Anorexic approx 2mo with failure to thrive

[woodnt]

People here have helped me so much, it is the least I can do. There are many online vendors for feeders. That's what I do, too.

I got some very tiny BSFL's from the Phoenix worm people (actually talked to the lady on the phone. Very nice. Her husband is the one that did the initially studying of them and introduced them as feeders to the USA). I have a BioPod Plus and currently it is about an inch and a half thick with BSFL.

You can get some baby silkies for Nessie's size, and I've heard horn worms, too. Glad you didn't have any problems with the superworms. I bet that was something to see such as small thing go after those big worms (kind like Praxis going after those monster hornworms, which he essentially swallowed whole).

Please keep us updated how Nessie is doing. It amazes me that she is only 10 wks, and almost the same weight as Strax who is about 5 months old (poor little guy).

 

[woodnt]

The frozen fruit and veggie cubes are a big hit with the crickets and dubia roaches. Wow! They disappear overnight. In fact, in the dubia I put in some dubia viagra (aka a quartered orange) and that was gone plus the cube.

They lady on the youtube vid I watched must have a lot fewer of each than we because she said a batch lasted her a month or more. Sure won't be the case with me. I need to make a new batch already. Pretty easy to do, too, and not very time consuming.

 

[woodnt]

Good news first. Bad but funny news second.

First, Strax has grown!!! He is an inch longer than I last checked a couple weeks ago (or was it last week). He is now 7.5 in. Still very small for his age, but such a blessing, and we are so thankful.

Yest, he just ate one dubia and that was at lunchtime. Yest and today, he has taken his boost as he should. Today, I offered him a butter worm in addition to the dubia and BSFL, but he wasn't interested in anything.

Now the bad news. One of our dogs got into the dubia room (which is my daughter's room). Dubia everywhere. Babies everywhere. The colony has definitely been doing well from the reproduction standpoint. They were in her bed, in her book bags, everywhere. They are at the back of the house (we have a fairly large house) and several adults even made it into the livingroom. It took a few hours to collect as many as we could. The kids just totally freaked out! My son wants to move out. My daughter says she is never sleeping in her room again. All in all, it was pretty funny, but quite a mess and my kids are psychologically scarred. My son even started hyperventilating leading us to use the bag trick to get him to stop. Much calmer morning so far.

 

[diamc]

That's awesome that Strax is 7.5" now. Such great gains for sure, you and your wife should be VERY proud with how well he has come. Strax may surprise you and decide to take a butter worm yet.

Oh dear, dubia escapees. I imagine that is scary especially from a kids point of view. Hope they can get past this very soon and that you can find the rest of them, they sure can hide. Good luck with that.

 

[Esther19]

Wow. Free range dubia. I'm so sorry that happened. It will give the kids something to talk about around the Thanksgiving table when they are grown, though. Hopefully after the meal during the reminiscing.

Such wonderful news about Strax. He sure is a fighter, with the right humans to fight alongside him. He is doing so well! What remarkable progress he has made.

 

[StarStitcher]

Gratz to Stakz!!!! He'll show those doubters who is going to live and be a big boy!

My deepest condolences to your children. That fear is why we have never fed Nessie a Dubai. It may be why she may never get a Dubai. Let your kids know they needn't have any nightmares. I'll have them for them for the next week hearing that story. :::Shudder::: Crickets and worms may be as far as I go and I'm no kid! I have 6 grandbabies! Poor kids....

 

[woodnt]

Been gone out of town working. Krista force-fed him a tiny hornworm. No feeders today. Ate boost today and yesterday. He sure looked cute when I got home. Alert. Upright. Ran to dinner (mom's night out so I take the kids out just myself) and when we came back, he had moved. I never see him shift position. I don't know how I keep missing it all the time, but I would like to see how he moves in his viv. I want him big and strong, but I'm going to miss this size, too. So tiny and sweet.

 

[woodnt]

Good news and bad (but not terrible) news.

The good news is that Strax is continuing to gain weight on the boost. He is now 20 gms. We started this whole thing with his being 7. I am so grateful for the existence of boost. If not for it, I fear he would not have made it.

The bad is that he still shows little interest in feeders. I'm thinking it is that the boost just fills all his needs. His favorite when he does it is dubia it seems, but he doesn't take even them very often. On one hand, it is discouraging, but the other gains are encouraging. As long as we have boost, we can keep him going.

 

[diamc]

That's great that he's up to 20 grams now, bet his whole body has filled in.

Perhaps just trying feeders during the day and saving the boost for night? Unless that is already what you're doing. Have you tried putting a few drops of boost on the small dubias?

 

[TranceChamber]

I have had the same issue with babies from PetSmart and Petco.... BUT my private breeder babies have not had this problem. The one private breeder told me it's because their stress levels are so high due to being relocated so much (ie- from the breeder, to the whole seller, to the pet store with people poking at the glass, to your home) where as private breeder babies go from them to you. Actually I just made a post about this asking for help http://www.beardeddragon.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=199155

 

[woodnt]

Some bad (not terrible) news with Strax.

I'm sorry it has been so long since posting. I've been to Washington and Oregon for work this past week.

I weighed Strax today, and he has lost a gram. He is 19gms but was 20gms. He still is only taking supplement, but still takes that well. I checked with my wife, and some how she missed that he needs 4 syringe fulls twice a day. She has only been giving him 2 syringe fulls once a day. I'm not sure how she has missed it, but he therefore hasn't been getting his nutrition nor the liquid from it for some time, which is pretty disappointing.

He isn't moving around as much in his viv, but seems normal when we have him out to feed.

 

[Esther19]

It's a minor setback. Good that he only lost a gram. Your poor wife probably feels awful. Priority one, as I'm sure you know, is rehydration. He'll be fine. Good to hear from you.

 

[diamc]

No need to apologize for not posting, you've had a busy week.

Only losing one gram isn't bad at all, he can gain that right back. I imagine your wife does feel terrible for the mix-up with the boost.

I'll bet he will gain back the gram and even more next week. Certainly a good sign that he acts normal when he is being fed.

 

[woodnt]

I was concerned for Strax today. He had a big belly as you can see in the photo later. Then when I got him out for his noon feeding, his belly completely flattened, he got huge, and really arched his head back and opened his mouth. I sure hope he wasn't stargazing (a sign of neurological involvement with adeno/atadenovirus). He then stopped. I offered him a BSFL, but that was a no-go.

I was a little worried about impaction with his big belly, but as I was feeding him Repti-Boost, he had a normal BM with nice white uric acid as well. No evidence of dehydration. He has had 4 cc of boost today. We'll shoot for another tonight to try to make up ground from last week shortages.

We had him on the table at lunch, and he jump off (oops). Then, he just ended up wanting to hid near the salt and pepper shakers and Kleenex.

Here is his big belly:

And where he went to sleep during our lunch:

 

[diamc]

That's good that he had a normal bowel movement. When they sit in the position like in that picture, it does make their bellies look bloated.

I wouldn't worry about the arching of the neck & mouth opening. I have seen my beardies do both of those things especially in the morning when they are getting ready to eat. It's almost like they are stretching. They also do it when they are getting ready to shed.

Good that you got 4 cc's of boost into him today.

He is just so adorable and his body is filling in nicely. His eyes look so nice & bright.