Something/everything worked!

[MerlinsPop]

One, all or some combination of the multiple things I tried has paid off! VERN ATE!

During the week, I set up a lamp with a 60watt 'daylight' bulb over her viv, to better simulate brighter days, and perhaps warm the ambient air in the viv at the same time. Maybe that did it.

She's been favoring the cold side (at the glass underneath the substrate, the temp gets down to 67*), but last night I saw her drinking and then she moved into her warm hide (83*) and stayed the night there. Maybe helped a bit.

I had been trying to get her to eat using some very small day old pinks I got from TMF. These are much smaller than the ones she had been feeding on (that I got at a herp show), but I thought that would be better to use a tiny meal. Tried brained, tried lizard scented, tried the bag trick, tried a very small deli cup... nuthing doing. Decided to try one from the group she had been eating, even if it was bigger than I'd want, just in case there was something about the little ones she didn't like. I cut 2 chevron slits in the back for smell and to aid digestion in case she ate it. Might have helped there.

I think the big thing that did the trick (thanks Nanci!!) was the very fortunate catch of a wild female adult in my garage this week. I pulled her out of the freezer and liberally rubbed the pink all around the dead mouse's belly. Vern took about 5 seconds to sniff the pink and chomped down on it broadside! I grabbed it with a tong and gently reposition the nose to Verns face, and she latched on. She stayed like that, just holding the pink's nose in her mouth for a good 5 minutes, as if she was deciding what to do. FINALLY, she started eating. Once the lump hit the stomach, I slid her out of the feeding tub into her warm hide, where she's curled up.

Now I have to wait and see if it stays where it belongs and becomes a nice poop.

Its funny; I'm a 43 year old former Army Ranger, yet I'm as giddy as a schoolgirl right now. No offense to any current or former giddy schoolgirls on the forum, of course.

Cautiously :dancer::dancer:

[Nanci]

Yay!!! I hope it stays down!!! I know the feeling of that wait...

Nanci

[MerlinsPop]

Thanks... now she's gone underground... well, undersubstrate. Checked her former favorite spot over on the cool side... not there. Don't want to muck around too much and disturb her, though. Hopefully she knows where best to hang out.

Hmmmph. Now the waiting.... Tom Petty got it right.

[Eriathiel]

Wonderful! I hope it keeps up!

[MerlinsPop]

Wonderful! I hope it keeps up!
Thanks! But I hope she keeps it DOWN!

I don't know what worked, but I'm sure it wasn't the begging to give me what I wanted. That's never worked on any female I've ever known...

[Rich in KY]

Congrats Bruce! :dancer:

I am so happy Vern ate for you!

[MerlinsPop]

Congrats Bruce! :dancer:

I am so happy Vern ate for you!
Thanks... now the hard part...

[MerlinsPop]

Since Vern has insisted on hanging out on the cold side (usually under the aspen on top of the very small uth - which had been unplugged), I decided to plug the small UTH into the thermostat. As it worked out, the thermostat's probe is on top of the larger UTH on the other side of the viv, and it keeps that side at about 85* and at the same time, the 'cool side' UTH hovers right about 80*. I know the cool side ought to be a touch cooler than that, but she does have other places to go that are cooler if she needs.

Anyway, all day yesterday I'd run up and check her temps just to see where the temps were stabilizing on that side. So I know that sometime between 8 and 10pm, Vern pooped. Not very big, but very dark. In the month since her regurge, I'm pretty sure she'd emptied herself out of fecal matter, as the last week or so all I found was white urates left on the side of her water dish.

Anyway, it would appear that she's digesting the pinky I fed her not 36 hours earlier. Which raises a question to the more experienced folk out there... I was planning to give her a solid week (7 days) to make sure she's had ample time to fully digest and then poop out her first meal in a month. Since she's already pooped some out a day and a half after eating, should I feed her a little sooner, or stick to giving her 7 days this time, then if all goes well, 6 the next time, then 5 after that? I just don't want to rush her and end up regretting it.

Thanks everyone!

[Nanci]

I'd continue with the smaller than normal meals for a couple more times. One advantage of waiting seven days is she'll be nice and hungry...How's her weight?

[MerlinsPop]

Need to weigh her again. The kitchen scale we have is only registers to 1g, and sure seems to not be terribly accurate at lower weights. Having said that, last time I weighed her I thing i recall it reading 18g. But that was before the regurage/month fast. She did not get baggy or anything during this time, which is good. I'll take her out for a handling probably tomorrow or Wednesday, and I'll be sure to get her on the scale to see what it reads.

Definitely small pinks, cut on the back. Probably rubbed on the wild mouse, but a little less each time.

