Solana - Our Scaleless Sunglow Motley Corn

I didn't want to bother her and lift the warm hide today (she was clearly in it). However, I am 99% sure the pinkie is gone and she ate happily.

I will advise tomorrow night, after she's (presumably) digested, if that is not the case. However, everything looks good and I am ecstatic.

Here temps are totally dialed in and I am happy she is in her warm hide both hiding and digesting.

That’s really good,I think you will smell it tomorrow if not anyway [emoji4]


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Originally Posted by richardhind1972

That’s really good,I think you will smell it tomorrow if not anyway [emoji4]


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Thank you Richardhind1972. I would imagine I would, but it was all of 1G! Might take a few days :).

Anyway, pretty sure it is gone.

A bunch of great news!

1. Solana definitely ate the pinkie - all gone today when I checked!

2. Solana passed urine and urate and maybe a tiny bit of poop.

3. She drank in front of me tonight. Between that and the urine and urate I know she's hydrating and eating.

4. Katie and I took her out tonight and she was totally chill. She let us pick her right up. No tail rattling, no fake strike pose, no running away, just scooped her right up. While being handled, she was completely chill and calm, and Katie even boinked her in the head with her pinkie finger. Solana just went the other way calmly. We are very impressed with her demeanor and chill attitude, especially at this size, and know she will grow into a beautiful and calm adult corn.

Additionally, she was 8G when I bought her from Don about 2 weeks ago. She hadn't eaten for ten days when I fed on Sunday (she arrived on feeding day) and I fed an extra small pinkie, just to get her going.

She weighed in tonight at a whopping 9G! Good to know she will only grow from here and that with the settling in, eating, and drinking, she will be big and strong in no time!

BTW - Katie adores her. She couldn't wait until I came home tonight so she could pester me to take her out. Katie wanted to take her out, but got a little nervous, so I picked her up and handed her to Katie, who had to be convinced to give her to me to weigh and put back!

Some pictures from tonight below:

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Looking good! Glad she's settling in well!

Really glad she ate it and it wasn't rottinging in her hide
Really glad Katie's taking such a liking to her, it's quite nervy when there that small and your not over confident with snakes,. As your too scared of crushing them especially if they start to move a bit fast and you have to hold them a little tighter to stop them going in daft places,
If she's this friendly now as you say should be great as an adult


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Solana still freaks out a little when I got to pick her. She hid in between her printless newspaper tonight. However, after her whole run and hide routine, and she realizes it's me and I am not going to eat her, she lets me pick her right up.

She is calmer every day during the brief handling sessions. I feed Sunday, so Saturday and Sunday she will be left alone. She will eat and then be left alone for another two days to digest.

We love her. Behira is my therapy snake, but Solana is definitely Katie's. Katie had a rough day and a few minutes into holding Solana, things were looking up!

Here are some pictures and a video link. She's really getting quite chill and even holding still for pictures! Now, if I could only get Figment to sit still for 2 seconds so I could get some good shots of him!

Link to a 20 second video of Solana being calm as can be in my hand.

https://imgur.com/yUonbRu

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Katie had my (more like her :)) baby out tonight! Got some good shots with the real camera, including a few shots with the macro lens.

Don't be afraid to enlarge the pictures - the macro shots go down to every wrinkle of her skin and even show the scales around her mouth.

Enjoy!

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Great news! Solana ate her second meal for us tonight!

She ate a small pinkie (maybe 1-1.5G). Last week she ate the tiniest pinkie I could find. I am pretty sure it was less than 1G as I wanted a really small first meal. She seemed to digest it well and has been drinking too. She left us urate and urine on Tuesday, and poop on Wednesday (she ate Sunday night).

Tonight, she had burrowed under the printless newspaper and was not in a hide. So, I had to lift the paper to get the pinkie to her. I put it down and seemed to scare her a little, even though I didn't put it super close. I left her alone for about 45 minutes, but the pinkie was still there. So, I lifted the paper, even more gently this time, and moved the pinkie closer to her head. I gently put the paper down and left her alone for a bit. She seemed super interested, but didn't eat after 1/2 in hour.

We have a finished basement and keep the reptiles in the far corner of the basement (the basement living area is like an "L" with the "l" being the living space and the "_" being the reptile area. It gets pretty dark there for everyone, but being on quarantine, and being short on space, her temporary tank faces the main living area. We were watching TV and it was probably a little bright for her.

