Help..Not eating for many months now :(

[Elizadolots]

poor baby...

Hornworms are known for their great hydration ability...so definitely a good choice for Diego.

If you want to feed the black crickets off, I suggest steeling yourself and tearing their back legs off. You can do it when they are in the plastic bag...it's hideous but they don't seem to care much. Then you know they cannot jump. You'll need to feed them in a cup (just like the worms) at that point.

I don't think I would put black crickets in the same cup as anything else...they are aggressive in the extreme so any other insect would likely just be eaten by the crickets.

 

[Dawniegirl]

Hey Dawniegirl, I am glad you are not giving up on Diego. Keep his mistings and how about crickets? You have to mix up his diet, and the Vit A taken from oil fish pills are easy to administer. Make a tiny hole and press two droplets on your feeder - crickets, waxworms, etc - and give to Diego. What is your light set up?

Thanks Eltortu. Yeah I was thinking of doin the crickets tomorrow. I slip the feeders when he's drinking or he won't take them at ALL but it seems to work and he gobbles them up. It's a long process of misting and misting and waiting til he responds and wants to drink. Then I let him drink some and then slip him some feeders. I guess I will grab those mean black cricket with the large tweezer I have and slip them to him. To be frank I'm slightly afraid of them. There were 3 brown cricket in his cage this moring and I got 2 out of the 3... 3rd one either jump at me or over my head ... into god knows were cause I couldn't find him. Thanks for the tip on the Fish oil pills and I heard about 5 days should maybe help. Light set up is 50 watt (or 60) basking light from all living things and brand new 5.0 15 watt UVB Exo Terra Repti Glo (NO coil lights).

 

[Dawniegirl]

Sorry but I'm not going to read all of your threads to get some information that I might need to help you. You only have two threads that mention eating in the title....if its been going on so long its a shame you didn't you post more about it before he got skinny.

In this thread...
https://www.chameleonforums.com/diego-update-last-few-posts-54880/
you said..."He stopped sticking out his tongue and today keep trying to push it out."....was there something wrong with his tongue?

How long have you been using the carnivore care now?

Sorry I think I missed the tongue question part before (I think).. he really doesn't shoot his tongue still. I was told by vet probably cause his calcium to phos ratio was off and possible had MBD or on verge. I was giving him an oral Calcium to get his ratio back (now putting the power stuff back on the feeder) and vet said he would need to exercise his tongue to get it back to normal.. since he's had to be force feed for months he hasn't exercised it much. He puts it out about an inch to drink.

 

[Dawniegirl]

poor baby...

Hornworms are known for their great hydration ability...so definitely a good choice for Diego.

If you want to feed the black crickets off, I suggest steeling yourself and tearing their back legs off. You can do it when they are in the plastic bag...it's hideous but they don't seem to care much. Then you know they cannot jump. You'll need to feed them in a cup (just like the worms) at that point.

I don't think I would put black crickets in the same cup as anything else...they are aggressive in the extreme so any other insect would likely just be eaten by the crickets.

I know my poor Diego! He doesn't cup feed.. I slip feeders to him when he drinking to prevent me from having to force feed. Works pretty good too, it's just very time consuming. I am afraid of those black ones, okay terrified , but was thinking of grabbing them up tomorrow with the tweezer and feeding them that way. I will definitely do that now that it's be suggested as well. Thanks!!!
Btw those horns are juicy... Diego bit down on one and squirted the "juice" right on my forehead :/

 

[Dawniegirl]

YAY got a cage pic to upload. There was an extra branch in there but I have it in the outdoor cage along with an extra ficus that I had in the house I use to put him on when he came out of his cage. It's been raining a lot lately so he hasn't been outside.

 

[DavidBuchan]

Little Diego is really making you work, isn't he? The setup all looks and sounds good, so I'll just say keep up the good work, and I hope he can make a full recovery.........though it does sound like you're always going to have problems feeding if he has that much trouble seeing.

 

[Dawniegirl]

Little Diego is really making you work, isn't he? The setup all looks and sounds good, so I'll just say keep up the good work, and I hope he can make a full recovery.........though it does sound like you're always going to have problems feeding if he has that much trouble seeing.

