Sheba my red shaharan female seems to be going down hill i thought she was doing better becuase she's been eating a little but i went to weigh her today and she's like a paper doll i couldnt beleive how skinny she got. i dont take her out much becuase i dont want to stress her and she doesnt poop alot since she doesnt eat alot but she didnt look this think a few days ago. she ate about 3 dandalion flowers today and she drinks everyother day if should i leave her alone if she's still eating and drinking? she's 13 inches and only 105 grams today and she didnt try to run away when i picked her up and usually she does she scared me when i picked her up becuase i didnt relize got thin she had gotten i'll take pictures real soon
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When is it time to force feed?
UroJade
May 17, 2004 06:06 PM
Replies (8)
azlunchbox
May 17, 2004 07:43 PM
sounds alot like the problems that have been plauging my nigerians.
I already lost the father of my eggs from it...and the mother is now going downhill too and prolly won't last too long.
I don't know why this seems to be a problem with nigerians. and i don't know what causes it. And my vet who is a very good reptile vet hasn't been able to help any of them yet. Just give them electrolytes and some crital care food.......but besides that he hasn't found anything that he can do for them or found anything wrong.
But it seems alot of people with nigerians have encountered this problem and i wish i could figure it out and help them!
My female isn't gonna last much longer...she's starting to look like the male did.
I'm sure you'll notice yours sleeping most of the time....sometimes hardly opening her eyes when you hold her....getting thin...reacting less when you handle her....and just generally not looking good. i wish people could help but i've tried the vet before....i've tried here before.....i have yet to find an answer.....if you get anything to help please PLEASE let me know as soon as you can.
-Matt-
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0:2:1 Bearded Dragon (Jimmy, Peach, Andre)
1:1 Yellow Nigerian/Saharan Uromastyx (Rhyno, Raven)
1:2 Red Nigerian/Saharan Uromastyx (Fire, Pyro, Bigshow)
1:1 Leopard Gecko (Mofo, Geckemo)
1:0 Columbian Red Tail Boa (Slash)
16 red Saharan Uromastyx eggs
AzLunchbox
May 18, 2004 02:21 AM
oh well guess it was too late. I jsut found my poor Bigshow dead about half an hour ago. And her eggs aren't looking too good either so who knows if any of those will live either?
god damn stressful stuff. 
I'll miss her...she was always friendly and the (seemingly) healthiest of them all.....at least in weight and personality.
Well she will be greatly missed...i hope still to find an answer to this problem with nigerians before any of my other ones might start that downward spiral.
-Matt-
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0:2:1 Bearded Dragon (Jimmy, Peach, Andre)
1:1 Yellow Nigerian/Saharan Uromastyx (Rhyno, Raven)
1:2 Red Nigerian/Saharan Uromastyx (Fire, Pyro, Bigshow)
1:1 Leopard Gecko (Mofo, Geckemo)
1:0 Columbian Red Tail Boa (Slash)
16 red Saharan Uromastyx eggs
jimbo
May 18, 2004 07:07 AM
Don't write her off! That's terrible. When for no appearant reason, my male went lithargic, lost weight and was spiraling down, I brought him back by force feeding. Really, only forcing the food into his mought, not down his throat, he did that. Here's my notes on how I did it.....Try it if you can, it can't really hurt and it sounds like nothing to lose.
Feeding with a needle less syringe
When Rocky appeared to “come down with something,” I’d just maxed out my credit card trying to save my female, so I was determined to do what I could on my own. He stopped eating, then, as he had in the past, he started to get lethargic, not moving around too much, and eyes closed most of the time. Last time this had happened, two big shots of fluids and a tube feeding turned things around. So I took it upon myself to head to the grocery store and get those baby food jars that read just like my uro’s dinner list. The vet gave me a 6cc syringe without a needle (let’s face it, I wanted to help, not make things worse), and I also picked up some pedialyte at the store.
Twice a day to start, I’d take take a shot glass, not that I had any, and go 50% pedialyte and 50% baby food. Stir it up and place it in a water glass of the hottest tap water I could get. Once it warmed up, took him out and have everything ready to feed.
Then, with a full syringe (6cc for a then 88gram geyri) I’d work it in between his “lips” by the hinge of his mouth. Once he’d get a taste, he’d start “lickin’ his chops” and that’s when I’d put the whole tip of the syringe in his mouth, and start feeding it in. I found it easier if I held him at a 45 degree angle, as he would start to open his throat area, and the whole syringe would go in. I don’t really think he’d swallow it until later, but as long as it wasn’t coming back out, I was ok with it. He didn’t stress or dislike it too much, as after, I could set him down on the couch, and he’d stroll around instead of running.
I did this twice a day for about 1-2 weeks, then I would start to wean him down to once a day (twice a day here and there if I thought he’d take it in). Also, I’d start going with a bit more food and less pedialyte. Eventually, in about 3-4 weeks, it was very noticeable that his energy, weight, and appetite came back. I now keep all the necessary stuff here incase I need it again.
