Juvenile not eaten in about a month

[Cuttlefishh]

Hi all, i posted in health section about my girl Charlie being off food. To summarise:

About a month ago I took her to the vet and she was found to have ++coccidia and worms. She underwent treatment to rid them both and was cleared after two weeks.

However, it's been two weeks since treatment and she still isn't showing interest in food.

I'll go over my setup again:

Basking light: halogen flood light 60w, recently downgraded to 40w as the 60w was getting a little too hot. The 40w floodlight seems to be better for now. The enclosure is fully wood so it heats up quite easily. I have both on hand though just in case

Basking spot temp (measured with insitu probe): about 100-105

UVB: Reptile one 24" T8 18w w/diy reflector- roughly 8 inches from basking spot. I have since ordered reptisun 10 as a replacement in case, since this is one of the most recommended on this site (I can't find Arcadia 12% in T8 in Australia)- I'm waiting for the reptisun to arrive

Other: Arcadia deep heat projector to keep ambient temp around 80-85- hooked up to thermostat (It's winter here in Australia and its very cold right now)

Some things that could be why shes not eating (?)
1. The medicine/treatment .. but that was two weeks ago finished
2. I also moved address two weeks ago, it was a big move. Took all day and the environment has completely changed
3. I renovated her enclosure recently to have the fixed lighting and distance to be built in. I also repaired the backdrop and removed some of the resin parts she would climb on and get too close to the lights- about a week and a half ago.
4. She's in a fullbody shed- her face, body, and full abdomen, and base of her tail look like they are gray and transparent.

She basks if im present in the room with her. If not then she will dig or hide.

I feel very bad because she's covered in stress marks.. I think a lot of this has been so tough on her. It's been a month and shes about 6 months old. She weighs only 100grams and is about 12".

I've tried some of Tracies suggestions:
Black strap molasses w/ non dairy yoghurt to help restore tummy flora
Veggies with mini mealworms weaved in to try to appease her

Foods ive tried:
Silkworms
Crickets
Woodie roaches
BSFL

At the moment I just give her 3mls of baby food every second day or so w/multivitamin, liquid calcium dosed to her weight, and around 0.5ml yoghurt w/ a spec or two of black strap molasses mixed in


Is it time I take her to the vet again? im reluctant because i dont want to stress her out any more than I need to right now and I've learned that sometimes it's better to let beardies work themselves out than rush to the vet and try to dig for answers that may not always be needed

I'll post photos in the next post

 

[Cuttlefishh]

 

[Claudiusx]

Hi there,

There are definitely a lot of factors happening to your girl right now that would be affecting her appetite and you did a good job of laying them all out. 1 of those is enough to affect appetite so imagine all of them at the same time!

How often are you hand feeding her? Is she taking it willingly or with excitement? Or is it kind of forced?

Have you been keeping track of her weight? I'd definitely start now if you haven't been.

She looks relatively healthy and alert in your pictures.

-Brandon

 

[Cuttlefishh]

 

[Cuttlefishh]

Hi there,

There are definitely a lot of factors happening to your girl right now that would be affecting her appetite and you did a good job of laying them all out. 1 of those is enough to affect appetite so imagine all of them at the same time!

How often are you hand feeding her? Is she taking it willingly or with excitement? Or is it kind of forced?

Have you been keeping track of her weight? I'd definitely start now if you haven't been.

She looks relatively healthy and alert in your pictures.

-Brandon

Hi Brandon, thanks for responding ! She doesn't take food at all unless I force it to her in a syringe, 3mls every second day or so (because i know the experience is traumatizing)

Im starting to track her weight- shes a little more lethargic today but the shed looks like its really dark so i suspect it's the cause, along with not eating for this long already

She is otherwise lively and alert, I'm giving her daily warm soaks as well to try to help the shed- as a growing baby though im really worried its been too long for her to be off food

 

[AHBD]

Sorry you're having trouble with Charlie. I agree with Brandon that there's been a lot of contributing factors. You say she had a huge appetite until the deworming so it was definitely the meds. that started it all. I personally don't believe in deworming a healthy dragon with a good appetite, it can throw things off in their system. But at any rate, she should bounce back, I know it's very worrying right now but they do resume eating at some point so you'll see that happen soon enough. BTW, if I may make a suggestion I would add a nice log as a different choice for basking.

 

[Cuttlefishh]

Sorry you're having trouble with Charlie. I agree with Brandon that there's been a lot of contributing factors. You say she had a huge appetite until the deworming so it was definitely the meds. that started it all. I personally don't believe in deworming a healthy dragon with a good appetite, it can throw things off in their system. But at any rate, she should bounce back, I know it's very worrying right now but they do resume eating at some point so you'll see that happen soon enough. BTW, if I may make a suggestion I would add a nice log as a different choice for basking.

