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 Posted - 06/08/2011 : 22:17:16
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Looking back in my scruffy snake diary, I see this is the anniversary of Shahi's first meal with me.
You may ask - so what? Well...for various reasons I've never told his full story.
So here goes. On the 20/7/10, already a corn snake owner, I brought home my first royal, Shahi, a cf hatchling. To my shame, although I'd done some homework, I assumed 'captive-farmed' meant coming from some kind of big breeder. I'd no idea that it meant a snake hatched from eggs 'harvested' in West Africa and imported in great numbers into the UK, USA etc to supply the pet trade.
Shahi was beautiful. A lovely chunky little lad, I had picked him out of an enclosure full of similar beautiful babies ...ohh yes. Numpty or what? I thought this was normal, god help me ...
They had just come into stock. 'Guaranteed strike feeders.' Even I knew to take this with a pinch of salt. Royals, I had been informed, were chancy feeders. (I hadn't yet connected this reputation with the normal mating season fast.) Well, I could cope, I told myself, proudly installing my baby in a nice dim packed-out enclosure (I had gathered that royals like dimness and privacy.) I knew he mustn't be handled or disturbed much ...fine. Then he went blue and a week later he shed. In bits, and his last third was still tightly in place ...ouch. I didn't know about the damp pillowcase method, so I placed him in a rub containing an inch or so of warmish water, and, rather ineptly on my part, the shed was helped off. He hissed at first, poor baby, but then relaxed.
Naturally I hadn't attempted to feed him while blue. Now I did. He was interested, but no. I brained the mouse (I'd been told he was being fed small mice) and he took one look and retreated into his hide. Well, early days.
During this time I was lurking on TRP, reading up all I could on the care of small royals, shedding royals, non-eating royals ...after Shahi's second refused feed I started to be a bit anxious. (Always nerve-wracking until a snake feeds for you!) Although I'd begun to understand about young adult royals, and adults, fasting in the breeding season. Yes, but they weren't babies, who surely needed to eat regularly ...Still, he WAS a royal, and it was early days ...
About three weeks after his arrival I mentioned to Shahi's supplier that he hadn't eaten, despite all the usual ploys. I was beginning to blame myself for handling him during that shed. I will call Shahi's supplier X, and the assistant, Y. Y didn't seem too surprised. 'Oh, well, we didn't have room to house them separately, you see, so some were feeding and some weren't, so we didn't know which ones were feeding, so we couldn't guarantee them as feeders ...if he won't feed, just hold him and put a mouse to his lips and push it in ...and a lot of them will just swallow the mouse that way ...'
Assist feeding? An ignoramus like me was being casually told to ASSIST FEED? Just like that??
Or if I liked I could take him back ...
I spent a couple of sleepless nights. Assist feeding, I understood, was a task for an expert. There again, I'd been my own veterinary nurse for decades and if I'd confidently handled Siamese newborns, who are no larger than royal hatchlings, couldn't I manage to administer a mouse to Shahi? Who, otherwise than non-feeding, seemed happy and highly confident, galumphing round his enclosure in the early hours and generally behaving like a contented little snake. Plus I was champion cat pill-administrator wherever I went - neighbours have been known to enlist my services ...
I hear you saying - less than three weeks? That's nothing! Yes, but, when HAD he fed? The journey from Africa, the progress to the supplier, who didn't know for sure if he was feeding ...when HAD he fed?
I wished (only temporarily!) that I'd never bought him. Yes, but I couldn't return him and stress him further. He WAS settled. Just not feeding.
I (stupidly I know) couldn't bring myself to post on here. I'm solitary and like to make up my own mind and there seemed to be quite a debate about assist-feeding - some people threw up their hands in horror - other people found it worked. I felt a bit too fragile to start another debate ...I read more about assist, I watched videos, which weren't very clear about the moment of mouse-insertion, but were a guide ...
On 6 August last year, I defrosted a fuzzy mouse, sat down on the bed with Shahi, and in fear and trembling, held him gently and, gently, wiggled the fuzzy between his lips. He relaxed and, helpfully, opened his mouth. I slipped the fuzzy in - and HE COILED! He coiled hard round my wrist and gripped that fuzzy and (after the waiting for it to be 'dead') he took it down ...it was one of the best moments of my life! Though talk of who assisted who?
Needless to say, I proudly related my triumph to X, who retorted, well, they're all strike feeders, mine are all doing well.
And to Y, who said that I'd done well. They'd got one royal baby left, and X was having to force-feed it ...
Hmmm.
For Shahi's next meal, I warmed the mouse and presented it on tongs as I'd read on here, and he struck and took! Apart from the Big Fast, he has never looked back and now he's on small rats ...
I was always too nervous of telling his story on the forum and just said that he'd been slow to start feeding. Don't know why. Weighing him the other day (900g empty) and seeing him scarf down his rat, it made me feel so proud of him.
