Pixel pooped a rock!

[Andie]

Just read a couple posts of this happening, but I still have a question.

Pixel wasn't eating much for a few days. This morning, he released a fairly large rock with a fairly large fecal. (yes, I know....it's time to replace his rocks with bigger ones!)

My question is this; How long, after they do this, will it take him to regain his appetite?
He actually chomped a HUGE stick insect this morning before the rock-pooping incident, but wouldn't eat anything else. Now, he's not eating at all.

Any thoughts?
Thanks!

 

[jajeanpierre]

Did he eat the stick bug?

When you are trying to move things through the gut, feed lots of soft mushy food. A stick bug would not have been my choice. Hornworms and silk worms would have been better. You want to fill the gut with very wet soft volume so the stool is moist and soft. A stick bug is likely to produce a drier stool, which is the exact opposite of what you want to have happen.

There isn't a whole lot you can do if he can't pass whatever he has eaten. Surgery is incredibly risky even for a big mammal, and of course it is very expensive.

Can you get hold of hornworms or silk worms?

It is possible he cleared his gut of the rocks and the stick bug filled him up so he is legitimately not hungry.

 

[Andie]

Did he eat the stick bug?

When you are trying to move things through the gut, feed lots of soft mushy food. A stick bug would not have been my choice. Hornworms and silk worms would have been better. You want to fill the gut with very wet soft volume so the stool is moist and soft. A stick bug is likely to produce a drier stool, which is the exact opposite of what you want to have happen.

There isn't a whole lot you can do if he can't pass whatever he has eaten. Surgery is incredibly risky even for a big mammal, and of course it is very expensive.

Can you get hold of hornworms or silk worms?

It is possible he cleared his gut of the rocks and the stick bug filled him up so he is legitimately not hungry.

JJP, if you re-read my post; he already passed the rock. Thankfully, all he's been eating lately are hornworms. He's been on a hunger strike and wouldn't eat anything else.
Within 30 min after the stick bug, he released the fecal with the rock.

 

[Decadancin]

JJP, if you re-read my post; he already passed the rock. Thankfully, all he's been eating lately are hornworms. He's been on a hunger strike and wouldn't eat anything else.
Within 30 min after the stick bug, he released the fecal with the rock.

I think @jajeanpierre may have meant if there were any more that needed to pass. Hopefully not, but it is a possibility.

 

[jajeanpierre]

JJP, if you re-read my post; he already passed the rock. Thankfully, all he's been eating lately are hornworms. He's been on a hunger strike and wouldn't eat anything else.
Within 30 min after the stick bug, he released the fecal with the rock.

I am worried there might be more than just one rock. My veiled passed rocks and big chunks of bark for a week. I'm talking of stool that was solid rock or bark and held together with a little stool. Keep treating him as if he might have a blockage for longer. Better safe than sorry. Feed him as much as you possibly can so there is a lot of food to expand his intestines and keep everything moving.

 

[Chameleon+Cody]

wow how old is your cham. i have a issue with my cham right now i think she ate a piece of bark awhile ago and i think she is trying to poop it now.

 

[Andie]

He's just 1 yr old this month.

 

[Andie]

Hey everyone! Just wanted to update on this situation with Pixel. I discovered at least 5-6 rocks he had definitely passed!
I was so worried for the last few days because his appetite was really bad. I had just ordered some orange head roaches and stick insects from Nick, but he would only eat the occasional stick. (I feared the orange heads looked too much like rocks!)

Anyway, he seems to be eating again, and I have some more feeders on the way!
Thank you for the comments and advice. This was the scariest incident with him, but (thankfully) he's OK. OH! and I DID replace his baby rocks with big ones. lol! Funny how he grew up, right before my eyes.

 

[Andie]

wow how old is your cham. i have a issue with my cham right now i think she ate a piece of bark awhile ago and i think she is trying to poop it now.

Make sure you MIST, MIST, MIST!!! During this time, Pixel would head straight for the stream of water, and would stand under it the entire time. I had never seen him WANT the water so badly.
I don't know if that really means anything, but I guess it helped. Now, he's back to just being ambivalent about the water.