This is just a thought and not saying that this will help, but I can’t see why it would hurt. Rocky’s now plump enough that he looks like he’s “puffed” up in defense (little fatso).
Hope that helps a bit.
Jim
(Note: The feeding with a needless syringe was done with Rocky because, for reasons
unknown, he stopped eating, which caused his metabolism and energy to drop,
cause dehydration, which in turn caused him to feel bad, therefore not to
eat, and it spiraled down until he was outright lethargic. Only then did I
resort to the baby food/pedialyte through the syringe.)
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2.1 - Rocky, Runako, and RoxyIII
PHEve
May 19, 2004 06:01 AM
Thats a shame. I feel terrible for you and for urojade.
I never experienced that with my saharan when I got him as a wc 4 years ago. Thank goodness, he did well. And is a Fatty !
I hope urojade does not give up yet, and all turns out okay for Sheba.
And Matt, again sorry for your lose of Bigshaw ! Hope you feel better soon.
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___
Eve
pgross8245
May 18, 2004 09:44 AM
I am so sorry to hear about Sheba. It is so difficult to watch them go downhill. As Jim said in his post, don't write her off. Jim had success with forcefeeding and now has a healthy robust uro. You have to make the determination as to when/if to forcefeed. Sometimes force feeding is so stressful it can be harmful. I did an unscientific mortality survey about a year ago on the uromastyx list, and all but two of the uros who had passed were Saharan. The circumstances were almost identical, with refusal to eat, lethergy, weight loss, dehydration...
Thinking about this, perhaps (and we really don't know) the Saharans are more easily stressed. If we could see what these poor animals go through by the time they reach our homes, we would all be truly dismayed and shocked. Another thing we were looking into was a blood parasite similar to heartworm in dogs. The guy I was talking to this about had a girlfriend who was a vet tech, but before we got any further they broke up
As far as what you can do without true force feeding, there is also a product available called Jump Start. It is a concentrated calorie supplement with an appetite stimulant. It is in a tube and is like soft gel. Did you try bee pollen on the food, many uros are stimulated to eat by the bee pollen. Most also are attracted to high color flowers in reds and yellows. These are just things that you can try yourself. You can also try your vet. Good luck in whatever you choose and we hope she makes it.
Pam
el_toro
May 18, 2004 10:59 AM
I was one of the lucky ones. My Saharan Joe dropped about 30 grams after I got him and I very nearly lost him. I fed him with a stainless steel ball tipped feeding needle since he wouldn't lick his chops like Jimbo's guy. I used a mix of hot water, baby food, and a Critical Care stuff (forget the name). Jump Start is what was recommended by Doug Dix, but no one here had it. I also soaked him every other day to let him drink if needed.
The force feeding kept him going, but I think what really saved him was his vet visit. I asked for fluids and vitamins to injected under the skin.
It's not too late - get her to the vet for some fluids. Then some calories in her tummy might get her going again. Make sure her temperatures are good and warm, too.
Good luck!!
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Torey
Salem, Oregon, USA
1.1 Uromastyx Geyri (Joe and Arthur)
1.1 Uromastyx Maliensis (Tank and Turtle)
1.1 Anolis Carolinensis (Bowser and Leeloo)
1.1 African Dwarf Frogs (Bruce and Sheila)
1.0 Betta Splendens (Mr. Miagi)
1.0 Sunset Dwarf Gourami (Sideshow)
0.0.1 False Spotted Corydoras (Spot)
0.0.2 Metae Corydoras (Frank and Jesse)
0.0.2 Dwarf Sucking Oto (Tootsie and Dum-Dum)
1.1 Felis Domesticus (Roscolux and Jenny)
maneatingorchid
May 18, 2004 04:43 PM
If you use it, do so EXTERMELY sparingly. That stuff is very concentrated, and can cause more damage than good if they have too much. I only had to force feed my uro once, and it was meds, not food. You can try opening the mouth with the stick part of a Q-tip held sideways. Alot of them will try to clamp onto the stick and bit it, giving you time to jam some food in there.
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April
1.1 Mali Uromastyx- Embrodak, Scheherazade
2.1 Mountain Horned Dragon- Beren, Luthien and Tinuviel
3.0.5 Hermit Crabs- Violet, Polly, Jennifer, Pigwidgeon, Trogdor, Hedwig, Penelope and Sinistra
1.1 Five lined Skink- Leela and Fry
2.0 Bettas-Nuala &Lucien
LaMerbelow
May 29, 2004 01:08 AM
I am so glad I read the forums today because I am experienceing the exact same thing. I tried force feeding him some greens today, but didn't have much luck. I am definitely going to try the babyfood and water by a syringe tommorrow! Thank you so much for your advise!
On a side note, I took my uros outside for some sun today and my niger suddenly became more active and even tried eating some grass and weeds. It seemed as if he was normal again....until I put him back in his tank. I am not giving up on him!
Thanks again and I am really sorry to hear about your losses.
