Just a small appetite or something else?

[Audsh]

Hi, Im new to the forum and new to dragons. Ive a rankins dragon not a beardie though. I hope its still ok to ask here as the Rankins dragon section seemed unused in a year. So, on to my Q,s.

Stitch is a 6/8 month old Rankins Dragon. We have him since early feb, so 7 weeks. When we got him we were told he was a picky eater. He was also The smallest of the 5 rankins he was with, they are still in the pet shop and are now roughly double his size. He has never really eaten well for us. We have tried him on crickets, locusts, mealworms and he is currently having calciworms and wax worms and we give him veg everyday but he never eats it. He doesnt seem to have a big appetite and will eat anywhere between 1 and 7 insects a day, he always eats crickets the least. He also only poos every couple of days( normal looking poo) He currently weighs 48g, he was 46g when we got him, he is about 9 inches long. A few weeks ago we had him to a vet who kept him for 3 days to syringe feed him to try and increase his appetite and get him pooing.no matter how many times i asked, the vet would not test him for parasites, he said they tended not to get them cos they wernt really around other animals. since we got him home he is still the same. some days he is active(but not as much as he should be, i think) and some days he just hides. he is in a 3 x 1.5 x 1.5 ft viv. a 10.0 t8 uvb 24in tube(bought in feb) and a basking spot bulb. temp is 35-39 under the basking bulb and roughly 25 in the cool end. we recently added a dimming thermostat in case temps were the problem. Lights are on a timer from 7am to830 pm. I am out of ideas for what to do next, he is my daughters pet and we both cant help worrying. Is he just a little dragon with a little appetite? or could it be something else? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[KarrieRee]

I dont know anything about Rankins but at the bottom of the forums there is a place for Rankins -- you can also PM Cooperdragon about your concerns or TracieDrache613 she is out vet moderator
Karrie

 

[AHBD]

Hi there, can you post pics of Stitch and his set up ? Here's how :

https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ Then use the XIMG to upload them

His length is good for a 7 month old since Rankin's only get to be 11-12" max as adults. When you say the others are twice his size are you referring to body width ? Because if they're over 14" long then they are not Rankin's. You also mentioned that he was the smallest one and sometimes the runt just does not grow as fast or as large as the others. Those are things to take in to account. But pics would help, show us what your little guy looks like.

 

[Audsh]

Hi thanks for your reply. Hope these pics are ok.The other rankins he was with are larger in width not length,

 

[AHBD]

He actually looks pretty good. It may be that the others are somewhat overweight.

 

[Audsh]

Thank you, he just seems to eat so little. I cant help worry

 

[AHBD]

He definitely could have a better appetite but he may just be the runt for an unknown reason, still growing reasonably alright but not as well as the others. Doesn't look bad at all though. If you could design an outdoor cage for him some real sunlight might boost his appetite. And if you don't have a reflector behind his uvb bulb that can increase the amount he gets, even aluminum foil will do.

 

[Audsh]

I have a reflector Behind the uv bulb. But I live in Ireland so not much Sun, lots of rain though, if only he were a plant? thanks for your help. It's good to hear.