After a little bit, it was time to go upstairs anyway, so we turned out all the lights and turned off the TV and went upstairs. About 1 1/2 hours later, I went downstairs and took a quick peek. The pinkie was gone! The paper was pushed up and I saw a nice lump in Solana's little belly.

Yay Solana! You go girl!

I am pretty sure she's still in survival first, food second, mode. Figment was like that until about 13-15G. Then he realized I wasn't a threat and went from, "leave it here and I'll eat when you leave and it's safe," to, "Is that food? Give it to me now!"

She will get there. After all, she's a corn snake!

She just knows she's super tiny right now and needs to look out for herself.

We had her out a few times this week (not the past two days and not until Tuesday night at the earliest) and she's getting calmer every time we go to pick her up. She gets really chill as soon as she's picked up and is very calm and predictable when being handled.

Most of the time, we just pick her right up now. She's really turning into a lovely little snake. Very relieved we've got two meals in her now (and two successive feedings). She is well on her way!

I made a few minor modifications to Solana's tank tonight.

She doesn't seem to go in the hides much and likes to burrow under the paper. I don't want her choosing safety over proper temp ((there are three hides going from warm (83F), to medium (80F), to cool (77-78F) - note the lower temps are up a little as it's been triple digits here in CT the past few days and although I've adjusted the thermostat, have AC in the finished basement, and check regularly, it would be difficult to get it much lower without risking it being too cool in there if temps drop quickly)). So, on Don Soderberg's recommendation (BTW - he has continued to be super helpful and communicative) I put a small piece of paper towel in each "mini" plastic hide. They are the black rectangular ones that go from mini to jumbo and are easy to clean and the reptiles love them (offset door, etc). The paper towel makes it more snug in each hide and allows even less light to get in.

She was under the paper, of course, so I quickly and gently addressed the hides, and then gently showed her the warm hide. She went right in and hasn't come out. She's still digesting her meal from last night and I did not handle her, just gently moved her from A to B. I like to give two days for digestion and she's tiny and also still settling in.

I guess I should mention, she definitely ate last nights F/T pinkie! Still had a little bulge and no pinkie to be found!

Solana is getting ready for her first shed with us. She ate Sunday and then last night Katie went to pick her up and was met with much hysterics; bluff striking and tail rattling. Katie freaked out and didn't want to pick Solana up. I told her that you have to call her bluff and scooped her right up. Within a second of picking her up, she calmed right down, and realized I was not a threat. However, kind of odd since she hasn't done that since day one. A quick look at her tiny face, and sure enough, cloudy eyes! Humidity is high in the house and I moistened the paper towel in the two cool hides as well as misted the tank (2-3 sprays) with purified water (which she drinks - she's so tiny and we have chlorinated water - it's not bad, but why risk it - everyone else gets a mix of purified and tap). I repeated that step again today, but with a little more humidity added, as her eyes are no longer cloudy.

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Again, today, her eyes were clear and there were not hysterics when we checked on her. I was expecting poop, but not yet. Very interesting to see the loose skin on her body pre-shed.

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Additionally, my friend, really second mom, came over to meet Solana today. She pet Shayna (BP), but wouldn't pet Behira (BCI) or Figment (Corn). She did sit with and pet Frank (BTS). However, she helped hold Solana with Katie (Katie held her head and my second mom held her back half). The big snakes scare her. Her fear is they will squeeze her. However, she thinks Solana is adorable.

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Originally Posted by dakski

Solana is getting ready for her first shed with us. She ate Sunday and then last night Katie went to pick her up and was met with much hysterics; bluff striking and tail rattling. Katie freaked out and didn't want to pick Solana up. I told her that you have to call her bluff and scooped her right up. Within a second of picking her up, she calmed right down, and realized I was not a threat. However, kind of odd since she hasn't done that since day one. A quick look at her tiny face, and sure enough, cloudy eyes! Humidity is high in the house and I moistened the paper towel in the two cool hides as well as misted the tank (2-3 sprays) with purified water (which she drinks - she's so tiny and we have chlorinated water - it's not bad, but why risk it - everyone else gets a mix of purified and tap). I repeated that step again today, but with a little more humidity added, as her eyes are no longer cloudy.

