Priming the Pump.

[guidofatherof5]

Flicker, my male T.ordinoides (Northwestern Garter) has been off food for a couple of weeks. This was a drastic change from when he arrived. Now that Spring is finally here I headed outside to collect a few slugs. My thinking was that a food scent change might simulate a feeding response as most Northwesterns can't resist slugs.
I found no slugs but did find 5 earthworms (Rosy-tipped worms-Aporrectodea rosea).
Flicker didn't hesitate eating these. I didn't think those worms constituted a meal for him so I had an idea. If he was so eager to eat maybe he would grab the next thing I offered even if it wasn't an earthworm. I offered a night crawler and he took it immediately. Looks like priming him with the earthworms did the trick.
Might be a good strategy to use on any of those specialized eaters we run into.
Flicker has a full belly and I can stop worrying....... about that at least.

[KephrenJorgensen]

I do the same thing for my smaller scrub. And I use slugs for the same method with my adult male in quarantine. A single grey garden slug down the hatch and anything else follows.