And whether the assist was premature or not, at least it stood me in good stead with Shiloh. My smallest corn snake, she had a good feeding record but refused to eat for a month after she came to me. Again, all the usual ploys ...no. I assisted her for three feeds with a piece of mouse tail. As soon as it was in her mouth she would chomp on it. Now she's straight on to her grub as soon as she sees it.
I hope never to have to assist again, but at least it's a useful skill to have if needs be.
Shahi, and my other snakes, and this forum, have taught me a hell of a lot in the past year ... |
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Edited by - n/a on 06/08/2011 22:23:15 |
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Lotabob
Royal Python Moderator
United Kingdom
5008 Posts |
Posted - 06/08/2011 : 22:36:03
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| Congratulations on the anniversary. It may have been premature but so what, it worked it may have been required anyway so you just cut out the waiting and worrying. Dont think we need to get the pitch forks out, your clearly a very caring owner and wouldn't have done anything that wasn't in the best interests of your animals. |
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7384 Posts |
Posted - 06/08/2011 : 22:41:39
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Thanks Bob - well at least it got him started and then if I hadn't had that experience I would have been terrified of losing Shiloh ...well, I was terrified of losing Shiloh but thank god she responded ...right little madam she is now! |
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Lotabob
Royal Python Moderator
United Kingdom
5008 Posts |
Posted - 06/08/2011 : 23:12:58
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| You've done a grand job with all of them, simple as that. |
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7384 Posts |
Posted - 06/08/2011 : 23:16:45
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 !
Again thanks - and the same to you with all your guys, come to that! |
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BlueDragon
Sub Adult
United Kingdom
876 Posts |
Posted - 07/08/2011 : 11:50:11
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It took me nearly two and a half years of lurking around before I finally plucked up enough courage to join my first forum. So I know how it feels. With my phobia, even though I knew that the members there couldn't get me I was still scared of them. I've been a member for years now and even met some of the members!
I don't think anyone would ever look down at you for what you did. I think it was a very brave thing to do. When I got Tig I'd already made the desision that, if the worst came to the worst, and he have to be assist fed, or god forbid force fed, then I'd have to re-home him. I couldn't face having to do it myself and risk doing it wrong. And back then I wasn't a member here so I hadn't learnt all the little tricks. Thankfully he's a great feeder... most of the time ; )
Non of us are perfect, look at the mess me and Tig got into. Still blame myself for all that. But he seems happy and that makes me happy too!
You have lots of happy snakes so you gotta be doing something right! |
Just me and my zoo. |
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SaltyTurtle
Yearling
155 Posts |
Posted - 07/08/2011 : 12:25:46
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A touching and well written story. I will keep that info at the back of my noggin, should the worst happen with Percy.
The whole process sounded rather passive, like a parent feeding a toddler, not what I'd envisaged at all, maybe I was thinking of force feeding, not assist.
I take it he was just wrapped round your hand, chilling out, and you didn't have to grab his little head or anything nasty?
This post will reassure a lot of new owners like myself.
And Bob's right, you do seem devoted to your animals' welfare! |
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7384 Posts |
Posted - 07/08/2011 : 13:31:33
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Aww thanks guys!
I know what you mean, Blue - I too have social phobia and was very nervous of forums until I discovered this one. In truth I'm STILL nervous lol!
Yup, Salty, I had to hold him at the back of the head; he wriggled but not like as if he was in distress, and as soon as the mouse was presented to his lips he opened his gob and ...wallop! You're not supposed to let them coil round your hand, apparently, as the warmth of the hand can fool them into thinking the mouse is still 'alive' but I knew from a video I'd watched, to keep very still - movement, too, stimulates the coil, anyway, he took it down ...eventually. It was far less traumatic than giving a pill to a cat ...it really was a case of who assisted who? |
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Edited by - n/a on 07/08/2011 13:33:39 |
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Lotabob
Royal Python Moderator
United Kingdom
5008 Posts |
Posted - 07/08/2011 : 14:07:13
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| Oh my god BATS giving pills to cats is horrific. I had to wear welding gloves with my sisters cat because it is a feline Satan for a start but doesn't like been forced to do anything, I once tried moving it out of a room and it scrabbled up my leg and bit down into my thigh. I dont truely believe any animal is evil but this cat is as close to it as is possible. |
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Posted - 07/08/2011 : 14:43:57
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LOL - yes, cat bites are far worse than snake bites - I've probably mentioned the Bitey Whitey who moved in and terrorised us all. (Lovedhim though ...)
I was just lucky with pill-giving because I'd had so much experience; it got to be a sort of reflex like blinking - one quick flick and rub cat's throat and cat had got pill in it ...if you're not used to it it's hell, and of course cat knows and goes ballistic beforehand.
Thank heaven for modern feline meds such as the worm stuff that goes on the back of the neck ...NOW, why can't they invent a rep mite stuff that can be administered like that eh? Maybe they will one day ... |
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Another Shahi-versary - and a confession
