Bluey Still not eating

[cguarino30]

My newly acquired blue tongue is still not eating, and has now developed diarrhea. I have tried deworming and apetite stimulant, but I can not get it to eat solid food. It has been almost a month since I acquired her, and I am getting worried. She acts perfectly normal in all other ways, is active, basks, hides, and drinks, but since I have gotten her she has eaten a grand total of one superworm and one grape. I have been giving her some Zilla Jumpstart once a week to help get her eating (which she loves enough to latch onto the syringe and suckle like a baby) and have started mixing catfood with the jumpstart in the syringe, but I still can't get her to eat.

The guy I got her from (at a reptile show, big mistake) said she was wild caught, but that he had her for over a year and that she was eating great, but I can't get him to respond to my emails, so I'm assuming now that he was a liar and a fraud. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[Katrina]

First off, don't force feed. Your skink was an adult in pretty good condition so definitely no need to panic or try to force food down. You received advice in previous threads that said it could go for many weeks without food but just to weight her to make sure that she isn't losing weight. Force feeding is stressful and stress can cause them to not eat.

Have you been taking weights? If there is a drop in weight or any other signs of illness (i.e. lethargy, not just normal reptile laziness)?

I would weigh her once every week to two weeks, offer food about every week (the more you handle, force feed, try to feed, deworm, appetite stimulant, wake up to offer food etc the more you stress her out). Put in cat food or other smelling food once a week and just leave it in there for the day to see if any is eaten.

Otherwise, check you husbandry, check your temperatures, make sure she has lots of nice, snug, completely hidden from view hides so that she isn't stressed.

If you see a drop in weight of ~10% of her body weight or any signs of lethargy or other cause for concern, then take her to a qualified reptile vet. Otherwise, just give her time to settle in. I.e. do not bother her at all!! Good luck.

From the previous pictures she seemed to be in good condition, so appetite stimulant and force feeding are completely unnecessary and would just add stress. A wild caught skink is already stressed.

[Bird_Brain]

Well said, Katrina!

[cguarino30]

I should clarify. By Force feeding, I mean I put the syringe in front of her, dab a little of the jump start on her lips, and when she starts licking it up, I offer the syringe, which she calmly clamps onto and then swallows the mix. I'm not jamming it into her mouth or shoving it down her throat or anything. The only thing I've done to "force" is mixing the jumpstart with cat food to trick her into getting some protein. She is currently in the same condition that she was in when I got her, but about 3 weeks after I got her, she lost considerable weight, and her legs were getting twitchy (something that reminded me of a day gecko with a vitamin deficiency that I once had) and that is when I started giving her the jump start, which then brought her up to the condition that she is in now. She has plenty of hiding places, shows no signs of lethargy or stress, the only other thing that I may be seeing is that she often chooses to stay in the cool cave instead of basking, sometimes for an entire day.

[Katrina]

By 'lost considerable weight' lost, how much do you mean? I thought you had her about a month... so a week ago you noticed she lost considerable weight but then in the past week of syringe feeding she has gained it back?

I wouldn't syringe feed - just offer cat food into a bowl. If you find she is losing considerable weight (i.e. after weighing) or see twitching then take her to a qualified vet. Otherwise just offer food in a bowl weekly and otherwise leave alone. It sounds like you are over-worrying - there is no need to try to trick her into getting some protein. If she is hungry she will eat.

If she is losing considerable weight (again, about 10% of body weight is what I've heard) or you are seeing twitching then seek veterinary care. You can't correct serious problems like this by syringe feeding (although it doesn't sound like there is any serious problem in this case).

[reaperreptiles]

I agree with katrina. The only I can say otherwise is that you know your animal the best. You have had the most contact, even if its only been 3/4 weeks. My exotic vet always tells me "it's your animal and you know them best, if you feel like something just isn't right then you should probably bring them in too me". Try and bring up her wight and keep working with her, if you feel like it's not going well and your starting to worry you should probably bring her in. good luck:)

[cguarino30]

I probably am freaking out. The twitching stopped shortly after the vitamin supplements were given, and to be fair, I did not actually weigh her, but noticed that she had become significantly more emaciated, so I will take everyone's advice and let her go and see if she improves on her own. Is there a time limit that I should keep in mind where I should get concerned, or is it just the 10% rule?

