I would appreciate help from anyone who has experience with older monitors (12 ). My 12 year old, partially blind female (cataracts) has puked up her last three meals.
The sequence:
6 weeks ago = 2 medium sized rats (puked while I was on vacation)
2 weeks later when I returned home = 4 rat pups/fuzzies (digested/pooped)
1 week later (to get some substantial nutrition in her) = 1 medium size rat (puked 2 days later)
2 days ago (because she wasn't keeping the medium size rats down) = 8 rat pups/fuzzies (puked the next day)

I realize that she is old and yes she has slowed down on food since she was around 9 years of age, but she has never puked before and I am worried about her receiving proper nutrition as she ages.
She is otherwise healthy and active, despite her failing eyesight, although I can tell that she is somewhat distressed from puking so much.
My question is for those who have dealt with this type situation..... what is the most nutritious foods I can try (apart from the obvious chicken breast meat or eggs)? I would still like to give her a varied diet, if possible at this stage, but I am hesitant to give her her regular intake diet (Hissers, waxworms (as a treat), Superworms, crickets, Hornworms, rats) because puking is not fun for any living being and it's clear that she is no longer able to digest the most nutritious staple I offer, rats. I haven't even tried her on chicken breast yet to see if she'll even accept it, but she is still very interested in food and wanting to eat.
Is there ANY more easily digestible foods that you have tried? Has anyone tried a blended slurry of chicken breast (with skin, for fat?), yogurt (calcium), various insects (roughage/fiber)? I know, I'm thinking ahead.... I'll await responses before I offer anything.
Also, no husbandry parameters have changed in the last 10 years other than increasing the size of her enclosure and she is not obese. She has actually been slowly losing weight over the last year as what occurs with most aging reptiles (I currently have and have had several in the 15-18 year range). Note also that she was severely obese when I took her in at 2 years of age (kept in a 20 gallon tank, fed canned dogfood), but with the proper nutrition, husbandry, and exercise, she streamlined to a reasonable weight over the period of a year, and I'm wondering if this could have had lasting effects on her organs as she developed and grew.
Thank you ~

Sarah.

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