Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Has there been any progress?

a little.. but maybe not in the right direction..
the other day after offering food I put them in a container to soak, then on some paper towels to dry before applying their treatment, and I turned my back for a second looked back and #2(the one who's not eating) had ahold of #1's fore limb, he wont eat anything but he'll attempt to canibalise on his siblings.. #1 was not harmed.
the other two are still eating meal worms and sow bugs as norm, I tried moving the canned cat food with a scewer and they still payed no mind to it, #1 did take in a little cat food on accident while catching a sow bug though.
I haven't fed them yet tonight, we'll see how that goes..
I've learned they can be tricked into eating something when they yawn.. guess I may have to resort to that as I am down to 10 sow bugs.

I'm wracking my brain here. I'm trying to get a mental picture of what you've done so far...I'm sorry if I recommend something that you've already done.

You may want to consider leaving some food in their enclosure(s). You mentioned getting some Reptomin. You can leave soaked Reptomin in their enclosure on a small tupperware lid for up to 4 hours. Any longer than that, and you're risking bacterial growth and such. Try coaxing them out after you place it in the enclosure. Misting very generously with slightly warm water sometimes helps.

Also, and this is a stretch, if you can find an organic greenhouse in your area you may be able to go on a bug hunt. To be truly "organic", they shouldn't use any toxic pesticides. They'll often have a healthy population of bugs. Universities, colleges, and even public schools often have greenhouses and choose not to spray pesticides. They'd probably welcome the "pest control".

I know that some people might feel awkward walking into a greenhouse and asking, "Hey, can I go bug hunting?". But I have no shame...picture a 225 pound man prancing around a field with a pink butterfly net catching flying grasshoppers for ornate food. At least I can bring my daughter now and pretend that we're doing this for her.

I'm not sure if we have any green houses open here, I know the closest one is in a state reserve so they probly dont use any chemicles, suppose it couldn't hurt to ask.

on a side note.. last evening when feeding #3 accidentally ingested some cat food, was entirely spontanious and accidental as he ment to bite a meal worm, after about 2 minutes of sitting there with his beak open and tongue out, he spit most of it out but about half of a bite went down the hatch, and #2 looked at a stick of reptomin, atleast he's not looking at the other two.

"Also, and this is a stretch, if you can find an organic greenhouse in your area you may be able to go on a bug hunt. To be truly "organic", they shouldn't use any toxic pesticides."

That's a good idea! Just a word to the wise, here: there are products that pass the "organic" test that still might not be good for a hatchling to ingest.

You've been given some great advice and ideas by a bunch of different folks here, so just keep trying!

You're right Steph. The method of action is supposed to be "natural", but may still not be good for the turtle. One type to watch out for looks a lot like sawdust or crumbled corkboard. Organic health food stores often use this type.

>>I know that some people might feel awkward walking into a greenhouse and asking, "Hey, can I go bug hunting?". But I have no shame...picture a 225 pound man prancing around a field with a pink butterfly net catching flying grasshoppers for ornate food. At least I can bring my daughter now and pretend that we're doing this for her.

Ok I know this is supposed to be a serious topic & it is serious when you can't get a baby to eat but...

That mental picture just about killed me this morning.
ROFL!!
::::wiping Diet Coke off my screen now::::
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PHRatz