Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey everyone...I purchased a little hoggie for my daughter back in January. Everything has been fine until now. I didn't over react at first but it has officially been 53 days since he last ate. We have tried f/t, live, and freshly killed. We have moved him into a small confined feeding container and still nothing. I'm at my wits end at this point. He still seems plump and happy but he refused to eat and I have no idea why. His temps are good too. At what do I need to think about force feeding him or if you all have any other ideas, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks

If he is still plump and healthy looking then do nothing but wait. It sounds like you have gone through all of your husbandry practices. All you can do is to keep an eye on him and he will eat when ready. I would handle him very little while waiting.

If he starts losing weight and looking poor then you will need to take action but until then don't worry.

In my opinion you will not know what action to take until you can see what is causing the problem. Make sure he is drinking water. Sometimes it is almost like they forget where the water dish is. You can dip his head in a little and if he drinks like crazy, then you may have found the issue.
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Steve Perry
North Idaho.

Interesting that you mentioned that because before I offered him food a couple of nights ago, we refreshed his water bowl and physically put him in it just to see if he would soak. Well he started soaking it all in through his mouth. He was voraciously drinking! I;m wondering if what you mentioned is exactly right. Dehydrated which tells the brain to resist food. Wait for hydration then feed when ready. We'll soak him again a couple of times and then try to feed again in a week. I'll keep you posted. Thanks
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~ AReaHerps ~
1 SILLY Daddy, 1 SEXY Momma, 2 CRAZY kiddos, and a BUNCH of lovable animals!
http://www.youtube.com/sillyherpfamily

It sounds like you may have found the problem. I was going to agree with Steve about just leaving him alone and checking water.

I sometimes wonder how they survive in the wild.
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Greg Bennett - Western Hognose Morphs
520.Hognose (520.464.6673) - www.bennettreptiles.com