Happy 2nd Birthday Cleo!
Cleo turned two yesterday (August 28, 2017)! She was still digesting so the celebration and this post had to wait a day.
I still remember the little six week old noodle I brought home from Tinley in October 2015. Seems like yesterday. She was already a healthy 14 grams. She shed the first night she was home. She's still my champion shedder, producing the most beautiful, complete, pure white sheds. She was a reluctant feeder with me at first, but I simulated the bin she was used to in the breeding facility by feeding in a covered deli cup. Soon she was taking the mouse from the tongs and when we got to hoppers she started vigorously constricting.
She's full of life and personality. She still has the mystery bumps that I discovered last fall, but they seem smaller when they do appear which seems not as often. She will get a check up with the vet in October.
Between our eclipse trip to Tennessee and her 8 day feeding schedule (she's a hungry growing snake and I follow her lead) I haven't had her out much for the last two weeks. She was "miss perpetual motion" today. So these are not the greatest pictures I've ever gotten, but at least I have some to memorialize this milestone.
In her first year she grew to 134 grams. I was looking to double that in her second year and amazingly she weighed 267 just before her feeding 3 days ago.
Feeding her is a hoot. I thaw her mouse in cold water and then warm it in warm water. I can no longer have the mouse out of the water before I put her in her feeding bin. This time even that wasn't enough! I opened the plastic container with the mouse and before I could even pat it dry with a paper towel she was flying out of the feeding bin and getting ready to bob for the mouse! I got it in the tongs just in time and she struck and constricted halfway out of the feeding bin. I just gently lifted her and the mouse back to the bin. I don't think she noticed. Her current feeding schedule is a 15 gram mouse every 8 days.
So there you have a brief picture of life with Cleo at age two. She is amazing and I just love her to pieces!