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Again, today, her eyes were clear and there were not hysterics when we checked on her. I was expecting poop, but not yet. Very interesting to see the loose skin on her body pre-shed.

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Additionally, my friend, really second mom, came over to meet Solana today. She pet Shayna (BP), but wouldn't pet Behira (BCI) or Figment (Corn). She did sit with and pet Frank (BTS). However, she helped hold Solana with Katie (Katie held her head and my second mom held her back half). The big snakes scare her. Her fear is they will squeeze her. However, she thinks Solana is adorable.

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Now the eyes have cleared I would spray well a few times throughout each day until you're sure it's actually shed its skin - it can take up to 7 days for some .

I actually use a water sprayer rather than a fine mist thingy but as long as you get the humidity to a decent level it's fine .

Works for mine anyways :)


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

Now the eyes have cleared I would spray well a few times throughout each day until you're sure it's actually shed its skin - it can take up to 7 days for some .

I actually use a water sprayer rather than a fine mist thingy but as long as you get the humidity to a decent level it's fine .

Works for mine anyways :)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

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Thank you. I normally would be spraying at least 2X a day (with a water sprayer - not a fine mister). However, the humidity in my finished basement (where the reptiles are) is about 70% right now. The dryer species have lights, heat, and vents, that get it well below that, but Solana's tank is up over 60% now.

I want a good shed, but don't want to keep the tank soaked all day either. I am either spraying one really good spray that lasts for a while, or preferably, 2 smaller sprays.

Not my first rodeo with shedding, but the she is the first scaleless snake I've had, and she's tiny. I want a really good first shed. I think by maintaining 60-75% until she sheds will work well. After all, she is a corn snake, not BRB!

I'll keep everyone in the loop!

Solana Shed last night!

Perfect shed from eye lids to the tip of her tail! Awesome!

Here are some pictures. Did I mention she looks incredible and is really starting to POP! Her colors will only get brighter and richer over the next 2-3 years!

She weighed in at 9G empty (she left me present with her shed). After this Sunday's feeding, she will start eating every 4-5 days and bigger meals. Still been giving really small pinkies and 7 days apart to make sure she's eating and digesting well. Sure seems like she is!

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Looking great mate, glad all went well the shed

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Last night, Solana took her third pinkie for us. She's been eating and digesting well, had a great shed, and is calming down a lot and becoming quite friendly and inquisitive and calm.

We will start her on a pinkie every 4-5 days from this point on and until she goes to two pinkies, then fuzzies, etc. I am sticking to a slightly modified Munson plan.

Basically feed, let her digest, and after she poops, feed again. Start to put some weight on the tiny thing!

So happy and relieved that she is doing so well.

I had Solana out tonight and she looks fully digested and ready to poop. She's getting so incredibly calm already. Tonight, she let me pick her right up, and relaxed into my hand in seconds.

However, things are really getting out of hand! Katie said tonight that Solana, "is definitely my favorite now." That's great, I love that she's super excited and interested in her and wants to be involved and watch her grow, all good things. She's also showing more interest in the other reptiles as well. Also good.

She took it too far tonight though. She was picking on Behira for her aggressive food response and because, before I hook trained her, which has gone wonderfully, she nailed me, ONCE! One time! I thought she had let that go! So now, Solana is a docile cutie and Behira is the bad guy? I pointed out to Katie that on several occasions Solana tried to at least take a finger, if not murder us, to protect herself. That's all good. I would expect a 9 gram and 2 month old animal in a new place to be scared and defensive. Happy she's growing out of that, but also, I understand. However, Katie thinks that behavior from Solana is cute, but Behira's food response is aggressive.

Personally, I also understand Behira's food drive and don't like her any less because of that. I've learned to adapt and hook trained and once she knows food isn't coming, is an absolute sweetheart and overall, she doesn't have a mean or aggressive bone in her body. She fell asleep on my arm last night for Pete's sake!

Okay..............Done with the rant!

Overall, incredibly happy Katie has bonded so well with Solana. I think it's wonderful and even if she's protective of her at Behira's expense sometimes, I know she loves Behira as well (as of last week, Behira was her second favorite :)).

Solana is wonderful and is coming along nicely. She's settled in well and will start packing on the weight with her shorter feeding intervals starting this week.

So happy with all the reptiles here, and Solana was a great final edition to the family.

Katie thinks Solana is getting noticeably bigger. She hasn't gone to the bathroom since her last meal (Monday), but I expect that any day. I will weigh her after. She was 8G when we got her and she should be around 10G now and noticeably longer.

Katie says she's a "big girl." Not so sure, but she thought letting her stretch out would show her size better. Hmmmmm. Either way, pictures below.

For what's worth, that's a Samsung S9+, not the regular S9, for comparison :). Try not to be intimated by the Monstrous Beast That is Solana, the Giant Corn Snake!

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She's such a cute little worm, when I bred my little corns a few years ago it was so weird going to sort my boas out after the difference is so vast,
Really glad solana is settling in and Katie has taken such a liking to her

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She is precious little babe thank you ever so much for sharing and best wishes always..:P

"look! see it now?? she's so much bigger, i swear!"

hahahaha. she's lookin' lovely.

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Originally Posted by richardhind1972

She's such a cute little worm, when I bred my little corns a few years ago it was so weird going to sort my boas out after the difference is so vast,
Really glad solana is settling in and Katie has taken such a liking to her

Sent from my TA-1024 using Tapatalk

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Yeah, it's funny. At 2 years old, Behira is already 2X what Solana will every likely be (weight wise). Plus, she will be 7X this size!

Katie is loving her and doing fantastic with all the animals really. Last night she spent time with all the snakes while I cleaned tanks. Put up some pictures of her and Figment and Behira in their respective threads.

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Originally Posted by C.Marie

She is precious little babe thank you ever so much for sharing and best wishes always..:P

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Thank you! I think she's a great addition to the family. So beautiful and so calm and sweet. We are going to love her for a long time! Also, no worries, I will keep sharing!

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

"look! see it now?? she's so much bigger, i swear!"

hahahaha. she's lookin' lovely.

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Yeah, I do see it now! HUGE!

Solana did poop last night and weighed in today at a whopping 10G (barely).

I plan to feed tonight, another small pinkie, and start getting her to gain weight a little more aggressively.

Fed a small, but not tiny, pinkie tonight. I put it in front the the hide she was in (she had been peeking out when I came to put it in her tank). She stuck her out and watched me and Katie for about ten minutes. She was clearly interested, but didn't want an audience.

We both walked away.

5 minutes later, I walked back over and saw the last of the pinkie disappearing with Solana's head barely visible from the hide.

Glad she ate, but still haven't really actually seen her eat! I totally get it. Survival first, then eating second. She's adorable and I want her to grow big and strong, even if I can't see her eat for a while. Once she's not so teeny tiny I imagine she will happily eat in front of me like Figment does. He was the same when little, now could care less if the whole world was watching him!

Solana: FOOD? Wait, safety first. Food? Okay, it's safe, FOOD! And down the hatch!

Figment: FOOD? FOOD! Strike/Grab and eat.

LOL, she'll get there.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dakski

Fed a small, but not tiny, pinkie tonight. I put it in front the the hide she was in (she had been peeking out when I came to put it in her tank). She stuck her out and watched me and Katie for about ten minutes. She was clearly interested, but didn't want an audience.

We both walked away.

5 minutes later, I walked back over and saw the last of the pinkie disappearing with Solana's head barely visible from the hide.

Glad she ate, but still haven't really actually seen her eat! I totally get it. Survival first, then eating second. She's adorable and I want her to grow big and strong, even if I can't see her eat for a while. Once she's not so teeny tiny I imagine she will happily eat in front of me like Figment does. He was the same when little, now could care less if the whole world was watching him!

Solana: FOOD? Wait, safety first. Food? Okay, it's safe, FOOD! And down the hatch!

Figment: FOOD? FOOD! Strike/Grab and eat.

LOL, she'll get there.

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Next time you're feeding just give the pinkie a 10/15 second blast with a hairdryer then offer instantly in front of its nose .. don't blink :)


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

Next time you're feeding just give the pinkie a 10/15 second blast with a hairdryer then offer instantly in front of its nose .. don't blink :)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

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The rodents I feed all my snakes are warmed prior to feeding and after being defrosted.

In Solana's case, the hides are full of paper towels so she feels really tight and secure in them.

She immediately smells and wants the rodent, but is nervous about exposing herself, especially with us watching.

When I walk away, she seems to grab fast, pull in her hide, and eat.

In my experience with Figment, being similar, it's a knowing she is tiny thing and will grow out of it.

Good point on the heating up prior to feeding. Many people forget that step and/or do not defrost properly and then wonder why their snakes don't take F/T.

Okay, no joke, she actually seems bigger every time I see her. At first, I thought it was my mind, and Katie, playing tricks on me. Now, not so sure.

Here are some pictures of our beautiful little girl, calm as ever, and looking great two days after her last pinkie.

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I doubt that using a hair-dryer to warm f/t rodents will do anything to impress Solana...I never do that for any of my corn snakes, and they pounce without
hesitation. Remember they don't have heat sensing pits like BPs do. But hatchling corns have to be cautious about eating, this WILL pass, I promise.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

I doubt that using a hair-dryer to warm f/t rodents will do anything to impress Solana...I never do that for any of my corn snakes, and they pounce without
hesitation. Remember they don't have heat sensing pits like BPs do. But hatchling corns have to be cautious about eating, this WILL pass, I promise.

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Thank you Bogertophis! I know, I am not worried at all. Figment (adult hypo lavender corn @ 640G and 5ft) was the same way when tiny.

Last time I fed him (on the far right side of his enclosure) he nailed the mouse so quick and so hard, and then proceeded to roll 3 feet across the tank to the left while coiling more. About a minute later, he realized that was overkill, and happily ate with me watching.

She will get there. I do warm all my rodents prior to feeding, but I don't think it matters too much with the corn snakes either :). With Shayna, my BP, I think it makes a big difference, and with Behira, my BCI, it's probably overkill as well. She's got a feeding response like Figment!

Solana ate tonight. I could have fed yesterday (4 days since last feeding), but I was not well Sunday night through this afternoon.

So, today, I did a lot of cleaning, including Solana's tank, and fed tonight.

She was eyeing me as I walked up to the tank, but then hid back in her hide. I put the pinkie close to the hide she was in. I watched for a few minutes and sure enough, she came out and ate with me watching (not sure whether she knew I was watching). Sounds like a good step to me.

She did not strike, just grabbed the pinkie and down the hatch pretty quick.

Lots of poop this week, and no weight change, but I think she will start gaining as she eats every 4-5 days and in a few weeks goes from small pinkies to normal pinkies, etc.

​Outside pics! Outside pics! Outside pics!

Solana was outside for the first time ever today! She did really well.

Wow, the sun was starting to go down (better temps though and Katie was home from work and could help and ensure one of us had two eyes on her always), but wow does she POP! She definitely deserves her name!

Get the so/so iPhone picture out of the way first.

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NOW - NIKON Photos!

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Very good to see her getting bigger and doing well keep up the good work.

She sure is a great orange in the natural light

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by EDR

Very good to see her getting bigger and doing well keep up the good work.

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Thank you EDR. She's doing great. Calmer every day and eating like a pig and growing. She weighed in at 10-11G today (don't have a great scale for weights that low). Either way, much bigger than 8G when we got her.

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Originally Posted by richardhind1972

She sure is a great orange in the natural light

Sent from my TA-1024 using Tapatalk

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In person she's blinding. She will only get more color and richer looking from here. I cannot believe it. She's already stunning. Even if she had the same coloration but was bigger, she'd be a jaw dropper. However, more color and richer color and bigger; YES PLEASE!

Fun watching her grow.

Quick update.

Solana ate two days ago and had (well for a baby corn) a massive poop and urine and urate mess for me to clean today.

Today she weighed in at a staggering 12G.

Actually, that's remarkable. We got her 6-21-18 at 8G, so that's 50% growth in a month! It's only been two weeks on eating every 4-5 days (still small pinkies).

Quick update.

Solana ate another small pinkie tonight.

She's doing awesome and really settled in. Totally calm and docile, even when we go to pick her up now.

She's also gotten much less fearful and protective, especially when eating.

Tonight, when I walked up to her tank with the pinkie, she had her head out watching me. When I opened the tank doors, she put her head mostly back in her hide, but was still curious. I shook the pinkie a few times in front of the hide and she came out several inches away from her hide to go after the pinkie. I put it down and she grabbed it and ate it right in front of me and Katie! What a big step for her. 3 feedings ago, she wouldn't take the pinkie if we were watching. Today, she ate with both of us standing in front of the tank. She's getting brave!

So happy how well she's doing and how fast she is growing (knowing full well she has a long way to go).

Katie adores her and takes her out regularly. She's still little nervous about feeding Solana and has cleaned up one poop, but mostly I do the hard work :).

Either way, everyone seems settled and happy and I am thrilled.

I do not plan to update every feeding from now on as she is definitely doing well and established.

I will keep updating on her when appropriate and, of course, keep posting pictures, weights, etc!

Thank you all for the support and interest. I look forward to sharing Solana's growth and her life-long journey with us with all of you.

Solana is a growing girl. She hasn't pooped since last meal, so I don't have proper weight, but boy she's looking a lot bigger than 6 weeks ago! She's a lot thicker and sturdier. I think I can move to normal pinkies from small pinkies now. The small pinkies are down in about 2 minutes tops. Last weight she was 12G+.

She's also calm and sweet and beautiful! Plus, she's happily eating in front of both me and Katie consistently now. "Pinkie for me????" Gobble gobble gobble.

Here are some (iPhone) pictures from tonight.

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/544oBMO.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/s3upwbt.jpg[/IMG]

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[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/MWCzGgc.jpg[/IMG]

She's definitely filling out and looking great
.
bet it seems so weird holding her than behira or Shayna.
Such a vast difference in body weight and girth

Sent from my TA-1024 using Tapatalk

Quote:

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Originally Posted by richardhind1972

She's definitely filling out and looking great
.
bet it seems so weird holding her than behira or Shayna.
Such a vast difference in body weight and girth

Sent from my TA-1024 using Tapatalk

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Yeah, it's a little crazy, the size differences. I guess it's all relative. So cool how they all have their own personalities too.

What a pretty girl she is. ;)

Solana had a massive amount of waste for a snake her size today.

She weighed 12G totally empty! Katie was saying how much bigger she has gotten, and she really has.

Tonight we fed her a regular (as opposed to small) pinkie. It was about 3G as opposed to 1-2G for the smalls. It went down without a hitch, but took a little while. The small pinkies were getting to the point where it was more like she was taking a pill, not eating a meal.

She's starting to get super excited about food, like a proper corn snake. She came charging out of her hide and grabbed it, right in the middle of the tank, and ate it exposed with us watching.

Earlier in the day, when I cleaned poop, I took some pictures of Solana playing on Katie's foot. She's noticeably thicker than before, but also longer as well.

Katie was using her foot as a reference and Solana went right between her big toe and pointer toe. SOOOOO CUTE!

Sorry for the iPhone, low light, pictures. It was a spur of the moment picture opportunity.

Hopefully no one on the forum he "enjoys" feet :P.

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/yxXIqrM.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/lhrR66J.jpg[/IMG]

Solana looks to have digested the regular pinkie from 2 nights ago. She also is starting to get cloudy eyes and should shed in the next week. She shed exactly a month ago. Growing girl.

Additionally, when Katie took her out today, with partially clouded eyes and all (hard to see in picture at these angles and with flash) she was calm as a cucumber. A month ago, she had been calm for about a week, but cloudy eyes brought out defensiveness and striking and tail rattling. Not at all today. Totally chill, just like is the rest of the time now.

I love her side view with her beautiful eyes and her "smile." Without the scales all around the head and mouth it always seems to look like she is smiling from the side.


[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/liNENCq.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/fRJegxV.jpg[/IMG]

Solana SHED last night! All in one piece too! That's two in a row and perfect 2/2 since I got her.

She will eat her second regular pinkie tonight, after doing well with her first last feeding, and getting rid of the waste the last two nights :).

She looks gorgeous, and bigger every time she is out. I forgot to weigh her and am not going to disturb her until after she eats tonight + 2 days. I'll have to weigh her empty before next feeding.

She was 12G last weigh in, but remember, she doesn't have scales, so she's bigger than a 12G scaled snake.

Without further ado, pictures of Solana post shed (both iPhone and Nikon DSLR pics):

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/l1TBWve.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/eIAnaWI.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/RaqaQ9M.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/qMbJyrC.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/Mn07tWw.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/iuHF7cQ.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/OmvTK6f.jpg[/IMG]

Solana is up to 14G empty and growing like a weed right now. She's currently eating 1 regular size pinkie (about 3G) every 5 days. Soon, she will have 2 pinkies every 5 and then go to Fuzzies every 7.

