Last Supper

[guidofatherof5]

It looks like I've located another thread that was lost a few months ago.

I've seen this phenomena occurring over the last year and thought I would post about it.
It involves those tough eaters or failure to thrive snakes. It occurred over the last couple of days which reminded me of it.
I had a failure to thrive baby which was on the brink of starvation. Just when I thought I would have to put her down she started eating and eating good. I couldn't have been more pleased. I made a point of feeding this little girl everyday. For two weeks things were going well and then it happened. She stopped eating but remained interested. A few times she would grab the earthworm but appeared unable to maneuver it to swallow it. Her weight dropped rapidly and this morning I put her down.
This is something that has repeated itself at the Ranch over the last year. It's like the snake makes one last effort to make it but something prevents that success. I'm sure this situation repeats itself in the wild many times.

[gregmonsta]

It could be that the failure to feed in the intitial stages doesn't allow the digestive system to 'switch on'. Definately an interesting observation.

[guidofatherof5]

It could be that the failure to feed in the intitial stages doesn't allow the digestive system to 'switch on'. Definately an interesting observation.

Good thought, Thanks.

[gregmonsta]

Another thought - It might be easier for them to transition onto food earlier, while they still have remnants of yolk inside thier bodies, allowing the body to gradually move over to the new food source instead of finishing one and them immediately having to adjust to another.

[ConcinusMan]

I'm sure this situation repeats itself in the wild many times.

Of course it does. And often in their weakened state, they become food for other animals. An important resource for a healthy ecosystem.

It hurts to see any garter suffer or die. When this happens in captivity, what happens to the little one's body? I'm guessing it doesn't contribute to the nutritional needs of any creature higher on the food chain but it's comforting to know if you bury the body outside, it could perhaps support worms, which support garters! yay!

I really like you steve and I'm not trying to pick at wounds. It's just that there is a bigger picture happening here and i thought it might help to comfort you. No dead snake need be a waste. There short lives do have meaning if they are returned to the earth.

"From dust thou cometh, to dust thou shalt return"

The elements that are our bodies, are returned to the earth, for the benefit of all life. In that sense, all living things are truly immortal.

[Tyrel26]

great way to put it Con, I have often though about how we ourselves bury our own dead; sealed inside boxes that contain many different chemicals....which is why i want to be buried naturally, in a plain wooden box or a cotton sheet.

Our last act on this earthly world shouldn't be one of pollution

[ConcinusMan]

I believe that as bleak as things look, as much perceived damage as humans are doing to the natural order of things, we are a part of that order. There's nothing we can do that can't be undone in time. The current mass extinction that is already well underway, helped along by us, may result in the extinction of at least 2/3 of the worlds species. That will also result in our disadvantage and a massive die off of humans. In time, balance will be restored and new life will spring forward and a new era of abundance will occur. This isn't coming from biblical or philosophical reasoning. It's plain science. If you want to attribute it to devine design or creation then all I have to say is the creator must know what he is doing. It's a brilliant design. I don't believe this horse pucky that man has the ability to extinguish all life on earth. If only microscopic organisms survive our assault, life will return with or without us.

[Stefan-A]

There's nothing we can do that can't be undone in time.

Sadly, I don't share your optimism. Even if we could, we wouldn't.

[ConcinusMan]

I didn't mean to imply that we would do the fixing. Quite the contrary, it would be better if we weren't around at all.

[redspot]

I feed failure to thrive snakes to my other snakes, no waste.

Humans relativity to Earths age are insignificant.

Nate