Thank DavidBuchan. Yes it's been a lot of work and may always be but I'll keep it up. Only problem really with that is if we ever want to vacation . Guess I'll have to really "train" my pet sitter!

 

[Dawniegirl]

Okay.. so I measured Diego and he is about 4 1/2 inches long, measured while he was asleep, so maybe if stretched out about 5"max (NOT including tail) and weighs 25-30 grams I believe. Any opinions on his size. He's more then doubled since I first got him at bout 4 months old. He's now 1 year 2 1/2 months old. He's been doing much better and eating well. He did slipped off my arm when I was taking him outside yesterday but seems fine.. he's not weak but just had a relaxed grip on me and I moved to fast ... bad mommy! Earlier today he ate 5 worms, 2 butter and 3 wax.. tomorrow or the next day crickets! I have giving a couple doses of fish oil for ongoing eye problem and repti-aid as well. Also is fish oil omega 3 the same as giving Vit A cause I saw if they need Vit A to give fish oil?

 

[sandrachameleon]

Sorry I think I missed the tongue question part before (I think).. he really doesn't shoot his tongue still. I was told by vet probably cause his calcium to phos ratio was off and possible had MBD or on verge. I was giving him an oral Calcium to get his ratio back (now putting the power stuff back on the feeder) and vet said he would need to exercise his tongue to get it back to normal.. since he's had to be force feed for months he hasn't exercised it much. He puts it out about an inch to drink.

Calcium and D3 are not the only players when it comes to tongue / muscle control, there must also be vitamin A (for many, it seems easiest to provide a small amount in a pre-formed state - but your vet should be able to advise on this), B vitamins, magnesium, iodine, etc....
Dont overdo the fish oil (what specifically did you buy?)

 

[laurie]

I am always happy to check in and see Diego is improving. Getting 5 feeders down him has to help him. Hang with it, you are doing an excellent job with him. I wish I were close to you, I would care for Diego anytime you wanted me to.

 

[Dawniegirl]

I am always happy to check in and see Diego is improving. Getting 5 feeders down him has to help him. Hang with it, you are doing an excellent job with him. I wish I were close to you, I would care for Diego anytime you wanted me to.

Awwe, Thanks a bunch Laurie!

 

[Dawniegirl]

Calcium and D3 are not the only players when it comes to tongue / muscle control, there must also be vitamin A (for many, it seems easiest to provide a small amount in a pre-formed state - but your vet should be able to advise on this), B vitamins, magnesium, iodine, etc....
Dont overdo the fish oil (what specifically did you buy?)

Thanks, I can't get more specific then already stated in the above post until I get home and have another look at the Fish oil bottle. I will be careful not to overdo it but could you be more specific on "over doing it"? As of now I've giving only one drop on his feeder maybe 3 times in a weeks time. TIA

 

[Dawniegirl]

I'm still wondering is there a difference btwn omega3 fish oil pills and Vit A pills??? Also any thoughts on his size??? Thanks!

 

[sandrachameleon]

Thanks, I can't get more specific then already stated in the above post until I get home and have another look at the Fish oil bottle. I will be careful not to overdo it but could you be more specific on "over doing it"? As of now I've giving only one drop on his feeder maybe 3 times in a weeks time. TIA

Personally i think three drops a week seems like over-doing it. Im not convinced anyone yet knows what is a lot or too little. Also it Kinda depends on the situation, what else you are providing, size of chameleon.... Im really the wrong person to clarify this.

Check with those forum members that use vitamin A oils. Forum names that come to mind in this regard are Brock, Chris Anderson, ChameleonCompany (Jim), ChromaChameleons (harry), maybe clarkrw3, maybe Olimpia


Check some of these links for more leads /info:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/food-thought-12472
https://www.chameleonforums.com/chame...nt-want-21534/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/serio...tml#post199819
https://www.chameleonforums.com/carrots-vit-23572
http://jgp.rupress.org/cgi/reprint/47/3/433.pdf
https://www.chameleonforums.com/insec...trients-37090/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/vitam...trients-62080/
http://www.mendeley.com/research/car...ifer-pardalis/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/vitam...os-blog-64145/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/suppl...tml#post614980
http://www.ivanalfonso.com/2011/07/vitamin-a-supplement/

 

[Dawniegirl]

Personally i think three drops a week seems like over-doing it. Im not convinced anyone yet knows what is a lot or too little. Also it Kinda depends on the situation, what else you are providing, size of chameleon.... Im really the wrong person to clarify this.

