Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recently have bought a trio Tribolonotus gracilis from 2 private people. One claimed to have the animal at least for 4-5 months and the other guy told me he had them for at least 3 months in captivity. All animals are wildcaught.

Last week one of the females suddenly died. As far as I know she did not ate at all since I got her. The male is doing great an he is getting pretty heavy (43 grams). My concerns are that the female that is still alive does not eat at all. Her tailbase is falling in and since last week I started to forcefeed her to get her weight up (19 grams). The problem is that I know I am causing extra stress by doing this but I dont want to loose her as well. The cage setup is ok, I mist at least every day and the vivarium is pretty wet.

Do you guys have any tips?

I am feeding them, waxworms, mealworms, crickets, beetle larvae and other insects. I know these little critters are know to only eat one kind of foodsource but I want to give them a variety!!

Here is more info on length and weight

Male (mature male 5-6 years old)
Head size wide 1.5 cm
Head length 2.6 cm
Snout vent length 10.9 cm
Tail length 9.8 cm
Total length 20.5 cm
Weight 43 gram

Female (young female 2-3 year i think)
Head size wide 1.0 cm
Head length 1.95 cm
Snout vent length 10.0 cm
Tail length 7 cm
Total length 17.9 cm
Weight 19 gram

Any help is welcome....

Get a fecal done to rule out parasites. Being WC there is a very good probability that they have at least a moderate load.
Get this done soon as the added stress of force feeding and constantly "checking" them is going to make the situation much worse.

Thanks for the reply, I will take a fecal sample but for the female I must isolate here because I have not yet found any fecal matter of here. The male is s h i tting around like a mad one... they look good and dry. There is a vet who can check it for me..

Most likily the trib will have Pin worm or Hookworm.. I would try and find a Herp Vet .. but if your local vet maybe able to help...
If your animals do have worms the most likily place in on Panacur.....

I not to sure that force feeding is the way to go..

Stress is a key fact with croc skinks...

Bob Sabol
Underworldreptiles@Hotmail.com

Try to provide your vet with as fresh a stool sample as possible since many protozoa will go unnoticed unless mobile.
As mentioned in another post Panacur along with Flagyl will probably be the drugs prescribed should your vet find it necessary. Be sure to follow the dosing schedule as prescribed as well as clean and disinfect the enclosure/furnishings during the course of treatment.
Best of luck
John316

Besides the parasite checks others have mentioned, try giving them small amounts of finely-chopped fruits and access to a honey-water solution.

Clogar thanks for the advice I have not yet done a good vet check, the vet closest to me could not do an exam for some reason?!? I am weighing my animals on a regular basis, and I have found out that my female is eating because she gained weight and I have not force fed her for several week now. The weight she had last time was 26 grams and the weight of the male is constant for about 44 grams. I will try exotic fruits this weekend.

I also found out that my female was scared of the water bowl!! the color was greenish and since I have a brown on she comes and drinks and stuff, the male however is scared to death for dusted crickets!! when one enters his coconut he runs out like a mad one!!

i'll keep you posted!