Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My almost 2 yr old Northern BTS came out of a short (6 week) cooling period near the end of Nov. I gradually raised “his” temps and day light time over a week and then began offering food. He has not eaten anything in almost three weeks of normal temps/days, which I know is not unusual for BTS per se, but what has me (and my vet) alarmed is that he is losing what seems to be a lot of weight—60 grams in the last 2 weeks. The weight loss is steady, about 12 grams every 3 days. He is down to 560 gr. as of yesterday, from 630 when he first entered the cooling period in early October—so the loss is sudden and recent. He still has ample fat over his tail and hips, but his formerly bulky body is rapidly diminishing. He ignores his food dish. He occasionally mouths some of his favorite foods if they are offered by hand, but then just spits them out. He has previously enjoyed a diet with lots of variety, meat and many veggies/leafy greens, eggs, snails, fruits, insects, fuzzies, and is usually a good eater showing steady growth and weight gain over the 1.5 years that I have owned him.
My herp vet is concerned enough to have dewormed him (Albon) and started a regimen of antibiotics (Baytril) on the possibility that some infection/parasite may have taken advantage of the brumation cycle to flourish, and is for now considering the weight loss to be excessive for a reptile generally speaking. The BTS seems so lightweight when I pick him up, it’s kind of scary to me.
What we need to know, though, is whether this weight loss/anorexia falls within a normal range for a young BTS coming out of its first cooling cycle, or if it is something we need to get (more) worried about, and that is something only you experienced BTS keepers can answer for us. BTS are few and far between in Canada, and I don’t think my vet has ever seen a sick one.
Thank you for any help or advice you can offer,
Denise

I had the same problem with mine the first time he came out of brumation. The vet did a fecal and wormed him with Flagyl. But just like humans, after antibiotics or worming it is important to replace the healthy bacteria in the digestive tract. See if you can find NutriBac or some similar probiotic to offer him. I know Doug Dix from Deerfern Farms offers it for sale (Uromastyxs). But of course, first, have the vet do a fecal. You might try soaking him in warm soaks everyday as well, to be sure he is not dehydrated.
Hope this helps!
Beth

Thanks for the suggestions, Beth, and your skink's recovery is encouraging to me. I've in the past relied upon live-culture yoghurt to restore the "good" bacteria, so I'll ask my vet about it when I see him again on Saturday. And the soaks sound like a good precaution. Unfortunately a fecal is not possible, no food for months=no feces. But the wormer was chosen based upon what a previous year's fecals showed, and the off chance that my skink picked up sheep flukes from eating the snails in my garden (as they can be intermediate hosts for this parasite and there are sheep pastured on the hill behind our property). How soon after deworming did your skink resume eating? I know that Baytril can put lizards off their food, so I'm hoping when the treatment is done, my BTS will start eating again.
Keeping my fingers crossed,
Denise

Yogurt is a dairy product, not recommended for reptiles! You can find probiotics at any health store, if not the NutriBac. Actually, my BTS started eating better after the probiotic, I just sprinkled some on his favorite food, beef heart!
As for the snails, I raise my own. Why would you risk reinfecting your animal when you have already had problems from these snails before? Unless you don't mind paying the vet! But really, it would not be worth it, to my mind. I'd find another source or skip the snails altogether.
Hope he improves!
Beth

I haven't had a problem with the snails before. My skink came to me with parasites, and he was treated for those. He hasn't had any show up on a fecal since, and my vet felt the risk of parasites from the snails was virtually nil. So I relied on his advice. Right now we have a skink losing a lot (?) of weight, with no certainty as to the cause, and since he is not in contact with other lizards I wanted to make sure that the wormer would take care of things that could have come in through feeders (even the commercially raised crickets, but is is another "can of worms" altogether) or that perhaps lingered from his previous deworming and didn't show up in a fecal after treatment the previous year. But it is by no means known that this skink in fact does have parasites, and he quite likely does not.
I have "in the past" relied upon yoghurt to help restore healthy bacteria in various mammals, and myself, when undergoing antibiotic treatment. The point you made about restoring the good bacteria is very important, but one that I have handled in a different way previously, so that is why I said I would talk to my vet about it (regarding my reptile) when I saw him again, to find his opinion on the best product for my skink.
I don't enjoy playing vet, that is why I consulted one as soon as this weight loss problem became evident. I understand your concern that my skink be treated properly, and appreciate it.
I still don't have any answers regarding whether the amount of weight loss that I carefully noted is excessive, or within normal range for BTS of his size and age, though. BTW, how much weight loss did your BTS experience before it started eating again?

Hope you don't think I am coming down on you, that is not my intention. My skink lost over 60 grams over a few weeks, and stopped eating altogether. After the worming meds he still wasn't anxious to eat, but the beef heart did it for him! I used a probiotic called PB-8 that I use for myself occasionally, just sprinkled some on the beef heart, and there was no stopping him from then on!
As far as the vet goes, I am treating an animal that was given to me who has multiple problems, and the vet bill for his first visit was $170!!! Ugh! Thankfully I had it at this time, but boy does that hurt! He is worming him as well, though I don't think he had worms, but apparently this can help boost his system or something. I was at work when the vet was here so I couldn't ask questions. Hopefully he will recover, but so far I'd guess its still 50/50.
Anyway, hope your guy is better quick!
Beth

Don't know if this will help, but one of my female gigas which had reciently given birth had dropped a great deal in weight and wouldn't eat. I knew I would loose her for sure soon so I began giving her Gerbers baby food such as turkey or chicken and veggie flavors that were lowest in sodium and potassium. I would hold her firmly as she is a squirmer and with a syring (without the needle) I would place drops on her mouth and once she started licking place them on her tounge as she darted it in and out. After a few days of this she was greedely woofing it down and now I mix some with her regular feed and she eats and is gaining weight. Mike

I am hoping that I don't have to resort to force feeding but it is good to hear about what works. I've tried just about everything I could find in the forum archives, today it's "chopped baby rat". I'll see about getting some babyfood, maybe he'll take something more liquidy. I'm glad your skink got better. Thanks, Mike.

all you have to do is put a spot on its mouth and after it licks (which all but the sickest will do) it will take the drops you place on its tounge as it moves it in and out. I would never force feed a BTS as there mouths are very tender. Even the slightest pressure inside the mouth can rupture it. Try some bannana and apple flavor and I guarantee it will eat it, then move to chicken and veggie. Merry Christmas.

I get it I obviously misread your first description. My poor skink is down another 8 grams today, so I'll look for babyfood when the stores are open again--since you guarantee it will work...! Seriously, though, I appreciate the help.
--Denise

n/p
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Edward
Carpe diem

I'm just worried about my BTS and his weight loss. I don't intend to force feed him.
--Denise