Panther gone off food

[Mrwaylay]

Hi all.
Just a quick one for some advice. My five month old male Ambilobe seems to have gone off his food. This is over the last couple of weeks. He's lost all interest in crickets, barely pays attention to locusts, and is only really interested in wax worms. However, he'll only eat one or two before leaving the rest.
Apart from this lack of appetite, he seems fit, active, and healthy. He is drinking, pooping, and has recently shed.

Any advice on why he has this sudden lack if interest in food, and what can I do to remedy it? I'm concerned he'll start loosing weight if it goes on too long..

Many thanks.

 

[jurjenfromholland]

yep i have the same problem and my panther acts the same.. to
drinks is active looks amazing.. but tottaly ignores food...
he does that now for 4 weeks straight on

 

[ChiefRedman]

have you done a fecal?

 

[Mrwaylay]

No I haven't done a fecal. I am assuming that is taking a stool sample to a vet..?

Is it worth holding food back for a couple of days before offering it to him again?

 

[ChiefRedman]

I would go and get one done, loss of appetite can be a sign of parasites.
You can try to not feed him for a day or so to break a feeding strike , but thats not the healthy alternative .

 

[aandrew235]

Sounds like he's just being picky right now, and he possibly found a taste for wax worms which caused him to not eat crickets, because he likes them so much he just wants more. (only a theory)...

 

[Ocelot357]

I would go and get one done, loss of appetite can be a sign of parasites.
You can try to not feed him for a day or so to break a feeding strike , but thats not the healthy alternative .

i dont think not feeding him for 1 day is u healthy, i dont they think they get to eatevedy day in the wild

 

[ChiefRedman]

i dont think not feeding him for 1 day is u healthy, i dont they think they get to eatevedy day in the wild

I can agree with the fact that they dont get to eat everyday in the wild, but he also said a couple of days. Now yes a healthy chameleon can survive a few days without food , and yes he might be on a hunger strike. But it is recommended to feed a wide assortment of foods, on a daily basis until they start getting closure to adult age. Then it is recommended to feed every other day . If we are talking about a baby/juvie , it is recommended to feed every day to help with growth. Now there are cases where chameleons start to slow down their appetites at a younger age and then you can go to other day feeding, but all I was saying is that if you cut off food for a couple of days then re introduce it , and he doesnt eat there could be a chance of parasites.

He also could be dehydrated , just keep a eye on his urates ad if no progress then I would grab some poop and go to the vet to have a check up

 

[Mrwaylay]

Excellent, thanks a lot guys. He is also 'pacing' a lot at the mo, even going right down to the bottom of the viv for a bit, then climbing back up again. All a bit strange...

 

[jamjam]

well i know wax worms are pretty unhealthy for this guys and if i am not mistaken really addicting and i think ive read similar posts about this because of becomign addicted to wax worms

 

[Mrwaylay]

Ah, interesting, thanks JamJam. I'm not offering waxworms anymore. I'm giving him third instar hoppers, but he's still not interested. He has eaten a couple of spiders over the last few days, but nothing substantial. He's still active, a good weight and colour.

This morning, I noticed 'something' stuck to / coming out of his rear end. I can only describe it as a white, mucus-y substance. It was a tiny amount but enough for me to notice. Should alarm bells be ringing??

I haven't spoken to a vet at all, but have spoken to a local herp enthusiast, who has bred chams. He reckons the loss of appetite is probably down to the change of season (it's getting pretty dark and chilly here in the UK). Has anyone else heard of / experienced this before?

 

[RyU]

I'd say he's just being picky. One of my buddy's veileds have gone off crickets too, and only accepts superworms. Unfortunately, I don't have much advice to give you.