Thanks, Nanci!

[Jrgh17]

I'd second the recommendation for waiting rather than feeding sooner. As you already said, better wait and have her take it (although possibly not put on the weight as fast), than risk a regurge/stress/refusal.

Let us know how Meal #2 goes. :)

[diamondlil]

:dancer: Excellent result! Fingers crossed all goes smoothly now

[MerlinsPop]

I'd second the recommendation for waiting rather than feeding sooner. As you already said, better wait and have her take it (although possibly not put on the weight as fast), than risk a regurge/stress/refusal.

Let us know how Meal #2 goes. :)
Yup... slow and steady. I'm not in a hurry with her. No need to. Eventually, when she's the right size I'll do a breeding trial with her and a motley ghost (or something) just to prove out her hets, but she's a Petco PET and I just want her to be healthy and happy. She's a total sweetheart.

When I bought her, she was very 'baggy' and probably not in real good health. That was early August, and she had been in the store for at least 3 weeks. It's a total guess, but based on that I'm thinking she was hatched in June sometime (or thereabout). In contrast, Alice, my striped anery I bought from Gino was hatched Aug 7th, and had her first meal on Aug 18th. She's already every bit as big as Vern. The other 3, all hatched around the same time as Alice are not far behind. I'm not rushing them along at all, either.

[Nanci]

YWhen I bought her, she was very 'baggy' and probably not in real good health. That was early August, and she had been in the store for at least 3 weeks. It's a total guess, but based on that I'm thinking she was hatched in June sometime (or thereabout).

Probably a non-feeder that got dumped at the petstore...

[MerlinsPop]

Probably a non-feeder that got dumped at the petstore...

Yeah, I wouldn't doubt it. Of course, the clerk there assured me she ate TWO pinkies just 3 days before I bought her. yeah, riiiiight. I know I already said my scale seems to be not too accurate at low weights, but I weighed her when I brought her home and it registered only 5g. After eating TWO pinkies earlier that week. Air pinkies, maybe. she had 3 refusals at first before she even ate for me the first time, but then because a great eater until the regurge. I'll let you know what the scale registers tomorrow.

[Jrgh17]

Yeah, I wouldn't doubt it. Of course, the clerk there assured me she ate TWO pinkies just 3 days before I bought her. yeah, riiiiight. I know I already said my scale seems to be not too accurate at low weights, but I weighed her when I brought her home and it registered only 5g. After eating TWO pinkies earlier that week. Air pinkies, maybe.

Remember, in petstore lingo "2 pinkies" translates to:

We put two of the tiniest most malnourished possible pinkies in there for each of the four snakes in the viv, and when we came back to check, all of them were gone. So by this logic, of course that snake ate their share.

Same principle as when little kids hide the entire bag of cookies so mom doesn't know they ate 2 for breakfast. :grin01:

[wax32]

Crossing my fingers for ya!

[MerlinsPop]

She deposited a larger poop last evening, so it seems that Saturday's pinky has been moving in the correct direction. I'll give her another one on Saturday, then subsequent feedings will be a day less each time until I get her two consecutive feedings at a 5 day interval, then based on her weight, rejoin the Munson Plan already in progress.

I didn't take her out to weigh her last night, wanting to make sure she's digested fully. Did weigh the "4 Anery Babies" though. Female Stripe = 16g, Female Motley = 13g, Male Stripe = 10g, Male Motley = 13g (but he obviously hadn't pooped yet, so call it 12g). These little ones are all doing pretty well, so I'm pleased with them.

[MerlinsPop]

Weighed Vern tonight. She's 15g, with a poop ready to go, so call it 14g. She was 17g before the regurge. I'm sure she'll get it back and then some before too long. But again, I'll take it slow. 7 days this time, 6 the next, then every 5 days till she's 18 or more before double pinks.

Someday, I hope to post a picture with the caption, "Look at how big Vern is now!"

[Nanci]

Excellent news! Hopefully you won't turn into a chronic cage sniffer like I am. (Maizey is really good at concealing regurges, but he can't hide the smell).

[MerlinsPop]

Excellent news! Hopefully you won't turn into a chronic cage sniffer like I am. (Maizey is really good at concealing regurges, but he can't hide the smell).
Oh, great! Guess what I'm going to do when I go back upstairs? Thaaaaaanks! ;-)

[Nanci]

You're out of the danger zone...Just sniff for the first four days!

[Pretty1234me]

Congrats! I'm glad that she finally ate and everything has passed successfully. I was rooting for the two of you..mainly her !! :p

[Cam5]

Congratulations!
can't wait to see his pictures as he grows:dancer: