Yafe - Albino Carpet - FINAL - Progression Thread

[cletus]

He's looking good!

[dakski]

Yafe ate his first rat pup tonight!

It was a small rat pup at 20G, but bigger than anything he's had so far. He has been eating 16-18G rat fuzzy's.

He was so excited he grabbed it and fell of his perch. He is fine and he didn't let go of the rat! That's my boy!

[Bogertophis]

GO Yafe! You really know they're motivated when they forget they can't fly, lol. He has sure come a long way!

[richardhind1972]

That's good news Dave

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[Dianne]

Great news!

[dakski]

Thanks guys and gals!

He's really come so far; I cannot believe it myself. I am just happy he's doing so well and really, thriving.

He's a good guy too. He's a great snake.

I just wish my heart didn't skip a beat when he hisses at me every once in a while when I wake him up and try to get him off his perch(es). To be clear, it scares me because I have flashbacks of when he sounded like that all the time with the RI, not because I think he's going to bite me.

As mentioned, he has yet to do more than be a big bluffer, and I think that's his MO.

Again, I couldn't be happier with his progress and how cool of an animal he is. He truly is a miracle.

[dakski]

Yafe is doing amazing. I had him out for over a 1/2 hour today and he was a gem. More importantly, he made no noises at all. Didn't even hiss when I picked him up. However, in the past, when he was still recovering, he would squeeze me tightly after a few minutes and start popping. Not at all now. I think he's really out of the woods.

Below are some pictures of him. He feel asleep wrapped around my wrist for a while. What a sweet guy.

Here are some videos of him on the scaffolding I have for the snakes to climb on. He had a good time.

[Bogertophis]

Can't get enough of this success story...you & Katie really came thru for him, and it's amazing to see him so beautiful, healthy & enjoying life now.

[dakski]

Can't get enough of this success story...you & Katie really came thru for him, and it's amazing to see him so beautiful, healthy & enjoying life now.

Thank you Bogertophis.

I'll be honest, I was very scared for a long time. I think I only showed it a few times here, but I was worried sick. I don't think I ever lost hope for more than a day, but there were definitely days when I wasn't sure he was going to pull through.

After the worst was over, there was a long period where I thought he would be okay, and function as a snake, but would never be 100%.

If he's not 100% now, he's so close it doesn't matter.

He's not just doing well, he's thriving. He's pounding rat pups now, climbing all over his cage, become pretty good at being handled, and getting better at that all the time. I still only take him out about 2-3 times a week though. He's eating weekly to put on weight and grow and I give him 2 days to digest and then handle every other day usually.

He really is a miracle snake.

A don't know if I everyone who followed this story understood how bad off he was. I've kept snakes for over 20+ years. I've never seen a snake this sick. My vet, who saw him after 1/2 the dose of the first antibiotic was given, said she'd seen much worse, and that she thought he would pull through. However, many of the "worse" don't.

Now, I am meticulous about husbandry, and feeding, etc. However, as animals age, I've had ones who got ill. This was different. He was young and near death. Not a good combination.

As I've mentioned in the past, I've had my share of health issues and I was not giving up on Yafe, ever. He's a fighter. I respect that and relate to that. If he had issues his whole life, he would still have been welcome here, always.

However, to see him doing this well, both blows my mind and fills me with joy.

Both Yafe's breeder, and several friends of mine who breed snakes, cannot believe his recovery. Most said he's a miracle and are amazed he pulled through.

Of course, if not for all this drama, we would love Yafe. However, he has a special place in our hearts now.

Raise a glass, a rat, etc. for Yafe, the miracle snake.


לחיים


L'Chaim/To Life!

[dakski]

It hit me tonight, Yafe is really getting bigger. When I first put him in his 4X2X1.5', he was tiny in there. Now he's starting to fill it out and starting to show some girth and is much more muscular.

Here's a picture of him last night stretched out somewhat on his front perch and of all 3 snakes in that tower begging/looking for food.