Help! Large bump in male's belly!

[AHBD]

Thanks for the update ! You can order the recommended lights from Amazon or other company. Be careful with too much calcium and D3, they can start having trouble with very hard urates and other problems. It's good that he's eating the snap peas + pumpkin. I can't remember if you've tried kale but if not it's a good staple green.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

How is your boy doing?
That is great to hear he is eating some vegetation though. He likes the dandelion greens?
A lot of them do.
Depending on the size & length of the tank, usually 1 good tube bulb is enough but you can
always get a dual tube light fixture if you wanted to use two tube bulbs for higher UVB
exposure.
Hopefully it isn't a tumor though, has it improved any?

Tracie

 

[Nitsu]

Hello,

How is your boy doing?
That is great to hear he is eating some vegetation though. He likes the dandelion greens?
A lot of them do.
Depending on the size & length of the tank, usually 1 good tube bulb is enough but you can
always get a dual tube light fixture if you wanted to use two tube bulbs for higher UVB
exposure.
Hopefully it isn't a tumor though, has it improved any?

Tracie

It seems smaller than when I first got concerned about it, but whatever it is it is large enough to be felt and to affect his swimming, with him floating on that side. However, it is small enough for food to pass it in his stomach, I have felt peas in his belly and seen them in his poop. He doesn't like the dandelion greens, which I am attributing to him being picky, but I am feeding them to the bugs he is eating.
Thanks for the concern everyone!

 

[Nitsu]

Update:
I realized I never mentioned the results of the 2nd vet appointment. Dova has gained 100 grams of weight, is eating a varied diet, and in the vet's opinion, is doing well if I continue to keep up what I have been doing. I will update further if there are any sudden changes or alterations in behavior that I need help with anything.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Wow, that is really good news though, that Dova has gained some weight though, finally.
I hope he is starting to feel better & get back to normal.
Maybe eventually the lump will be all gone but at least he is improving, slowly. Keep us
posted on his progress!

Tracie

 

[AHBD]

That sounds good ! That's a lot of weight gain in a short time ,can you post a full body pic of him from above to show his size ?

 

[Nitsu]

That sounds good ! That's a lot of weight gain in a short time ,can you post a full body pic of him from above to show his size ?

Replying to this with an update and the picture you asked for. This picture was taken just a few minutes ago after a bath, with him basking to dry off any bits of water still on him after being patted down with a towel:

UPDATE:
He has mostly been eating pumpkin puree with calcium powder mixed in, snap peas, and collard greens which he seems to like. He is getting a daily bath and rosewater misting, with at least 14 hours of constant UVB light a day, from early morning until just before he goes to bed. I had to stop feeding him his bugs due to some of them having a red bacteria growth on them, but that has been dealt with and they are back in his diet at the requested amount.
The orb in his belly is still there, strangely enough. It hasn't shrunk much since last, but it has hardened slightly. I am considering removing the bugs from his diet in order to ensure they aren't causing more damage, but I am hesitant to do that due to him needing the gutloaded bugs.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

He does look very good. As an adult, they wont need as much protein as when they
were still growing. What type of bugs are you feeding?
The lump is just on one side, correct, there isn't anything that feels the same on the
other side of his belly?

Tracie