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#2271356
Animalwiz
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 Help Needed Please!
It’s been too long since I was last on here, but I’m getting worried. I have a 4yr. Mac Snow named Zee- whom I’ve raised since he was a baby. He is just finishing his battle with an abscence that had formed under his eye from a mouth injury. ( I think he was bitten in the right spot by a mealworm). During the Month and a half he was dealing with this set back, he would not eat at all. I was giving a steroid/nutrient mix prescribed by a vet who specializes in reptiles. I was also having to force feed him a mealworm ’’shake’’ and that kept him on the up and up. Problem is, his injury is now healed but he still refuses to eat solid live mealworms. He doesn’t even acknowledge them. I’m getting concerned.
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06/27/12 11:42am
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#2271364
KrazyKelli
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Message To: Animalwiz In reference to Message Id: 2271356
Help Needed Please!
It may not be afraid of mealworms, so much as stressed out over all the force-feeding you’ve been giving.
Unless the leo is skeletal thin, you should do two things:
1. Don’t feed the leo at all for a week. This seems harsh, but it wont harm the leo at all (very slow metabolism). Leave it alone and let it have a de-stress period. Cover 3 sides of the tank with cardboard or a cut up grocery bag to promote seclusion.
2. Switch up the food. If mealies aren’t working, get a pair of tongs, a cricket or superworm, and entice the leo in the later afternoon or night. Supers can bite as well, but a quick flick to the head will fix this (as well as feeding it tail-first).
You can also leave a ton of mealies in a glass/plastic/something non-climbable see-through dish towards the warm side of the tank and leave them alone for a day or three. The movement and noise should interest the leo. Dish is best placed near an accessory so the leo will have an easier time climbing up and looking into the dish.
If the leo is emaciated, then don’t starve it for a week and entice it with tongs and a cricket.
Throwing this in on the side, but one of my leos isn’t too particular to supers or mealies, but she has absolutely no problem with mealie pupae. They’re a bit tougher than mealies, yet with proper tank conditions/heat/etc, I’ve never had a problem with feeding them and the leo getting constipated.
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06/27/12 12:37pm
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#2271920
Animalwiz
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Message To: KrazyKelli In reference to Message Id: 2271364
Help Needed Please!
Update: I have had his cage surrounded since last wed. And I have left him alone. He shed that nIght but didn’t hardly eat any of it. His poop has been a bit on the shriveled side since this all started and i wasn’t worried. Last night he did have a rather abnormally large turd that was a bit on the green side. ( sorry for grossing anyone out.) is this a good sign? Should I try to feed him?
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07/01/12 10:57pm
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#2271963
KrazyKelli
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Message To: Animalwiz In reference to Message Id: 2271920
Help Needed Please!
You sure it was a turd and not vomit? If you have something in the moist hide that the leo could be eating, I’d make a note of it and continue observing the leo.
Give the leo a warm soak to get off the excess shed. A stressed out or sick leo will refuse to eat shed.
If you work at getting the shed off today (with a q-tip and warm soak), then wait another day. After this, try dangling a cricket or mealie in front of his hiding place.
If you’ve already got the excess shed off, then yes, today would be a good day to try feeding again.
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07/02/12 12:51pm
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#2271965
Animalwiz
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Message To: KrazyKelli In reference to Message Id: 2271963
Help Needed Please!
Pretty sure it wasn’t vomit in that it was in the oval like shape of a turd. His moist hide is alright, and I’ve got the shed off. I’ll try a mealworms tonight.
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07/02/12 01:00pm
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#2272030
Animalwiz
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Message To: Animalwiz In reference to Message Id: 2271965
Help Needed Please!
No luck with mealworms or the pupa. He still doesn’t even notice them. It’s not his eyesight because he moves in and out of hides without a problem. I’ll go buy some wax worms tomorrow.
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07/02/12 10:38pm
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#2272031
KrazyKelli
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Message To: Animalwiz In reference to Message Id: 2272030
Help Needed Please!
