Not eating - no feeding response- HELP please.

[Alliemac]

I have a 5 month old beardie who was recently impacted quite severely. We've dealt with the impaction but now she has no feeding response to the crickets. She just stands there and lets them crawl all over her or goes and basks. I've also tried a separate feeding tank twice too and nothing. She is eating greens fine but she isn't getting any protein at all unless I break down and give her chicken baby food. I *think* she's holding out for the baby food because she loves it but obviously I need to get her hunting again.

I won't do mealworms since they caused the impaction in the first place. I can't get Phoenix worms at all here or online for a reasonable price so that's out. My options are crickets, silkworms ($0.88 each) and hornworms ($1.99 each). I'm looking into ordering a Phoenix worm colony so I'll have them but that isn't going to be a reality in the near future.

I really need her to start eating crickets again but I'm at a loss as to how to get her to hunt again. What can I do?

Basking temps: 102-110ish
Cool side: 75
Tank size: 24"x12"x12"
Reptisun 10.0 UVB is about 6 inches away from her basking spot.
She gets a daily bath plus misting 3-4 times a day

 

[Kasinda]

Im really new to this but wanted to bump you up.

Have you tried putting crickets in with the baby food? So they have the smell of the baby food, or braking them up and mixing with the baby food. Since your beardy likes baby food maybe she/he will get use to the crickets. I hope someone can answer this for you.

 

[Thinker]

What size are the crix you are offering?

 

[Alliemac]

Thanks for the replies.

I've tried dipping the crickets in the baby food and she isn't buying that one. She eats the baby food out of an eyedropper like a gerbil drinks water. She laps and laps until it's gone so I'm pretty sure she figured out that the baby food smell elsewhere was a trick. She's like that. :roll: Now I've only tried 3 times because it wastes the crickets so I could keep trying that one.

I'm buying 2 week old crickets. She's quite small for her age so it's the appropriate size for her. The 3 week old ones are still too big. I checked the sizing yesterday at the pet store when I bought feeders.. I do have larger ones in the house for my geckos but since she because impacted from mealworms I'm hesitant to try anything with a hard exoskelton.

 

[duckyLBT]

hey sorry to hear your beardie isent eating, i just went though this too (kinda still am) my baby is 5 months old too and the last 3 weeks he hasent wanted to eat anything. i was feeding him crickets then one day he was just like " i dont think so...." so he would eat wax worms and only like 4 meal worms- i was scared of impanting if he ate to much- so i ordered pheonix worms...$50 for 300...haha but hey if it was gonna work why not...got them here, no luck...wouldent even look at them, so not im stuck with 300 phenix worms and not baby eating. So i did as you and out came the baby food, loved it. and that was all he would eat i offered both (crickets and phenix worms) everyday. but no, the little brat knew he was stressing me out, i could see it in his eyes. So i went to a local pet store ( i live in a vary small town) and they had this stuff called stimulap by terrafauna. I wrote on here before i used it but no replies so i figured there was noting else i could do so i went and bought this stuff for $9.00 and gave it to dexter and within 2 days he was kinda eating again...thank god! and then lastnight he had 8 crickets which is better then nothing since he was not eating really anything before. the stimulap has Vit 12 - i think its called- and some other vit to boot his energy and appitite. Worked well...alot of ppl also try a product called jumpstart i think its by zoo med maybe...you would have to check but anything like that would work im sure..after a bearide gets sick or impacted or parasited they need a little boost to get ther appatie back up and running......hope this helps.....

 

[Catalyst]

I would go with silkies over hornworms because horn worms get huge and they grow fast, so if you order any number of them you run the risk of them getting too big for your dragon to eat. Silkies grow a bit slower and so you'll have more time to feed them off - you can also breed them yourself if you're interested and have the time to devote to it.

 

[Alliemac]

The only problem with silkworms is that they are $1.99 EACH here. I can't afford to feed her them long term or to buy enough for a colony.

 

[VEGASLIZARD]

This may sound REALLY GROSS but you could try putting the crix and the baby food in the blender.

 

[Alliemac]

This may sound REALLY GROSS but you could try putting the crix and the baby food in the blender.

I was actually considering that. It's not that gross is it? Or am I just that much of a slave?? Short term it would get the protein into her for sure but long term she still wouldn't be eating protein on her own.

 

[VEGASLIZARD]

I guess gross is relative right? I never would have though I would handle bugs several times a day, not that I ever was a squeamish girl. I guess putting them in the blender, breeding them, etc. is just part of being a good beardie owner. I am currently trying to bread wax worms as treat for my beardie and my nephews several herps. Who else would not just want crix and roaches in their house but think its wonderful to watch them multiply... oh goody... This must be the sign of a properly trained slave. giggle

 

[Alliemac]

LMAO so true. The first time I saw the beetle bugs in my mealworm colony I seriously dragged my hubby downstairs to see. His reaction was to gag at the smell. :lol:

 

[Catalyst]

The only problem with silkworms is that they are $1.99 EACH here. I can't afford to feed her them long term or to buy enough for a colony.

Ouch, that's a painful price. Have you thought about ordering online? You can find most feeders much cheaper that way.

 

[drayasdaddy]

One way of kick starting his feeding response is with a bit of force feeding blended food. Take carrots as a base, add some celery and freeze dried meal worms, put it all in a blender with some warm water and blended until it was kind of a soupy mixture. Then filled up one of those syringes that they use for giving liquid meds to cats & dogs with the soup. If they won't open their mouth to take it, simply pinch the skin of their dewlap and pull down gently and they will open their mouth, begrudgingly, but it does not hurt them. Then simply squirt the mixture slowly into their mouth. After 5 or 6 feedings this way, they should start going after the food on their own.

 

[Alliemac]

One way of kick starting his feeding response is with a bit of force feeding blended food. Take carrots as a base, add some celery and freeze dried meal worms, put it all in a blender with some warm water and blended until it was kind of a soupy mixture. Then filled up one of those syringes that they use for giving liquid meds to cats & dogs with the soup. If they won't open their mouth to take it, simply pinch the skin of their dewlap and pull down gently and they will open their mouth, begrudgingly, but it does not hurt them. Then simply squirt the mixture slowly into their mouth. After 5 or 6 feedings this way, they should start going after the food on their own.

THANK YOU!! I tried this on the weekend and not only does she love the slurry but she gained 4g in about 3 days so it's defiantly helping! I blended up her regular greens (turnip, mustard, collard, endive), carrot, squash, banana, apple, lots of crickets, chicken baby food, vitamins and calcium with some water to make it liquid enough to suck up the syringe. My blender is toast for anything but reptile smoothies now but I can live with that. :lol:

Her color is much, much, much better and the stress marks she had are going away. She is also starting to shed for the first time in about 2 months.

A million thanks to everyone that posted ideas for me. I've taken bits and pieces to figure out something that works for us. Hopefully at some point I can get her hunting crickets on her own but for now I'm content with feeding my girl by hand until she's healthy again.

 

[diggerdrake]

recently got a 2yo male rescue and he has problems eating. I hand feed him baby food (chicken and squash), a little jump start from zilla and i take a phoenix worm ang put inbetween his cheek and gum (lol) looks like he got a dip in there. well today he eats the phoenix right off and laps away at the baby food. he still don't like the jump start too well. but he is looking much more alert and hasn't started hating me for abusing him to get him to eat. Just hpe I haven't totally spoiled him. but whatever as long as he is happy.