Not eating after meds...

[BeardieGrandma]

egads.

well it's a process of elimination, so make sure she's all clear on the fecal.
As far as feeding goes, I've been trying babyfood, which I spike with calcium powder to make sure she gets her calcium, since dusting the dubia is a risk since she won't eat them every time i put them in front of her. I understand the critical care formulas may be higher in calories, which may be appropriate if your dragon is underweight to begin with. It's been 5 or 6 days since she's eaten a bug. At 15 mos old, she still needs her protein, but I've scaled back the baby food to green beans and squash, which I alternate every week (as long as she hits a bug here and there, it's better than the chicken babyfood, which she really hates). She gets about 1-1.5 ml before she jumps off of me and wants to get away. I've been able to get her to lick off the first 1ml right from the syringe (this took weeks of trying to get her to lick it off her nose, shoving it in her mouth, etc.), and the 2nd ml being big gobs of babyfood sitting on her nose that she has to lick off. By the third syringe she's done, jumping out of my lap and slightly opening her mouth in annoyance (that was this morning).

I'd say you gotta keep trying. Be consistent and persistent, they really are creatures of habit, make sure your dragon doesn't have any other sicknesses...

 

[BeardieGrandma]

ok no bugs this week for Joga.
She is eating the baby food, which is good, cause I'm spiking it with calcium.

She won't touch her greens

Poops are sparse, but look ok.

Started reptaid today, plan to do a 10 day course.

 

[loobylu]

Hi I've been feeding my poorly beardie a mix of the oxbow critical and carnivore care by syringe she had terrible diarrhoea before but more she is passing solid faeces after only 2feeds, it's good stuff. I emailed ox bow who advised it was suitable for alot of sick reptiles. Prob can get it from your vet. I can try and put website address on here.

 

[Valerie]

Sizzle has not eaten on her own yet after at least a month. I have been hand feeding her to. She has finished her meds and almost done with her round of reptaid. I wonder if becasue she is a bd that stresses out so EASY if by me hand feeding her and forcing the rest if she is to stressed out to eat on her own. She was never a good eater anyway. There are days I do not force feed her but she still does not eat on her own. I can get about 1 cc down her by placing it on her nose. I may try just that for a few days and see if it is a stress thing now.
Any other suggstions?
Valerie

 

[BeardieGrandma]

i would monitor her weight and make sure her fecals are clear of parasites.
I would keep offering live feeders every day along with greens, regardless of whether she eats them or not.
You need to give Sizzle a probiotic like acidophiliz to restore the good flora in her gut. Reptaid won't do that I think, as it serves as a natural antibiotic.
I personally think consistency is important with these creatures, and they do become spoiled very fast!
So keep a log of what she eats or not to keep yourself from going crazy, and be patient and persistent. At least this is what I tell myself every day.

Mine had her meds in June and she's still not eating bugs on a regular basis. She's about to turn 18 mos though, so she really needs more veggies than proteins these days. I offer feeders everyday anyways, just so she doesn't think the only source of food is at the end of syringe. My biggest worry for her is to make sure she gets her calcium supplements, which i've been spiking her babyfood with.

 

[Valerie]

i forgot to say that she had been on a probiotic after her meds and while starting the reptaid. I do give her both greens and live oods in hope she will eat them on her own. The other day i thought she had eaten some of her live food but then I found them under he shelf liner in the bottom of her viv.GGGRRR
I am not sure if she is spoiled with hand feeding as she does not like it.In fact, she does not like me as much as she will run form me more then ever.
Valerie

 

[BeardieGrandma]

Finished 10 days of reptaid this past Monday.

She at a bug on Sunday and on Tuesday.
So I've resorted to feeding her babyfood every other day, in an effort to get her hungry enough to eat the bug. Still offer bugs every day, but she only ate one every other day. Still gets fresh greens every day, she won't touch them. Crossing my fingers she's decided to eat a bug every other day and that today she'll stay on the program.

Her weight down to 532 grams. She still looks good, is active when she's out.

Over the weekend the power went out for 3 hours. Luckily it was a beautiful 85 out so we sat on the front steps and hung out in the sun to keep warm and get a good dose of UV. Joga would duck in the grass every time a car drove by and tried to burrow herself into the bushes a few times. She loved being out. I'm glad it wasn't raining or cold or something, which this time of year, is more likely as each day goes by.

