Forced feeding or assisted feeding is essentially the same thing. Call it what you will...



I have done both, and both will add the same amount of stress to the animal.







Half the time the dragon will want to spit out the food you have fed it.



You will then have to force the animal to retain the item and swallow it.



Assisting in this measure with a syringe and pumping it down the animals throat is no less stressful.







Some animals do not thrive in captive environments no matter what you do. They are easily stressed and dont acclimate well. Does not matter if you put them on a dragon IV bag and syringe feed etc etc.



That is why they lay 20 eggs and then its a Darwinian survival of the fittest from that point forward. Only the fittest strongest specimens survive.



The dragons that are properly bred, you take the strongest of each clutch and those should be the ones that are used for breeding. The ones that struggle and do not thrive, and seem to not be outwardly (extremely healthy vibrant dragons, the fittest animals) should not be used for breeding purposes.



These animals have bigger healthier more vibrant and well adjusted offspring.





It is a shame when the animals pass on and every measure should be made to ensure their healthy happy lives. But there is an attrition rate. Not every dragon will thrive and do well in captivity. These are animals only removed from their native wild environment not more than 20 years ago.



It is a shame these animals were neglected. Some will recover and some will not. But force feeding is force feeding and the stress to the animal is essentially the same. The older the animal is and more established the better it will do in these circumstances. Smaller dragons do not take being force fed as well as an older more mature dragon.



Doesn't matter if you use a syringe, live, mashed, or IV. The stress induced by the animal is about the same.



Call it what you will.





I call it like I see it... force feeding.

[ Show Entire Thread ]