full of vitamins. A little Pedyalite is good to add too. Pedyalite is an electralite replentisher marketed for infants here (not sure if it's sold in Oz either)...not really much different than a good sports drink like gatorade except it seems to work a bit better for dehydration...anyway...
My recipe=
1/4 cup ensure
1/10 cc of injectable B12 squirted into the mixture
1 tsp plain yogurt
1 egg yolk
1-2 tsp of puree chicken (gerbers babyfood)
(may or may not thin with pedyalite)
Usually I just mix this up for a snake that's off feed due to recovering some illness or injury and for some reason can't or won't eat for a time that I think is causing health to dwindle....I have fed it to babies too...and it usually works...but like I said...sometimes underdeveloped kidneys keep anything from working...usually though with nonfeeding babies...and trust me...I give them every chance and try everything before resorting to this...I just pinky press a pinky or two down them.
Also...if you can get a catheter syringe and a catheter tube...you can get it down them much easier with less mess ....just gently run the tube (lubricate it with some of the mixture) down into the stomach and pump it in...avoid air bubbles though and don't force the tube if you feel any resistance at all.
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