Is prolonging his life worth it?

[Drache613]

Hello,

Wow, that is very good news he was able to go to the bathroom.
Definitely check on getting him some liquid calcium, because it is absorbed so much easier
than powder. Sometimes when they get older, their biochemistry changes a bit as does their
digestive systems so a few minor adjustments can be done to help them out. Are you located
in the US or elsewhere?
Softer bodied worms like silkworms, hornworms or butterworms would probably be the best
bet for him.

Keep us posted on your boy!

Tracie

 

[cmadder]

Thank you for your input- I agree that supers are not good on his digestive system. The problem with changing it is twofold, however: first is that he doesn't easily recognize food that isn't mealworms (and he's been having difficulty with seeing them as well recently). Second, the other members of my family talk about him like he is simply dying and that there is nothing we can do, making it hard for me to understand whether it is better for me to adjust his diet and make him healthier, or not adjust his diet and make him more comfortable.

These last few weeks though I have been trying to improve his health. I recently bought a hornworm to let him try. the problem is that it moves so slowly that Spike barely notices it at all! He also has trouble with depth perception at this point in his life as well.
Also the hornworm is not as easy to remove from its container as supers are.

Do you guys have any help you could provide on feeding him the hornworm?

 

[AHBD]

So your fella is still hanging in there, that's good. Instead of putting the hornworm on the floor or in a bowl, hold it out to him so it wiggles back + forth until he sees it. It may take a minute but he should see it + hopefully o for it. Or you can put it on the floor near him + poke it around with a pencil so he sees it moving, even if you're the one pushing it.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Personally, if he is getting a bit better, I would keep fighting for him. It may take awhile
for him to actively go after his food. Did you try hand feeding him the hornworm?
Poor thing, he is part of your family, no matter how old he gets. He deserves love & attention,
too like you are giving. He's lucky he has you helping him.
Has he eaten anything else?
I hope he is doing better, feel free to post pictures again.

Tracie

 

[cmadder]

Thanks for the tips; I will try and post pictures later but I want to make sure he eats this dang worm, as no he hasn't eaten anything in a while.

How am I supposed to get the stubborn hornworm out of its cardboard container without destroying the box? I may need to put it back in there if Spike doesn't eat it.

 

[AHBD]

I order mine online from Great Lakes hornworms or Linda;s Gone Buggy and this is how they are packaged.

https://www.beardeddragon.org/media/29893/full

They are in a plastic container with food stapled to the top, a small wedge of black plastic grating to crawl on and the " lid " is the bottom , which can be opened to dump their poo out. So yours comes in a cardboard container, the kind that they would put a small pet in ? Just reach in + grab it. You probably have only a few days to use it, but you could just put it back in the box and in a cool spot if Spike doesn't eat it the first day or 2, but I think he'll go for it if you push it near him with a pencil.

 

[cmadder]

Here are two pictures of him not caring about eating the hornworm. frustrating and sad

Yes, I do live in the US. Okay I will go make sure to get liquid calcium.

He hasn't eaten in nearly a week I think, and I am wondering if giving him water with nothing to digest would be a bad thing...

There is something up with his vision I believe. Please let me know if the pictures show something important, because they look scary to me (he isnt looking very aware).

Thanks

 

[AHBD]

Have you tried poking it so it's moving near him or holding it out to him ?

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Do his pupils move if you move your finger from side to side by his eye?
Definitely try hand feeding it, holding it so it might move some could possibly help.
Bless him, does he move around much?

Tracie

 

[cmadder]

No, he rarely moves ever.

I waggled my finger near his eye. he seemed to follow it a little, but with his whole eye, if that makes sense.

He sat up and his whole head shivered.... it makes me worried when he shivers like that.

I will try and give him the worm now, like i did yesterday.

 

[cmadder]

okay, "rarely moves EVER" is a bit of an exaggeration; he does move, but not very much, especially when he's in his tank.

 

[cmadder]

He notices the hornworm when i flip it on its back and it rolls over, so i kept flipping it over for a while, but he never went for it...

That said, his eyes do move in response to that stimulus, so maybe that is useful info?

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Ok, if his eyes do move & follow your finger, then it's probably not a vision issue.
Have you tried bee pollen to help with appetite stimulation? Also, try to hand feed him, too
maybe he would go for the worm that way?
Can he support himself alright, on his arms/legs while walking?

Tracie

 

[cmadder]

No, I haven't tried bee pollen.. is there an easy way to get it? It seems like something petsmart wouldn't have.

Yes, he can support himself when walking, but yesterday he had his head resting on a dish and when I moved the dish away his head slowly started moving to the ground.

He does seem very comfortable with his head on that dish which is kind of funny, but I'm still worried about him.

 

[cmadder]

Now i'm confused:

Spike hasn't really seemed to care about eating at all for the past week or maybe longer. Just now,
we tried opening his mouth a bit and putting the hornworm in (i got impatient) and he spat it out. We said "maybe he has stopped being hungry anymore," and my dad left.

Then i tried to feed him a super, just in case. He struggled to catch it, but by handfeeding him, he did eat the superworm.

So now, I am confused. How am I supposed to give him ANY nutrition that isn't super/mealworms?