Yes maybe it was the meds and then the lot- I think ill avoid taking her to the vet and just see how she goes. Do you think 1 month without eating is too long? I don't know how much in her she will continue to be off food

I was thinking of getting a branch! The cave is a little bland, i might get her a climbing branch instead

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Charlie looks nice though, great color & will likely be even more colorful when she is done
shedding! I agree, there have been quite a few factors causing her lack of appetite but I do
think as well that she will be alright.
Reptiles take awhile to recover! She also might be a little spoiled if she is getting used to being
hand fed, too. I hope she is feeling better soon!

Tracie

 

[Cuttlefishh]

I've been giving her warm soaks to help the shed. I don't really hand or tong feed her because she's never taken it that way- instead i would take out the decor in her enclosure and let her chase them... this led to built up of woodies hiding in the backdrop when her appetite dipped (which was scary wah)

Now I purchased her a bin for feeding but she won't chase or eat. Literally no interest, just tends to try to escape the bin.. I'll persist with what I'm doing for now and keep you guys posted. It's so disheartening when i just endured a loss of a beardie that all started with poor appetite... I'm just so scared that I'm harming my dragons somehow and causing all of this to happen again

 

[AHBD]

Is she getting any syringe feeding ? Sorry if I missed it. I can imagine that you're going to be real worried, especially after your recent loss of Taro. This is a completely different scenario and somewhat common after deworming and relocation. Charlie should be alright, you'll get her through. BTW, if she doesn't care for baths you can limit it to once a week at most and just lightly spritz her in the tank.

 

[Cuttlefishh]

Is she getting any syringe feeding ? Sorry if I missed it. I can imagine that you're going to be real worried, especially after your recent loss of Taro. This is a completely different scenario and somewhat common after deworming and relocation. Charlie should be alright, you'll get her through. BTW, if she doesn't care for baths you can limit it to once a week at most and just lightly spritz her in the tank.

She is getting syringe feeding, 3mls every second day of chicken and veggie baby food mixed with a small bit of multivitamin. Also liquid calcium dosed to her weight, and occasional coconut dairy free yoghurt (only about 0.5ml) with a few drops of black strap molasses. I also leave kale and mini mealworms/BSFL mixed in to try to encourage her to nibble over the day (I remove at night and replace daily)

It's just been a little over a month since she's even had interest in any food, though a lot has happened, i suppose i need to wait it out a little longer. The shed is a likely culprit among other things, i just worry as she's maybe lost around 10g since a month ago. Your advice is encouraging though, thank you for your compassion and understanding. I'll tough it out with Charlie- I think ill refrain from taking her back to the vet for now and just see how she goes

 

[AHBD]

You might switch up the baby food now + then try squash or green bean or peas if you haven't already and cut out the molasses. I wonder if she'd go for a slow moving dubia or cricket [ pull off the back legs ] crawling through her cage . Or squish one of any of the insects until the guts come out the back end and lightly rub it on her snout. Sometimes that can work. And if you can get some Oxbow Critical Care formula from the vet or online that can help beardie to gain weight. I agree though about not taking her in to the vet, it may stress her further for sure.

 

[Cuttlefishh]

You might switch up the baby food now + then try squash or green bean or peas if you haven't already and cut out the molasses. I wonder if she'd go for a slow moving dubia or cricket [ pull off the back legs ] crawling through her cage . Or squish one of any of the insects until the guts come out the back end and lightly rub it on her snout. Sometimes that can work. And if you can get some Oxbow Critical Care formula from the vet or online that can help beardie to gain weight. I agree though about not taking her in to the vet, it may stress her further for sure.

I'll give it a try, should I buy this one? How much should I give if she weighs 100 grams? https://vetslovepets.com.au/critical-care-herbivores-fine-grind-100gm-oxbow

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

That one will be fine. It should have dosing information on the bag for you. I'm not sure
exactly how much to feed per the weight but we can try to help once you receive it & are
ready to mix it up & use it.
How is she doing today?

Tracie

 

[Cuttlefishh]

Hello,

That one will be fine. It should have dosing information on the bag for you. I'm not sure
exactly how much to feed per the weight but we can try to help once you receive it & are
ready to mix it up & use it.
How is she doing today?

Tracie

I've gone ahead and ordered it!

She's pretty much same, she will only bask a little to heat up then by midday or so she will hide. I suspect the shed is the culprit as it's literally her full coat all the way around, it's not started yet but her belly, back, upper tail and some of her head have patches of waxy looking transparent scales