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Isn't it a great feeling when...

jovanek Mar 16, 2008 08:17 PM

a problem feeder finally eats?

I got a little western in September, a few weeks old. Here is her feeding record, she ate for the first time today since November!

9/10/07 10g, 1 f/t tuna scented pinkie
9/27/07 pinkie, toad tricked
10/05/07 pinkie toad tricked
10/07/07 pinkie toad tricked
10/12/07 pinkie toad scented
10/14/07 2 pinkies, NON SCENTED BOO YEA (sorry, this is copy pasted form my notes, i was excited haha)
11/02/07 2 pinkies toad present
3/16/08 1 pink toad tricked

I keep a pet American Toad just to feed this little girl. Basically, I wait till she tries to eat the (large) toad, and when her mouth is open, I slip a pinkie in! This is "toad tricking" :D

She is still 10g, hasn't lost or gained weight since I got her, although my scale is not digital, so it might not be that accurate.

In between all the feedings, I have tried tons of things, and I only recorded the successful trials.

Replies (5)

colchicine Mar 17, 2008 12:34 PM

I would like to congratulate you on what seems like doing everything right! I see detailed records of when and how it ate. I also see that you've kept track of her weight. And someone took my advice of keeping a pet toad for scenting (great pets aren't they?).

I would also like to point out that this is yet another example of prolonged anorexia in a neonate hog. At a mere 10 grams, she went for 4 solid months without eating. Amazing. I wouldn't be surprised if you were feeding her a bit too much, she met her caloric requirements, and shut down for the winter. Good job nevertheless.

>>a problem feeder finally eats?
>>
>>I got a little western in September, a few weeks old. Here is her feeding record, she ate for the first time today since November!
>>
>>
>>9/10/07 10g, 1 f/t tuna scented pinkie
>>9/27/07 pinkie, toad tricked
>>10/05/07 pinkie toad tricked
>>10/07/07 pinkie toad tricked
>>10/12/07 pinkie toad scented
>>10/14/07 2 pinkies, NON SCENTED BOO YEA (sorry, this is copy pasted form my notes, i was excited haha)
>>11/02/07 2 pinkies toad present
>>3/16/08 1 pink toad tricked
>>
>>
>>I keep a pet American Toad just to feed this little girl. Basically, I wait till she tries to eat the (large) toad, and when her mouth is open, I slip a pinkie in! This is "toad tricking" :D
>>
>>She is still 10g, hasn't lost or gained weight since I got her, although my scale is not digital, so it might not be that accurate.
>>
>>In between all the feedings, I have tried tons of things, and I only recorded the successful trials.
-----
Virginia Herping
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/VaHS
Virginia Herpetological Society online store
http://www.cafepress.com/vaherpsociety

"The irrational fear of snakes is the only excuse a grown man has... to act like a complete sissy" - Colchicine

Jovanek Mar 17, 2008 12:52 PM

Thanks. Also, I forgot to mention that I was home for spring break this previous week, and came back to a fresh shed in her tank. This is what prompted me to try feeding her. Probably not related, but worth mentioning. This was her second shed since September.

FloridaHogs Mar 17, 2008 02:03 PM

Sounds like she just went into brumation for the winter.
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Jenea
Guardian Reptiles

"When your memories are bigger than your dreams, you're headed for the grave" Author unknown

FordGT891 Mar 17, 2008 06:41 PM

Congrats! I like your records. Something that is frequesntly overlooked. We have 2 binders set up for our records with calender style format.

Its great to hear she ate!!!

FloridaHogs Mar 17, 2008 09:06 PM

For any of you who are record oriented there is a GREAT husbandry program at http://www.eyehit.com/degei/ It is very user friendly and keeps track of EVERYTHING. Geneology, feeding, clutches, prey item stock, just everything. You can even add pics of the animals to their individual records. Wonderful program worth checking out IMO. My vet just loves it, because when I have to go in I am able to just print out that particular animals activity records, and it is all there for her to see. Another nice feature is that I am able to assign feeding intervals to each animal, and on any given day I can print out a feeder pick list, and it will list out all the animal that have not feed in the interval set, and list what food item them need. Basically tells me exactly how many of each item I need to thaw out. Very nice feature when you have a big collection. OK, I am done, I just really like the program.
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Jenea
Guardian Reptiles

"When your memories are bigger than your dreams, you're headed for the grave" Author unknown

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