HELP HELP! She's gone on a food strike!

[ilovepeanut]

I researched around the site, but haven't seen any recent posts or information about a recent hunger strike.

My female Peanut who is about 4 months old now used to be a wonderful eater. She would eat many crickets in a sitting, always. I have a feeder box for her that she's always used, but lately when I put her in to feed on the crickets she just runs to the sides of the cage and attempts to jump out and fails to notice the crickets around her. She also used to be fond of phoenix worms or anything that moved, but now.. nothing.
I've been forcefeeding her mainly greens and veggies/fruits the past few days, but now SHE ISN'T EATING ANYTHING AT ALL. If I get anything in her mouth at all she spits it out. I've been keeping her hydrated by giving her water and bathing her daily. When she chews it sounds almost like she's grinding her teeth or a noise similar to that. :shock:
She's under a 100 watt powersun MVB in a 40 gallon breeder with correct temps.
I really don't understand what caused the sudden change. She's still active and basks all the time. No stress marks and she seems perfectly happy.
I hope to hear back from you guys. I know you're very knowledgeable here and I'm getting really worried now that she's not getting the proper calcium/protein in her diet. Please help! I don't want to lose her, she's such an amazing girl! I'm going to have to bring her to our reptile store and have one of the experts look at her this week if things don't change for the better, and no money for a big vet bill either. I'm a broke college student.
Thanks so much in advance!

-Nikki-

 

[fresnowitte]

Nikki some beardies just loose interest in crickets why don't you give another feeder a try.
Personally I give my beardies a variety of live feeders to assure a balanced diet.

They say that variety is the spice of life. :lol:
Myself I wouldn't want to eat the same meat at every meal. :wink:

You can put her supplements on her salad if your able to get her to eat some of that
so she is getting her vitamins.

 

[ilovepeanut]

Thanks Barbara for the reply!
I have now realized that she isn't eating at all, and is spitting up anything I try to shove into her mouth.
I don't get it, and I need some more options.
I'm worried that I'm going to wake up one day and she won't make it through the night. She really hasn't eaten hardly at all in nearly a week now.
Has anyone else had this problem?? What did you do to fix it??
I need to HELP her.

Thanks again!

 

[vickson420]

Nikki
Her gut flora may be off or something may be bothering her tummy.Have you tried giving her a probiotic?You could get her some soy yogurt,acidophilliz or benebac also it wouldnt hurt to get her some repta aid and some babyfood.You may have to slurry feed her for a bit to see if you can get her appetite back on track.

 

[ilovepeanut]

Thanks so much!
That's a good idea to start with. Squash and chicken baby food should be good right?
Where could I go about getting a plastic syringe to force-feed her? :?
I was planning on doing this, and adding her calcium/vitamin powder to the slurry.

 

[renich]

you can find a syringe at a local pet store chain, like pet smart.

have you thought about taking her to a herp vet to have her checked out?

 

[ilovepeanut]

I'm getting her ready to get looked at and talk with a local reptile expert, but as far as an actual vet visit I'm out of luck. I don't have any extra cash, and am currently enrolled full-time in school and am not employed so no income at the moment.
I was trying to look into a clinic vet that may be free or very cheap. I'm just at a loss, and confused as to why she would decide to starve herself. Still no luck feeding her the past couple days, and now off to find a syringe and some baby food. Wish me luck.
Thanks again.

 

[ilovepeanut]

Could her not eating be a sign of her having worms??

I heard that this could be the reason she's gone on this sudden hunger strike. I'm now using a ceramic heat emitter at night in hopes that keeping her warmer temps up at all times will help with her appetite as well.

I went to my local reptile shop where we were able to have a knowledgeable beardie breeder help force-feed her. At least she's eaten some today which makes me feel better.

 

[vickson420]

Nikki
It is possible she has worms but you would need a fecal to determine that.Have you gotten the probiotics I recommended?Also gettint the rept aid may help.I wouldnt freak out just yet.How close can she get to the powersun?What are her temps?
How are you measuring them?Is she shedding at the moment?

 

[ilovepeanut]

I am going out to see if I can buy the repti-aid tonight. I'm not too sure where to get the probiotic though? I have some in a bottle with clear capsules right now, but could I break those and use the powder inside it to feed to her?

She's been force-fed crickets today as well as some chard greens and I've given her a bath. I dusted these with calcium and vitamins. I'm really starting to see her weight loss and I feel so bad for her. She managed to lick up some water as well off the greens.

I have a digital thermometer with the probe on her basking spot and it's reading right around 105*F. That should be just about correct isn't it? At night I'm going to be using the ceramic heat emitter which I'm testing the temps for currently while Peanut is out with my boyfriend. I can see her colors are still light and she's still showed no signs of pain or stress. I'm hoping it has something to do with the sudden weather change as it's even been a bit cold in Southern Cali.

I also looked into a potential vet if I can scrounge up some extra cash and sell some things. There's a few trustworthy ones that specialize in reptiles that I've asked around about lately if her condition continues or worsens.
I'm crossing my fingers that she gets better soon. I'm very attached to her.

Thank you!

 

[ilovepeanut]

Oh, and she can get about 12" away from the Powersun at that temperature.

 

[vickson420]

Ok well the temps sound good.How far away is she from the MVB?I do think its a good idea to get to the vet if you can.I am glad you got some food in her.As for the probiotic I am not sure on the capsules but you can get stoneyfield SOY yogurt from moth supermarkets/health stores and the acidophilliz and benebac can be find in the cat/bird section at the pet store.

 

[ilovepeanut]

About 12" away from the MVB.
I'll look into that tomorrow after my morning class. I think my local pet shop has closed early for the holiday.
I'll keep you posted. And if any other ideas come to mind feel free to let me know!
Thanks.

 

[vickson420]

About 12" away from the MVB.
I'll look into that tomorrow after my morning class. I think my local pet shop has closed early for the holiday.
I'll keep you posted. And if any other ideas come to mind feel free to let me know!
Thanks.

Ok distance is good.Just keep her warm and hydrated and make sure to start on the babyfood slurry.Keep us posted.

 

[Seig]

I would definately recommend the vet visit. Last winter was my first Beardie winter. My eldest, Beardsley, who is about 3 years old suddenly quit eating voraciously. She became very picky, very quickly, and by December had quit eating at all. I really believed she was brumating because she didn't seem to be loosing weight. When Spring rolled around and she still refused to eat, I took her to the vet. She had hook worms. Even after the worms cleared, it has taken almost six months to get her to eat like she did before. She is just now starting to show interest in hunting again. I no longer feed any of my beardies roached or crickets, they both are carries of hooks. I do get goliaths, supers, and phoenixs. Now that we are going back into winter, I will start using more phoenix's to make sure they get the appropriate calcium levels.

I would recommend all new beardy owners get their babies checked by a knowledgeable herp vet when they suspect brumation is starting.
Peace of mind is priceless.