Rankin Not eating, is force feeding a good idea?

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simon

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Hi

I hope someone with more experience might be able to give us some advice…

We have had our Rankin for 5 months now and she is about 6-7months old we think. She(/he) has been a picky eater since we got her but for the last week has refused to eat anything. She has never eaten any veg (apart form once or twice by accident!) she used to eat crickets and locusts but stopped eating them so we moved onto waxworms and silkworms but now won’t even eat them. We are also trying cali worms at moment but she isn’t interested in anything.

Initially we were advised by the pet shop that this was all due to stress but a recent sample showed that she had a small amount of parasites so last week the vet prescribed some medicine. Ever since we gave her the medicine she has refused to eat anything. We spoke to the vet again and he suggested we take her back in so he can force feed her.

It would be great to know your thoughts on this, is force feeding a Rankin a good idea?
I’m concerned that if she is really stressed due to being force fed the medicine last then I’m not sure that force feeding her food will really help in the longterm but on the other hand I don’t have any real sense of how long Rankins can go without eating? How fragile are they? would they really starve themselves to death?

She is currently 35.5 grams and was 22.4 grams when we first got her.

Details of our set up:
Viv - 60cm x 40cm x 50cm
Basking spotlight with a thermostat, 37˚C hot end 26˚C at the cool end, temps drop to about 19˚C at night.
On a textured tile for a substrate (was on sand for the first couple of months as supplied by the pet shop)
UVB Arcadia 10% light 30cm from floor
We give her a bath twice a week

Many thanks
Simon
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
A week shouldn't be a big deal. The meds probably have her stomach feeling a bit upset. Which parasites were detected? Which meds were given? Often a low load of parasites isn't treated as they can manage it on their own no problem. Pinworms are especially common in low doses. Keep an eye on her weight but don't force feed her for now. Perhaps stop the meds and offer her some extra hydration by dripping water on her nose to lick up. That should help clear her system and make her feel better.
 

simon

New member
Original Poster
Thanks for your advice.

The lab report said:
Yeasts POSITIVE (+)
Direct SCANTY COCCIDIA SEEN
SCANTY NEMATODE OVA SEEN

She was given 0.1ml of Panacur for 3 days. We'll weigh her again today and give her a bath.
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Panacur should lower the amounts of the parasites and isn't super harsh which is good. Since coccidia is present I'd be certain to clean and thoroughly sanitize everything that comes in contact with her poop. This will help prevent re-infection after treatment. You'll need to use either steam or an ammonia/water mixture to effectively kill coccidia.
 

simon

New member
Original Poster
Hi
Unfortunately She's still not eating anything despite being offered veg, waxworms, cali worms and locusts. She has drunk water dropped onto her nose. Its been 10 days since she ate anything and 9 days since we finished the medication.

How long do you think we should keep going like this without her eating before taking her back to the vets?

Thanks again
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
It's good that she is drinking water. I would keep a close eye on her weight. If it is dropping steadily then I would probably go back to the vet. If it is stable, I'd keep going as you are making a variety of food available for her.
 
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