Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well it has been 5 days since Beanie's hysterectomy and
she is still not eating on her own. I have started feeding
slurry though a syringe. My vet wants to see her back on
Monday is she has not eaten on her own. She is acting
exactly how she was before the surgery, like she is still
gravid. Laying around a lot and very quiet.

How long should I force feed? I have read that this may
cause them not to eat on their own? I am hoping that once
she can have full run of her habitat that she will bounce
back and start eating. That will be next Thursday.

If female Igs don't eat for up to 65 days when gravid why
is the vet so concerned? Doesn't it take a while for the body
to realize that it no longer has eggs?

Thanks, Linda

At this point, I wouldn't worry at all about syringe feeding. How's her pooping? Is she doing okay getting rid of the syringe food . . . or has she stopped that too?

If she's NOT pooping, I'd definitely say NO solid foods yet. . . and recommend you keep her on the syringe food until she does (w/a lot of water in the mix).

Both my girls got syringe fed after their spays . . .Shirley for quite some time. She was tub trained and had wouldn't poop till I could soak her again....which the vet said should have been two weeks. It played such havack w/her blood chem though, that he relented after only a few days.

If Irish IS pooping okay, you might try handfeeding some of her favorites during the syringe feeding session. Start w/just a little to ease her back onto solids.

Or another good trick it to cut her greens in nice long strips than open her mouth and stick the first one in till she startes eating it. She may try to spit it out too but keep working at it . . . cause once you get her eating the first one, you can slip another one in while her mouth is open to chew. The 2nd piece will get pulled in while she's finishing the first and, unless she's REALLY, REALLY against the idea, she'll pretty much keep eating as long as there's something in her mouth to swallow. Again though....ease her back on to the solids slowly.

Also, and you're probably already doing this . . . even though she's still syringe feeding, keep food and water in her recovery area at all times. Romeo surprised the heck out of my by eating on her own within the first 4 or 5 days. It took weeks before I came home to find Shirley had stuck her nose in the food.

Hope this helps. Keep us posted.
Rebecca

Beanie has not eaten in almost 5 weeks so she has not
pooped at all. I just began syringe feeding a couple of
days ago so she has not pooped that either I am also
giving her water through a syringe as she will not freely
drink. I normally put water right on her food.

I will be so happy and relieved when things get back to
normal. My husband just built a large outdoor enclosure
for her and it is warm enough now for her to soak up some
real rays. I have been taking her out (on my lap) for
30 minutes hoping that will spark her appetite.

What a sight! She sits on her big fluffy pillow under
her light and just gives me the look. Oh well, gotta
love um.

Thanks again
Linda