How do I get a beardie off of force/syringe feeding?

[JasonBreen]

My beardie, Reptar, has had to be force-fed Oxbow Carnivore Care for the past week, due to a adverse reaction to de-worming meds. She's better now, but she wont eat on her own, and still expects me to force-feed her. How do I get her off of this? I cant keep feeding her the critical care diet forever, I'll run out of it!

 

[cdgmgqh]

Hi,

I will tell you what worked for me....My beardie, Mushu, had a bout with coccidia and was on antibiotics for a few weeks. During that time, I fed him with a syringe. He ate like this willingly; I never had to force feed him. He was also on the critical care.

After he finished the medication, he still refused to eat on his own. I actually gave him Bene-bac which is a pro-biotic to replace the good flora in his gut that the antibiotic killed. I offered the critical care in a dish mixed with his juvie pellets every day and only offered it in a spoon if he didn't eat within the day. Within a few days he started nipping at the food in the dish...at which point I introduced the live prey which he ate without problem.

It takes a while...you can't rush it. And maybe his tummy feels bad from being on the medication. Try the Bene-bac. Put a dab on his nose and he should lick it right off. Mushu loved it.

Hope this helps. Otherwise, I would touch base with your reptile vet.

 

[JasonBreen]

Hi,

I will tell you what worked for me....My beardie, Mushu, had a bout with coccidia and was on antibiotics for a few weeks. During that time, I fed him with a syringe. He ate like this willingly; I never had to force feed him. He was also on the critical care.

After he finished the medication, he still refused to eat on his own. I actually gave him Bene-bac which is a pro-biotic to replace the good flora in his gut that the antibiotic killed. I offered the critical care in a dish mixed with his juvie pellets every day and only offered it in a spoon if he didn't eat within the day. Within a few days he started nipping at the food in the dish...at which point I introduced the live prey which he ate without problem.

It takes a while...you can't rush it. And maybe his tummy feels bad from being on the medication. Try the Bene-bac. Put a dab on his nose and he should lick it right off. Mushu loved it.

Hope this helps. Otherwise, I would touch base with your reptile vet.

I've been feeding her Acidophiliz+ and some electrolytes mixed in with the critical care, to offset the bad taste, and help her gut. I talked to the vet, and he said that this is a good idea, but I still want to get her off the critical care diet, and back to chasing crickets, since she needs to fatten up, since she is underweight.

 

[cdgmgqh]

Unfortunately, it may take some time for her to gain strength after being on the medication. I know it gets old after a while...and I can remember being very frustrated with having to hand feed. It's certainly time consuming when you have other things to do.

Give it some time.....let her gain some weight.....let her get nutritionaly stable. These little guys take a while to get back to normal after being sick. It will get better, I promise.

Good luck and hang in there. It sounds like you are on the right track.

 

[JasonBreen]

Unfortunately, it may take some time for her to gain strength after being on the medication. I know it gets old after a while...and I can remember being very frustrated with having to hand feed. It's certainly time consuming when you have other things to do.

Give it some time.....let her gain some weight.....let her get nutritionaly stable. These little guys take a while to get back to normal after being sick. It will get better, I promise.

Good luck and hang in there. It sounds like you are on the right track.

Thanks, and also, should her poop be kind of watery after eating the critical care slurry? Cuase her poop has been unusually messy for the past day. Other than that, she's alert, and active.
UPDATE: She's back to eating mealworms, when I offer them, but she still has no interest in crickets.

 

[cdgmgqh]

Hi

Glad to hear your little guy is eating live prey. That is a positive sign. Be careful not to feed too many meal worms....the hard shell on them is hard to digest. Maybe if you can get him some wax worms, phoenix worms, worms that are soft bodied for now. He may not be eating cricketts yet because he is still weak and doesnt want to chase his food. Give it time.

As for his poop....it will be soft until he starts eating solids. Most important is the urate, which is the white part. If that is present, than his kidneys are funtioning. His poop should be "tightening up" since he is eating the meal worms.

On a side note, if you are still feeding the Critical Care, you can mix some of his pellets in to introduce the solid concept. It also is chock full of the vitamins and nutrients that he needs. The Critical Care is VERY high potency. A little bit goes a long way. I would offer the slurry mixed with the pellets in a dish until he is eating normally. He needs to gain strength and weight....so give him a chance to nip at that if he gets hungry.

Sounds like he's making good progress....you're doing a good job.

Hope this helps....keep us posted.