She just shed recently and looks amazing. Her temperament is the opposite of her brother Figment. She's calm as can be and gentle and calculated in her movements. Figment is ADHD and is all over the place. Cannot seem to sit still. Both are incredibly docile.

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/XfQKoQ7.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/tw76SKg.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/b5UEja2.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/xIJDcsl.jpg[/IMG]

She’s looking pretty as ever !

Growing girl! So pretty! So soft!

Here's a link to a video of her being herself; chill as can be! She's so calm and docile: https://streamable.com/2cmwx

Here are some pics of our baby.

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/7xo3LDG.jpg[/IMG]



[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/drEu4Q6.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/kAmmqdG.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/cq3okAc.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/RWzDhge.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/9I383m1.jpg[/IMG]

Solana, at 14G totally dry, gobbled down another normal pinkie (about 3G) a few nights ago. She will be eating two of those soon enough and then on to Fuzzies.

Katie fed her, which was a big step for all, and it went really well.

However, I have to say things are getting out of hand. Two weeks ago, I took Figment out looking for poop and there was none. Katie asked to hold him, and I, against better judgement, obliged, while I dug through paper to try to find poop. Once I realized it wasn't there, I reached for him, but it was too late! Splat, boom, bam, all over Katie! Not a good night. https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...orn-Baby/page5 Bottom of the page, 8-8-18 entry.

So last night, Katie wanted to hold Solana, and it looked like she had to go. I told Katie, "It looks like she has to go." Katie says, "No problem, I'll just put this towel down." That's foreshadowing for those that enjoy movies and books. She had her out for 2 minutes, and then, Splat, boom, bam, all over.......the towel.

Katie laughed this one off pretty well. However, since when is Katie a target for Corn Snake poop? I've never had Figment, or any other snake for that matter, poop on me ever. I've kept snakes for a long time. What gives?

That above was my version of the story. Katie would like to give her version. See below.

Katie's Version:

You guys... Two weeks ago Dave asks me to hold snakes while he cleans the tank, and Figment (the hypo lavender corn) POOPS ALL OVER ME!!! I'm talking from my hair to my toes... POOP EVERYWHERE.

Last night, Dave was cleaning Solana's tank, and then asked me if I wanted to hold her. I (having learned my lesson) asked if she had pooped yet b/c I knew she ate... b/c i fed her! Anyways, Dave says no, but do you want to hold her. So I say "sure, but only if you hand me that towel." Dave is like "seriously, i have NEVER had a snake poop on me... that was a total fluke." I replied that I didn't care, and I wanted the towel. He grudgingly hands it and baby snake to me... and INSISTS - "She's not gonna poop on you."

LESS that ONE MINUTE LATER... Tails up and poop be coming out... Luckily, I had a towel down...

Also, it's lucky i'm a good sport and there hasn't been a reptile eviction... ;)


Here's the calm before the P storm. Katie loving our baby.

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/MdSe68i.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/B0VLpTl.jpg[/IMG]

Solana is due to eat in a few minutes (a normal F/T pinkie). She weighed in today, dry, at over 15G. She was 8G when we got her, 2 months ago. She is now 4 months old.

There are pictures early in this thread of her in a deli cup, barely taking up any room in it. Times have changed. Below is Solana in the same deli cup she came in, but filling a lot more of it!

As I always say, when I don't use my Nikon DSLR, my apologies for the iPhone quality. It does not do her justice.

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/BH5MVaJ.jpg[/IMG]

Solana had a hell of a growth spurt this past week!

Dry a week ago she was 15G. Dry today, 17G+. It kept going between 17-18G. I am going to assume the lower number, but still, she's really getting some size to her.

She gets another pinkie tonight and by 20G will be eating 2 pinkies. Way to go Solana!

Quick update:

Solana ate a pinkie tonight. Two interesting notes.

1. Katie fed her for the second time. That's awesome for all.

2. For the second feeding, Solana lunged/struck at the pinkie and didn't just grab and start eating. Katie says she is learning how to snake really well.

So things are progressing nicely on all fronts regarding our little baby.