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[Blinksmama]

Awesome news!! I'm rooting for you on your new adventure with him Be cautious not to overwhelm his little system with protein until you know he's well hydrated and his urates are normal. It's the one thing I read almost every time experienced rescuers give advice. It's embedded in my mind now
Best of luck with him, I hope he's a real trooper and recovers quickly!!

Amy

 

[JulieGeek]

As always, thanks for the most excellent advice. I was stunned he could even take live food, quite frankly. We'll be sticking to the Carnivore Care and small worms for the next little while.

And thank you again (again) for pointing me to http://shipyourreptile.com. This entire effort would have been an epic fail without them. I was able to send the previous owner a proper shipping set-up, direct him to detailed instructions for correct packing, arrange the FedEx shipping myself, track the package, AND get "arrive alive" insurance--all at a 20% discount.

Please consider "sticky-ing" their information. My guess is that a lot of us don't know about what it takes to ship reptiles successfully...

Loiosh's Mom

 

[Blinksmama]

Were you able to find out his age?

 

[JulieGeek]

I'm guessing 4-5 months? His bones look "longer" than Smaug's did and he was ~4 mos when he passed.

He took another 0.5 mL of watered down Carnivore Care, some calcium supplement, and he had another brief soak. He's back asleep now.

Here he is when he arrived. He's, like, kite-shaped and his spine is distinctly visible down his back and tail. Now, at least, there's something in his tummy.

 

[LLBlue]

It is so wonderful that he is getting the care that he needs now. I hope he continues to do well. He looks like he will be really pretty when he recovers and puts some weight on.

 

[AHBD]

Aw, sweet little skinny one . He will be very tired for a while. Keep up the good work, and it's a good idea putting extra water in the Carnivore Care. Be extra careful he doesn't aspirate anything....is he licking it on his own ? Be careful of too many baths, he is weak now and at this stage more susceptible to a respiratory infection. One a day is fine, or even every other day since he'll get plenty of hydration from his feedings. Hope he does well for you !

 

[Blinksmama]

Aww, boney little guy. He's so little. It's awesome that you took him in, you rock!! :headbang:

 

[JulieGeek]

I'm still somewhat stunned that it all worked out. I was sure the kid was going to flake out on me...

He is drinking it on his own and nothing has come back up. I'm encouraged. I think I'll go forward with the Carnivore Care for a bit--what do you think about adding some Critical Care as well? I'm already mixing in some Jump Start and I'll probably add bee pollen and Bene Bac, too.

I'll back off on the baths. He wasn't interested in drinking and that's really what I was aiming for. He has rearranged himself a couple of times and has gone back to sleep. I've got the CHE on him for the night.

Onward to Day 2...tomorrow: a UVB fixture.

Keep us in your thoughts and prayers. I don't feel like we're out of the woods yet...

Loiosh's Mom

 

[JulieGeek]

Day 2.

Made it through the night. His respiration seems more regular. He took about 0.3 mL of "goo" early this morning and mid-morning. He's moving around a bit more, but still sleeping (or at least laying there with his eyes closed) a lot.

I think I'll call him Aknot.

Loiosh & Aknot's Mom

 

[JulieGeek]

Weird.

I heard from the CLOP (Craig's List Original Poster). The kid says Aknot has been eating crickets, collard greens, and "loves strawberries". And he had mentioned that he fed Aknot earlier this week. I'm not a BD professional (nor do I play one on TV), but I'm having a hard time seeing how this level of emaciation could occur if he were being fed regularly.

Just...weird.

 

[Spoony]

I'm not certain it was regular feeding at all, just that Aknot loves those foods. Or he could be lying.

 

[JulieGeek]

Well, Aknot has eaten another 0.5 mL of goo and pooped in my hand, so I guess all systems are go. His urates looked OK. The rest of the stool was watery, but I'd say that's to be expected.

He's moving around the tank a bit, but he mostly appears to be sleeping. Or else standing very still with his eyes shut.

It looks like his upper and lower jaws don't line up just right. I've added oral calcium and got the UVB going.

Thanks for all the encouragement, kind thoughts, and prayers.

Loiosh & Aknot's Mom

 

[Oki05]

so happy he is fighting. Thank you for taking him he seems like a cute little fellow

 

[JulieGeek]

Day 5.

Aknot is still sleeping almost all the time, but he seems to be waking up more easily. He's taking about 1 mL of goo a day and pooping regularly. In good news, the little stinker actually bit me this morning! I was trying to get him to take a little more goo and, apparently, he just wasn't going to have it.

I also consulted with Drache613 (Tracie) and she told me that Aknot is mostly normal, given his recent trauma and severe emaciation. Basically, he's just totally shut down and concentrating on keeping the vital functions going.

For the record, Aknot weighs 20 g. (Also for the record, Loiosh--AKA "Moose"--won't sit on the scale, but I'm reasonably certain that the shadow of his butt weighs 40 g...)

Loiosh & Aknot's Mom

 

[Blinksmama]

Ouch, getting bitten can't have felt all that nice :shock: It's fantastic that he's making progress!