Check with those forum members that use vitamin A oils. Forum names that come to mind in this regard are Brock, Chris Anderson, ChameleonCompany (Jim), ChromaChameleons (harry), maybe clarkrw3, maybe Olimpia


Check some of these links for more leads /info:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/food-thought-12472
https://www.chameleonforums.com/chame...nt-want-21534/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/serio...tml#post199819
https://www.chameleonforums.com/carrots-vit-23572
http://jgp.rupress.org/cgi/reprint/47/3/433.pdf
https://www.chameleonforums.com/insec...trients-37090/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/vitam...trients-62080/
http://www.mendeley.com/research/car...ifer-pardalis/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/vitam...os-blog-64145/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/suppl...tml#post614980
http://www.ivanalfonso.com/2011/07/vitamin-a-supplement/

Cool.. Thanks for the links to the other threads!

 

[will187]

im really sorry to hear of the problems you and diego have been having, and after reading this whole thread, im really glad to see that he seems to be recovering. i have pretty limited hands on experience, (and none with panthers) but after what ive seen and heard from trawling around these forums, im wondering if he may have a mouth infection? he seems to have a bit of brown around his mouth(im not sure if this is part of his coloring) and the one thing i havent seen is any reference to humidity? how humid is his enclosure? might it be possible that his enclosure may be too moist which has allowed bacteria to breed? this is all speculation, im nowhere near as experienced as some of the awesome guys'n'gals on here, just trying to help in any way i can. sometimes the unenlightened man can offer the most enlightenment after all. i REALLY hope things work out for diego, and i also wish you all the best, and truly feel for you. i know that stressing about these awesome little critters can be really hard to endure. i probably cant offer anything else helpful, but ill be following this thread in the hopes that he recovers to full health
all the best.

 

[Dawniegirl]

im really sorry to hear of the problems you and diego have been having, and after reading this whole thread, im really glad to see that he seems to be recovering. i have pretty limited hands on experience, (and none with panthers) but after what ive seen and heard from trawling around these forums, im wondering if he may have a mouth infection? he seems to have a bit of brown around his mouth(im not sure if this is part of his coloring) and the one thing i havent seen is any reference to humidity? how humid is his enclosure? might it be possible that his enclosure may be too moist which has allowed bacteria to breed? this is all speculation, im nowhere near as experienced as some of the awesome guys'n'gals on here, just trying to help in any way i can. sometimes the unenlightened man can offer the most enlightenment after all. i REALLY hope things work out for diego, and i also wish you all the best, and truly feel for you. i know that stressing about these awesome little critters can be really hard to endure. i probably cant offer anything else helpful, but ill be following this thread in the hopes that he recovers to full health
all the best.

Good points to think about.. too moist.. hmmm! I will check that out.. I just cut back the amount of misting daily but increase the misting time. Also I was concerned myself about that black spot on his mouth (good spotting that one ), so I've just started repti-aide in hopes this may help. Although I'm not entirely sure if it is something like mouth rot or just discolored from bitting into a hornworm, but now I'm leaning more towards a possible problem so as a pre-caution started the repti-aide (today was day 2 of it). Thanks so much for adding into possibilities of some of his problems. Thanks for caring enough to read through this entire thread and add too it for Diego and I, much appreciated!!!

 

[Dawniegirl]

Update and new pics

Diego still eating up his worms... some days are better then others but he took a HUGE poo today. I bought some new products for supplements and just tried the first one today. Diego is about to shed what looks like mostly his head and body. I took some pics after his lunch when I brought him out for some rays. He had just eaten, drank and was soaking up some sun. Wasn't the pretty colors he can get but he's still handsome.

 

[will187]

AWESOME!! so good to see the he looks to be getting back on his feet.. yay! keep us posted dawniegirl

 

[Dawniegirl]

AWESOME!! so good to see the he looks to be getting back on his feet.. yay! keep us posted dawniegirl

Thanks Will. I will do! Still fighting on going eye issues and still takes forever to get him fed but things are looking up.