Refusing Food

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KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Alright, thank you! He really doesn’t exhibit any symptoms of a sick lizard aside from not eating. I’m giving him his dinner right now and he’s running around a lot, jumping on me and climbing up my arm.
😆
 

bergmite

Member
Original Poster
Good news! I figured out a better way to mount the heat lamp so the screen is gone for now. Picture attached. Bad news is the light adjustment doesn’t seem to have done anything for his appetite.
The vet prescribed us a dewormer so as to “grasp at straws”. I haven’t started him on it yet because I wanted to ask if you guys thought it was worth trying? I don’t want it to have any adverse affect on him.
He’s not losing weight, still on his supplements. Waiting for bee pollen and BSFL to come in the mail. After that the last things I can think to try are the last insects we haven’t offered yet, like superworms, waxworms, and silkworms.
I love this little baby but god I really need him to start eating soon. The supplements + calcium are a bit pricey and he’s worrying me to death ):
 

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KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Good news! I figured out a better way to mount the heat lamp so the screen is gone for now. Picture attached. Bad news is the light adjustment doesn’t seem to have done anything for his appetite.
The vet prescribed us a dewormer so as to “grasp at straws”. I haven’t started him on it yet because I wanted to ask if you guys thought it was worth trying? I don’t want it to have any adverse affect on him.
He’s not losing weight, still on his supplements. Waiting for bee pollen and BSFL to come in the mail. After that the last things I can think to try are the last insects we haven’t offered yet, like superworms, waxworms, and silkworms.
I love this little baby but god I really need him to start eating soon. The supplements + calcium are a bit pricey and he’s worrying me to death ):
I would do a fecal first before just administrating a dewormer -- it can do more harm than good - take a fecal in to the vet have them test it for parasites and go from there --- meds will effect their appetite --- and it can dehydrate them too -- you can try some small super worms on his salad too along w/ the BSFL --- the worms are all treat worms -- so you only want to give like 1-3 of them skip the wax worms silk are a good staple worm--
 

bergmite

Member
Original Poster
Hey all, I‘ve got an update!
Very happy to share that he finally shed a few days ago. We were very worried about him since he hadn’t after over a month of having him. He’s also slowly gaining weight.

He’s still completely disinterested in insects and greens though. We are still feeding him an omnivore mixture with water by syringe. Since my last post we have tried super worms (just because why not) and BSFL, both of which he showed no interest in. We have been offering him a variety of insects every day and the best reaction we get is he will lick them and then walk away. The bee pollen also finally came in and has not seemed to have any affect on his appetite.

Here’s a complete list of everything I’ve tried to feed him or offered:
-crickets
-dubia roaches
-meal worms (tiny)
-horn worms
-super worms
-black soldier fly larvae (both dead and alive)
-collared greens
-mustard greens
-blueberry
-grape
-strawberry
-mango
-sweet potato baby food
-squash baby food

The very last thing we have coming in the mail soon is silk worms. I simply don’t know what to do after that. The lights are perfect, the temperatures are perfect, we took him for a fecal and he does not have parasites. He drinks water every day and poops regularly. I’m really at a loss unfortunately.

Again, he does not exhibit any traits of a sick or stressed lizard… he’s very friendly, likes handling, likes exploring the room, jumps and runs around, licks us etc. He doesn’t have a black beard, he doesn’t bob or gape, he sometimes waves. I have no idea what could possibly be keeping him from eating his insects and greens. Since this post has gone on for a long time let me just remind everyone: he ate a few crickets a day for a couple weeks and suddenly stopped.

TL;DR: He shed and is gaining weight which makes me feel somewhat relieved but still won’t eat a thing.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Hey all, I‘ve got an update!
Very happy to share that he finally shed a few days ago. We were very worried about him since he hadn’t after over a month of having him. He’s also slowly gaining weight.

He’s still completely disinterested in insects and greens though. We are still feeding him an omnivore mixture with water by syringe. Since my last post we have tried super worms (just because why not) and BSFL, both of which he showed no interest in. We have been offering him a variety of insects every day and the best reaction we get is he will lick them and then walk away. The bee pollen also finally came in and has not seemed to have any affect on his appetite.

