Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hey i recently saved this little frilly from a petshop, picked him up for like 50.00 but hes not eating. Ive tried force feeding, making sure i have both heat lamps and uvb bulbs on him which he stays away from, I tried small crickets,wax worms, lettuce mixed veggies, mealworms and covered his tank for privacy. any ideas? I did take him to the vet yesterday and he said theirs no illnesses that he can see, but he was a little thin he also put him on several worming meds just in case as there were no stool samples available. any advice you can give me would be helpful. he doesnt freak much when you pick him up, but will try to escape if given a chance. I have him in a 29 gallon container which is a lot larger than what the pet shop had him in. is this big enough as hes not that big. they also said they had him for a year but had him marked as a basklis lizard lol. so they obviously didnt do their homework

Petstores.. gotta love em, NOT! Sounds like you have everything covered. Keeping the little one hydrated and maybe trying some plain meat baby food (thinned with plain pedialyte) might help get the appetite back, make sure you put some calcium powder in the mix before you give it to him from a dropper. You can also try Fluker's Repta-Aid Critical Care Formula kit, everything is included for feeding properly. I found this product at Petsmart (hey they might be good for something after all) it helped me get a little rankin dragon into good enough shape to begin eating again, she thrived, so its worth a try. I haven't had much luck with the Jumpstart product, but you can certainly give it a go, if you'd like. Frilled dragons are one of my favorite reptiles, they are very sweet and personable. If I can be of any further assistance, don't hesitate to email me at n2snakes@aol.com. Good luck with him/her, please keep us posted.

will try that next if the worming meds dont help stimulate his appetite thanx

How long have you had it? Some frilleds just don't like to move and will take some time to adjust to their new surroundings. If you've only had him for a week or so, just leave him alone as much as possible. Keep misting him a couple of times per day to make sure he gets water. What are the temps in his tank? And what wattage bulbs are you using? Two for a 29 gallon sounds like alot, unless they are two low watt bulbs.

well i got him to eat it was just a matter of mushing up the bugs in some water and he ate it up thru a syringe, then i met another frilly enthusiast and she ended up buying him off me. he went to an excellent home and i was glad to take the loss as i got him from a pet shop that didnt have a clue as to how to care for them and i feel i saved his life, by doing this exchange, so everyone is happy ty for your response.