Hi,

I have 2 P.platyrhinos lizards. Very small, babies even? Anyway, I'm pretty sure it's a male and female. I started them on harvester ants immediately when I got them, about 3-4 months ago. They indulged in the ants. And I've never had a problem with their diet. Until now. As of recently, for the past month or so, Ive been noticing a lot of dead ants in the tank.

Within the past week or so, I've noticed the male not eating at all. Now the past couple weeks I've been spraying them frequently and keeping shallow dishes of water and the occassional soak, because they have just look very dehydrated. They love this since I've introduced water. (which I did not know was beneficial til as of late).

I also didnt know you can offer them other things besides ants, I offered my female a butterworm today and she gulped it up. My male is not doing good AT ALL. He remains lifeless, throughout soaks and being picked up. Ants walk all over him and he is not phased. He moves around in the tank from heat to water, but thats it. He's not eating at all and underneath his stomach is VERY sunken in.

I became really worried today and tried force-feeding him water with a eye dropper. He would not open his mouth. I'm also trying everything possible to get him to eat. No good. Now, I noticed something very alarming. The head of an ant was stuck into his toe on his back leg. I tried to pull it out and noticed his toe was disconnected from his foot. The head came off with the tip of his toe.

Please help I dont want to lose him, what can I do to get him to eat????


a quick idea of their enclosure:

-50 gallon long glass tank, 12 inches high.
-100-105 basking spot, 90 ambient, 80 cool end.
-Substrate: sand mixed with potting soil
-ESU desert sun UVB light
-shallow water dishes
-diet has been nothing but harvesters.

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