Here’s a complete list of everything I’ve tried to feed him or offered:
-crickets
-dubia roaches
-meal worms (tiny)
-horn worms
-super worms
-black soldier fly larvae (both dead and alive)
-collared greens
-mustard greens
-blueberry
-grape
-strawberry
-mango
-sweet potato baby food
-squash baby food

The very last thing we have coming in the mail soon is silk worms. I simply don’t know what to do after that. The lights are perfect, the temperatures are perfect, we took him for a fecal and he does not have parasites. He drinks water every day and poops regularly. I’m really at a loss unfortunately.

Again, he does not exhibit any traits of a sick or stressed lizard… he’s very friendly, likes handling, likes exploring the room, jumps and runs around, licks us etc. He doesn’t have a black beard, he doesn’t bob or gape, he sometimes waves. I have no idea what could possibly be keeping him from eating his insects and greens. Since this post has gone on for a long time let me just remind everyone: he ate a few crickets a day for a couple weeks and suddenly stopped.

TL;DR: He shed and is gaining weight which makes me feel somewhat relieved but still won’t eat a thing.
Your basking light is it a bright white bulb -- no coating on it -- like a neodymium bulb--
 

bergmite

Member
Original Poster
How does his poop look? Real runny and smelly? Or formed dark and moist? Urate white formed and moist?
For the last few days it’s varied actually. Some look normal, some were on the runny green side. A couple had “bubbles” in them.
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

I agree, the stool looks pretty normal! Did you end up giving the dewormer for him or did you decide to wait?
Shedding usually affects their appetites & activity level most of the time.
The basking light looks fine, a bright white one without neodymium or a bluish tint when on. Is he maintaining
his weight?
Great job, his setup looks very nice!

Tracie
 

bergmite

Member
Original Poster
Hey guys! Sorry for the late reply. Been very busy with tests and law school applications. Toast (his name, I don’t think I’ve ever dropped it) is doing very well! As I mentioned last time, he was finally shedding and since my last post he’s shed again. He’s gone from 7 grams to almost 25 today! I’m not sure what was going on, but after he finished his first shed things seemed to pick up normally again. I discovered he preferred to eat in private after I forgot to remove the crickets from his tank one day and they disappeared. I was in disbelief so I left crickets in again the next day and set up a camera before going out and caught him eating! I was so relieved. Since then he’s been very good about eating crickets, horn worms, and a small meal worm / wax worm occasionally. He also goes crazy for silk worms, but I only get them every couple weeks since they’re expensive.

To answer your question, I skipped the dewormer. I don’t think he had any parasites and I was worried about it doing more harm than good. Glad I didn’t now!

TLDR;
He‘s finally eating again and growing at a normal pace now. I’m still a little worried he’s a bit small for his age (around 4 months, and 7 and a half inches) but I’m just happy he‘s growing at all now.

Thank you all for your help! In the end I think he was just adjusting to the new place and perhaps being a bit difficult.
 

bergmite

Member
Original Poster
But if I may pose another question / concern, It‘s a bit difficult for me to tell but I think he has a little bit of stuck shed on his fingers and toes. I know it’s common for it to get stuck there, but I’ve given him several warm soaks and gently brushed them with a q tip and tooth brush but it’s not getting it off. It’s been about 4 days and I’m just a little nervous about him losing toes over it. Should I keep up the warm soaks or leave it be?

I‘ve also noticed him acting a bit funny when I pick him up. He’s still great about being handled and doesn’t squirm or run at all, but I’ve noticed him fold his arms / legs under himself after i set him back down. He’s running around and climbing just fine, so I doubt it has anything to do with his bones… just seemed sort of unusual to me. Maybe it’s the shed on his hands and feet bothering him?
 
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Clapton is acclimating okay I think. He's quick as lightning so I'm not sure how much I should bring him out of his house yet. He's not at all interested in his salad though. I wonder if I should change what I'm giving him. Least he's eating his crickets.

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