Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Im so happy!!!! I have been tube feeding him perscription A/D diet with ground up whole mouse. On his last tube feeding( the 29th), I accidently spilled a glob on my skirt and he licked it up on his own! So last night I decided to see if he had developed more interest in eating on his own. Well, he tried to eat the bowl!! He actually only got down maybe 2 tblspn of the sloppy mixture. Afterwards, for the hell of it, I offered him a mouse and he attempeted it right off the bat. He got it down most of the way, but couldnt swallow it. I think that its been so long since hes eaten a whole prey item that hes sort of forgot. Well not really forgot, but his neck muscles arent as built as they previously were.

Heres the funny part of his mouse eating attempt. After his failed attempt of swallowing, he insisted on KEEPING the mouse! I tried to take it away, but he huffed at me, and walked off with it. He continued to walk around the living room with this limp mouse hanging out of his mouth! I would estimate it was about a 15 minute span of time that he did this, ocassionally stopping to try swallowing again. He would let me help him get it in further, but he couldnt shake it back into his throat to be swallowed properly. Poor Hewey. I wanted to just cut it in half and see if he could have better luck with a smaller piece, but my b-friend was like, "let him do it on his own, bla, bla, bla."
Ill have to get some fuzzies, I suppose. Or just cut up a mouse when HE's not home!

Well, I just thought Id share the exciting news.

Michelle

Alex Oliver

Just about 15 minutes ago Hewey got down 2 halves of a mouse along with a couple tblspns of his AD/mouse puree. He loves that mix that I made! I dab a tiny bit on his snout and he perks up right away! After that, I let him do the rest on his own.
Im really happy, and at the same time, Im afraid to get too excited, ya know? Dr. Forney is really please as well though, and says that hes really glad that Ive been comunicating the bi-daily reports of Heweys progress. Even if we dont figure out the exact cause of his illness, at least the vets have meticulous records of his recovery, and may be able to use the information in the future as reference material on supportive care/ treatment.

Michelle

what kind of monitor is he/she! how long has it been since he/she ate?

again Good luck
Alex oliver

Hes about 10 months old, 40 inches, 51/2lb. He got sick about 8 weeks ago. Hes been to a couple different vets(including the University of CA Davis Small Animal Clinic). Hes been to the point of nearly being put down. I was advised on a couple occasions to give up, and that he wasnt going to get better...that I was in denial. Im glad I didnt give up. Although people think Im nuts to have spent over 1200. "on some lizard"especially since he cost about 150.), I dont regret it. I believe that it was my responsibility to him. More than likrely it was my fault he got sick, so why deny him of life because of my stupid errors?

None of the vets have been able to come to any diagnosis, and perhaps they never will. However the thing that Ive learned, I think, is to pay more attention to what my animals are trying to tell me. Because of the amount of one on one time Ive spent with Hewey, I can read him. I can look in his eyes and see what hes feeling. -At least I think I do! Really though, I will not take any of the animals in my care for granted again. I dont think of them as "things" or "posessions" anymore. Theyre not mere living decore, theres so much more to them. They can talk to you. You just need to be quiet and listen.

...and that all I gots to say bout that.

Michelle

it sound like stress! you know how stress is with monitors.
but i'm probaly wrong.
don't give you got this fare keep trying.

Alex Oliver

Alex oliver

Michelle, that is awesome news! It must be great to have worked so hard and see Huey starting to try to act like a monitor! Keep up the good work and I'm sure one of these days he'll be eating you out of house and home LOL

Regards,

Pam

Thanks! I am very much looking forward to getting the crazy ole, varacious, eat anything that moves or doesnt move, Hewey back. I wouldnt even mind if he tried to bite my feet again! It would be just like the good ole days! I can say one thing. Today I did a little test on him. While he soaked in the tub, I put one of my other monitors in there with him. In a split second he was on that guys a$$, and not in a "nice to meet" you kind a way! He was checking out the lunch menu! Typical Hewey!

Rest assured no one was harmed. I had the other guy safely in my hand the entire time. It was nice to see that livelyness again though, because when I did the same thing last week, Hewey simply closed his eyes and let the other monitor walk on him. What a difference a week can make!

Good luck with your eggs!

Michelle

Hello, Michelle. Great progress! If only he knew he was dead meat a couple of wks ago... then that mouse wouldnt have faced the wrath of the killer BT Always very happy to hear good news!
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0.0.7 goldfish

Im getting more and more hopeful as the days go by. What I actually did about a 2 weeks ago was slightly alter the heat in his rehab cage do give him a 135ish warm zone and the coolest part is about 90. I was afraid to have the ambient so high, but I wasnt seeing much improvement in his desire to feed, so I decided to raise it. Until he exhibits a more normal range of activity, I will maintain a high ambiant. In the last few days, he has done things that have blown my mind. He is indeed improving more quickly than expected. He now is beginning to thermoregulate, moving from the hot area to the cool(less hot) area and back again, but it is obvious that it is still a labor intensive endevour. Hes got a little ways to go. It sucks though now that the weather is cooler, and I cant take him outside for exercise. That really perked him up alot. Maybe I should go south for the winter, so Hewey can have sun yet! Wouldnt THAT be extravagant!? Hmmmmm....I am in need of a vacation!

Take care!
Michelle

Hey Michelle! I think your efforts to nurse him back to health are very admirable. His turning point was when you concentrated solely on his coming back. Now he is fighting and trying to return to normalcy, darn now he wants to live. Damn, isn't this what it's all about, caring for your own.

Hey if you ever fly SOUTH down enough, just HOLLA, HOLLA!
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0.0.7 goldfish

Dont ask why! Just do it!!!!