Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi there, I've got my baby rhino in October (he was borned on october 1st) so he's like 5 months old now. He's been doing good and eating a lot. However, I noticed that he is being less active recently. He used to climb around the enclosure and make a lot of noise, now he only come out to eat, bask a little, and went back into his tree hole. I think he spend less than 8 hrs a day outside his cave. I take him out every other day and he seems fine and will eat whatever fruit I offer. But I'm still worried if there's anything wrong. I change his diet (from only vege to vege/dry food mix), I don't know if that matters but I'm worried that he's being too inactive and didn't get enough UVB. Please advise.

No worries. As long as he's eating he's doing fine. Realize that a 5 month old Rhino spends much of the day in hiding in the wild. Yours sounds like it's behaving normally.

Double check your temps and make sure that they aren't too hot (hides to avoid the heat). If the temps are good it doesn't sound like you have anything to worry about.

It may be normal but I've had Ctenosauras that have spent so much time hiding that they developed MBD. You may want to take out the log for a while. Just make sure it can get out away from the heat lamp if it wants to find a cooler spot in the enclosure. You may also want to change the UVB light. Those lights become less effective after prolonged use even if they turn on they do not emit enough UVB rays.

Manny

Thanks for the advice guys. Actually I notice that he's eating less these days too. He usually finish his bowl of vege but now he only eat half. I'm not sure if it is because I change his diet. He'll eat fruits without hesitation though...I'm thinking maybe he's just too picky and got pissed after I put dry pellet in his food. Manny, if I remove his log he'll basically has no hiding place in the tank, there's a cooler spot but no cover, will this be ok? I'm afraid that he'll freaked out since there's no place to hide in.

I think he is probably fine and just adjusting to his new environment. Removing his hide when he is that young and still kinda new to you would just compound his stress. With a good diet and temps he wont get MBD in a week or a month for that matter.

I bred Cyclura for years and the young ones would spend a good amount of time hiding. It is totally normal and to be expected. Do not remove the log (hide spot).

I really don't care for the dry pellets. Stick with a variety of greens as the primary source of food. Fruit is OK occasionally but don't make it a staple of his diet.

Don't stress out about the UVB. Provide him with good temp gradients, a few good hides, and let him adjust. My Cyclura were always raised indoors without UVB and they did great, reproduced, etc. UVB can't hurt but I'm not sure it makes a huge difference IMO. MBD is typically due to a diet that is deficient in key nutrients.

If he's in a glass enclosure you may want to try to cover a few of the sides with cardboard for a while. Again, it's normal for young Cyclura to be flightly and hide. Avoid handling him until he adjusts.

Concur with previous post, keep the hide box and focus on correct temps and a healthy diet. It is not uncommon for juveniles to want to spend alot of time hiding. Not too much fruit as it is like candy - tastes good, but not very nutritious. Most iggies that have started on veggies don't like switching to dry. And they require clean water 24/7 if they are on dry food exclusively. Juveniles on a damp leafy green diet rarely drink water from a bowl. Grocery produce does not always have the best nutrion thus a quality dry food is a good supplement to insure good nutrition.
My favorite dry food is marion reptile food. It is eaten with gusto if soaked,preferrably with non-chorinated (bottled) water. It should be gradually offered, as sudden change can cause runny droppings. Veggy variety is good,but ideally leafy collards are a staple part of the diet to ward off intestinal impaction. Good luck.

where can you get the Marion Reptile Food? Their website has nothing on distributors.
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