I’m telling you waxworms wont do anything for you. It may even make the problem worse.
Try crickets and see if it isn’t an issue with the leo just not wanting mealies. Crix are more active, anyway.
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07/02/12 11:13pm
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#2272032
KrazyKelli
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Message To: KrazyKelli In reference to Message Id: 2272031
Help Needed Please!
Also, did you leave the mealies in over night? Try a dish of mealies overnight first.
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07/02/12 11:14pm
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#2272120
Geckogirlemi
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Message To: KrazyKelli In reference to Message Id: 2272032
Help Needed Please!
Waxworms are not gonna really help as stated. They aren’t the greatest feeder and I don’t even use them. Plus they are tiny and if the gecko isn’t paying attention to mealies s/he definitely will not to waxies. There are better feeders that will help fatten up a gecko or get it to eat. I prefer butterworms, silkworms or small hornworms to waxies since they are actually nutritious. I would get some crickets or superworms for now and try those. My geckos love to hunt and aren’t big on mealworms. They want something more active than a mealworm that they can run after or that wiggles a lot.
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07/03/12 10:02pm
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#2272123
Animalwiz
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Message To: Geckogirlemi In reference to Message Id: 2272120
Help Needed Please!
First of all, I never really did thank you guys for your advice so thank you.Im not exactly a newbie ( 3 yr old beardy too) so I’ve had some eating problems but was able to fix those on my own. This has me stumped though. Any ways, I tried the mealworms in a dish over night and all of today and nothing has happened. I didn’t buy wax worms but picked up some crickets and the same result, nothing. I did manage to get his mouth open and snuck a meal worm pupa and bitdown! And then spat it out. Just to be safe I did check his belly and he is not impactedd ( he’s on cage carpet). I’ll try to see if I can find a place selling other feeders tomorrow. Thanks again for trying to help.
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07/03/12 10:39pm
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#2272269
Geckogirlemi
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Message To: Animalwiz In reference to Message Id: 2272123
Help Needed Please!
I would take a fecal sample into the vets. it isn’t expensive and it could just be parasites causing him to not eat. All together for mine it costs about 20 bucks for fecal and 12-20 dollars for meds. Not expensive at all.
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07/05/12 04:34pm
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#2272278
Animalwiz
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Message To: Geckogirlemi In reference to Message Id: 2272269
Help Needed Please!
Problem is, he’s not passing anything for me to take in because he’s not eating.
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07/05/12 05:52pm
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#2272313
Animalwiz
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Message To: Animalwiz In reference to Message Id: 2272278
Help Needed Please!
Nothing with the superworms either...
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07/05/12 10:27pm
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#2272327
Geckogirlemi
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Message To: Animalwiz In reference to Message Id: 2272313
Help Needed Please!
The vet will probably give you dewormer regardless. It will not hurt him to have a check up either. Mine get dewormed twice a year by my vet, and normally when they are not eating parasites are the cause.
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07/06/12 12:20am
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#2272418
Animalwiz
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Message To: Geckogirlemi In reference to Message Id: 2272327
Help Needed Please!
I have gone back to force feeding him by syringe an emergency nutrient mixture I bought. Some how his old wound in his mouth re opened last night and was bleeding pretty bad. I got that under control but he is very week and getting weaker every day. It appears that another growth is starting to form on his head near the sight of the old one. All of his symptoms are pointing towards an internal parasite. I don’t how he could have gotten it because I only fed him store bought insects. He pooped a little but had no substance at all. It was like brown water. Please realize I have a lot of money put into him but I am still in school and it just doesn’t seem like I can do much else. Has much as I would hate to do it (this has broken me down) but if he does not improve in the next few days I may have to put him down.
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07/06/12 10:34pm
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#2272435
Animalwiz
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Message To: Animalwiz In reference to Message Id: 2272418
Help Needed Please!
Zee did not make it through the night. Thank you guys for trying to help me out. I think because this all happened pretty fast that there is nothing I could have done.
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07/07/12 07:04am
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