Help! my dekay had babies!

[Boston Mindy]

Ok, so, I caught a Dekay's in my back yard April 25th. We were unsure of the gender until this morning, when she surprised us with 15 little babies. When I caught her, I got all my info on here, so I'm hoping someone can give me an idea of what to do with the little ones. I took them out of momma's tank (i heard she might eat them?) and put them in a tupperware with a moist paper towel, to make sure they stay hydrated until I find out what else I'm supposed to do. Ideally I would like to keep one or 2 in addition to momma, and release the rest once they are eating. But if it comes down to it, I do have the resources to keep them. Help!IMAG0632.jpgIMAG1060.jpg

[guidofatherof5]

They(baby dekayi) can be difficult to to get eating.

Cut up night crawlers, slugs and snail are a favorite food of baby Browns.

[Boston Mindy]

I've read that a lot of snakes won't eat until after their first shed (2ish weeks after birth) any idea if browns are like that? I've got some teeny tiny baby slugs and a few tiny baby snails in the container with them, just in case they want to go for them, but at the moment, the snakes don't seem interested in them, and are more focused on checking out their new surroundings.

[thamneil]

Don't worry about feeding babies that you intend to release. They will figure it out in the wild. As long as they are released into suitable habitat they will adjust just fine.

The babies that you do plan to keep should show interest in slugs or worms. Good luck!

[snake man]

Good luck with all those babies!

[kibakiba]

If you do release them, put them where you found the mom.

[Boston Mindy]

There are several baby snails and slugs in the container with them, I wanted to encourage them to be willing to "hunt" so whichever ones I release don't end up dying because they're expecting "prepared" foods. I have no idea how soon I should expect them to eat or anything tho. Chara (the momma) adapted really well to captivity, and I even have her still on live food. But since we caught her fully grown (almost 18 inches!) I have no experience with neonates.

[guidofatherof5]

Wayne(infernalis) is our resident S.dekayi expert. I'm sure he will chime in here at some point.

[Boston Mindy]

Hopefully when Wayne comes around he can also answer this... I read that many snakes often won't feed until after their first shedding, a week or 2 in, and I'm curious if dekay's are like that. If so, should I remove the little slugs and snails from the container until that happens?

[guidofatherof5]

I believe they should shed immediately after birth. Their first shed looks and feels like ash rather then the feel of a normal shed.
Putting them in a warm bath with a hand towel or some paper towel will insure that shed is removed.