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I picked up a new Uro a couple of weeks ago who wasn't doing too hot. Long story short, the previous owners fed nothing but crickets, mealies & Romaine. The Uro has been vetted, he had worms & was treated with Pancur. Repeat fecal on 3/31 was clear. Will be doing another in mid & end of April.

I can't get him to eat any greens I am giving him. I usually give Escarole, Endives, Spring mix & dandelion greens daily. 2-3 wk. he gets Radicchio, Hibiscus leaves & flowers in the summer, Zucchini. 1-2 wk blueberries, mango & bok choy. This is the staple diet I've been keeping my other Uro on for awhile & he is doing great.

After not eating greens for over a week I broke down & bought some crickets but he is only eating about 4 a day. He has lost 4g of weight since 3/19 when he only weighed in at 36g & 7.5". Vet presrcibed Hay Oxbow Critical Care. I am having a hard time getting him to take the formula by syringe. Anybody had any experience force feeding? What's the best approach? I want to avoid tubing this guy if possible.

Enclosure is 36X18X18. He is in by himself. Hot side 99-100*, basking 128* cool side 82*, night temp is 75*. He will be upgraded to a larger enclosure.

Am looking for any other advice or ideas to try. Maybe experience from anyone who has had to force feed & ideas on how to make it easier. Thanks!

Are you atempting to feed the formula with a syringe?

I suggest asking your pharmacist for one of those 10-12 ml oral syringes. They have a hard plastic tip as opposed to the soft plastic of most other types of syringes. Fill the syringe, and put the tip just inside the side of his mouth, just under the lip. This will usually make them start chewing and licking. Make him take a few laps, being very careful not to inject formula toward the back of his mouth. That is where the glotis is,that hole behind the tongue, because it leads straight to the lungs. Try to aim for the front top of the tongue only. Let him take a break to swallow between "sips". Take your time, and he should start getting more coooperative.

If you do end up having to tube, let your vet show you how, and don't be too resistant to it. I have been tubing compromised animals for ten years, and sometimes its the only way to get fluids or nitrition down them without causing them to inhale fluid.
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One thing that worries me about force feeding a Uro is the added stress on the animal. I would try offering him more "treats" and see if he becomes mroe interested. It's hard when you've been eating "doughnuts" all your life to start eating only veges. Has be been eating any of the flowers? Obviously, dandilion flowers are a favorite amoung these guys, and most of the time even the most spoiled guys will down a flower or two.

How is he with being handled? If he is comfortable with your hand beign in the cage, I would try putting some mashed peas on your fingertips, and waving it in his face. The movement/sent usually gets them to lick it, and maybe he will like what he tastes. Overall, good luck. I know it is hard to rehab a Uro that was malnourished to begin with, and if nothing works, force feeding may be the only way. Keep us posted.

Thanks for the replies!

Havoc did a little better eating today. He managed 3 peas & 2 peices of Escarole all on his own & no crickets! I did give him his critical care formula today and it went better than the last 2 days. I put a little on his lip & he would lick it off mostly. He didn't quite care for having his mouth wiped afterwards but it was definitely an improvement.

His activity is still pretty low. His enclosure was covered on all 4 sides but I removed one side today. He did come over to check out what was around for a few. He is in the spare bedroom so there isn't really much activity. When I sat on the bed he basked and watched me.

As for treats I've tried blueberries, mango, peas, fresh green beans, cantaloupe and lima beans. It was a no go on pretty much everything but the peas. Right now I'll take it, at least peas are green.

He still has me worried but at least I feel a little better after him eating something on his own today. He doesn't seem hand shy and doesn't run when my hand is in his cage. He will not eat from my hand though. The only flower I've been able to try is a dandelion & he didn't touch it. That was a couple of days ago. I will have to go looking for some more. I haven't seen hardly any yet here.