 

[BeardieGrandma]

Ok, so spoiled rotten fatty pants is still on the every other day babyfood routine, where I spike it with calcium powder and shoot it in her mouth when she starts licking it. Last weekend I decided to try some crickets (I thought we were done with them), and over this past week she ate 11 of the 12 (one died, of course), and 2 big dubia roaches. Her weight has been holding steady at 532, although after this week, I'm hoping if she keeps this up she may gain a little bit. So I'm off to petsmart to buy another dozen for this week (maybe I'll get 2!) to see if I can get her to eat more. I also picked up some waxworms, which she is less than impressed with. Won't touch them.

She's otherwise healthy and active. She's pooing every 3-4 days, rather than every day, and only in the bathtub (which is super convenient).

Crickets. Yuck. But if that is what she'll eat, so be it. I'll have to get out the 10 gallon tank again and start ordering them by the 1000s.

So, after 8 mos of her drastically changing her eating, going through a round of meds, snoozing through most of the summer, it seems that she's doing fine. I still worry about her all the time, but she seems to take it all in stride. Must be nice to be a lizard.

 

[BeardieGrandma]

This morning: 2 dubias and 9 crickets. Two days ago she ate 15 crickets. She's gained 4 grams as of yesterday, up to 536.

Monday - ordering the damn crickets.

 

[Valerie]

I am gald to hear that she is finally starting to eat on he own. Sizzle eats here and there still. I think it is in her nature. She is a grazer. She did not eat yesterday but ate a few bugs the day before. I gave her a bath and she pooped in it so hopefully she will eat today when it is offered.
I stress over her to much or rather she causes me stress
Valerie

 

[BeardieGrandma]

Amen sister on the stress.

Joga is really perky now and we have a theory going in the house that she's on australian time (we live in so. california). I've posed this theory to the board only to be reminded they respond more to environment than genetically being predisposed to the time zone of the 'mother land'. However, we're in the dead of winter and she's glass dancing (which she NEVER does), basking (which she's avoided for months), and of course, eating more bugs in the past two weeks than she's had in the past 6 months.

I dont' really care what time zone she thinks she's on, when it comes down to it, I'm happy that she's doing lizard things again, rather than sulking in the corner, sleeping all day.

 

[Valerie]

I am so glad she is finally doing better.
Keep us informed I would like to hear how she is doing.
Sizzle has not eaten in the last two days so yesterday I force fed her again. I hope she eats today on her own.
Valerie

 

[BeardieGrandma]

last two mornings she's woken up my son knocking stuff over in her tank, digging up the reptile carpet, and glass dancing like crazy. Looks like spring fever to me. I have never seen her do this before.

she's gained back all the weight she lost and eats every day. last year the vet commented that she was on the 'chubby' side when i took her in for a checkup. she 565 grams and 18" ( she grew 1\2 inch over last 8 mos i think). we're still not doing the veggie/protein ratio properly ( eats more protein than she probably should) - she wont touch her greens and gets babyfood before bugs every morning.

through all this all i ever wanted was an active, eating well lizard, and yet she still makes me worry lol.

 

[Cocky]

My beardies are currently not eating a lot due to worm medication, however the vet did say this would happen as they feel ill due to eating crickets, locusts etc so then associate feeling ill with eating that food so can take a while to get them to so called trust their food again, also the meds tend to reduce appetite.

 

[BeardieGrandma]

I went back and read this post and find it somewhat amusing how frustrating and worrisome beardies can be. As of April she is still very active, always banging around in her tank in the AM. Has been eating very well and is up to 584 grams. She poops every day. She loves strawberries but wont touch her greens so the crickets (yes the 10 gallon is in the garage full of those nasty things) get them instead. She has put quite a dent in my dubia colony which I'm trying to give some time to recover (it got quite big when she went on her hunger strike for several months). I give her a couple syringes of babyfood every morning to get some kind of veggie in her system and she tolerates it only so much. On average she's in the 25 feeder range per week.
She runs all over the house when I let her out so I have to keep an eye on her so she doesnt disappear entirely. In the afternoons she's much mellower and ready to snuggle and snooze by 4:30. Got her on a 12 on/off light schedule that seems to suit her. I'm glad I captured this thread to give me some perspective of how these creatures behave as they mature, deal with illness, etc. I now wonder when/if she'll brumate for real, but for now I'm enjoying my rowdy beardie.