Quote Originally Posted by BG View Post
All due respect . My question is coming from a young AGBF keeper. Do you think Gherkin passed because he had a bad young hood and abused when he was young.
I honestly don't know. I think originally he was well cared for, but for about a year before I got him, his previous owner did not have the time for him, or the space. He was kept in a bathtub with no substrate and fed only occassionlly. She finally realized she did not have the time for him, and so found him a new home. When he came to me, I spent the first few months just fattening him up and getting him used to being on soil. Once he realized he could dig, he had a grande ole time flinging dirt everywhere. I swear I saw him smile! I am still not sure what happened to him, but I put him in semi-hibernation (due to a lack of quality food I could give) and then brought him out only 3-4 months later. He was oversize for 2 months and then I noticed his weight decreasing, so I brought him out of hibernation and attempted to feed him. For some reason, he refused food and when he did eat, it was not with his same gusto. Nothing I tried worked, and when I finally resorted to force feeding, Gherkin gave up. Two weeks later, he died. I hope that it was not something I did... Kadesh and Obi went thru the same semi-hibernation with no ill effects and were just as chubby.