[Katrina]

I probably am freaking out. The twitching stopped shortly after the vitamin supplements were given, and to be fair, I did not actually weigh her, but noticed that she had become significantly more emaciated, so I will take everyone's advice and let her go and see if she improves on her own. Is there a time limit that I should keep in mind where I should get concerned, or is it just the 10% rule?

Do you have any new pictures of her to compare to the first ones? That might help!

From what I saw in those first pics, she looked in good condition and a skink in good condition can go for months without food. If she is eating from a syringe I imagine she will eat on her own as long as you give her time and minimize stress. Good luck!

[Scotts1au]

If they lose weight quickly then it is probably dehydration.

Diarrhoea can result from stress. Lack of appetite can also result from stress.

If your bluey was recently wild caught, it is the middle of Winter (or what passes as it in the tropics) so it may be in the middle of its brumation cycle.

It should be possible to break the brumation cycle, but this would mean needing to cut off access to a cool end of your enclosure -which would in turn cause more stress. Stress in any WC animal is probably it's worst enemy and can result in metabolic problems from which it is unlikely to recover so all up the best advice is what you have already been given.

[cguarino30]

I guess my concern is that the guy who had her previously fed her nothing but crickets or something, and now I'm going to have trouble getting her to start eating real food again. Is that a real issue or am I just being paranoid? I will try to post some new pics soon.

[doss]

I used to have a similar problem with a bluey - couldn't get him to eat for quite a long while. He retained a healthy weight throughout this period, however.

Also similarly, due to previous care, he only wanted to consume crickets. What helped end this hunger strike for me was Zoo Med's Can o' Snails. These are cans of big, deshelled snails that he loved. This must have stimulated his appetite in some way - he began taking fruits, veggies, low fat canned cat and dog food, baby foods, Zoo Med Can O' Pillars, and pretty much anything else I could throw at him.

I know that every situation is unique and that this may not be of much help to you, but it's worth a shot perhaps.

(Also, my old picky guy in particular really enjoyed some Beech Nut Turkey and Vegetables baby food).

Best of luck to you.

[Katrina]

I guess my concern is that the guy who had her previously fed her nothing but crickets or something, and now I'm going to have trouble getting her to start eating real food again. Is that a real issue or am I just being paranoid? I will try to post some new pics soon.

Offer nice smelling foods like canned dog or cat food or the can of snails mentioned but just put the food in and leave it alone and let it decide if it wants to eat. It won't starve to death hoping that you feed it a cricket - if it is hungry it will eat! But they can go for a long time without food and Scott had a good point about it possibly being in its brumation cycle. So unless it is losing considerable weight just minimize stress, leave it alone and wait.

The regularly brumate for months without food. Its hard with a new pet, but the best thing you can do for it is to leave it alone.

[doss]

Its hard with a new pet, but the best thing you can do for it is to leave it alone.

Yes, I think this is the key thing to remember. And it was honestly one of the hardest things for me to grasp when I got my first blue tongue years ago.

[cguarino30]

so, just wanted to update, you guys were all right. haha. No that you didn't know that already. I left her alone for a week or so and now she has started eating little bits (although romaine lettuce is what finally got her eating, of all things) but the point is she is now clearly on her way to getting situated. Thanks for the support, all. I can't imagine how long I would have kept making things worse if I hadn't been corrected by the wealth of expertise and experience on this forum.

[Alioop]

Great news that she's started eating. However, make sure you take a look at the feeding chart in the caresheet. Its important that she's eating, but its equally important that she eats the appropriate foods (ie- Not Romaine lettuce). Get some healthy greens, chop them up fine, and mix them with the stinky dog food.

[Katrina]

Very glad to hear it is all working out!! She is gorgeous, I'm so glad she found a good home.

[cguarino30]

yes, I'm aware, I just had some around so I figured I'd try it. At this point, I'm just glad she's eating. I will of course be basing her diet on healthy foods. Thanks for the tip, though.