Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Happy New Year every one

I am starting to get a little concerned about my Mali
Ichabod. He isn't coming out of his hide and he is
not eating well. He was a rescue and has never really
eaten alot of greens or stuff that he should be eating.
He has always eaten his birdseed and beans but lately
has not been too interested.

His temps are good and nothing has changed except I replaced
his Active uvb bulb. and I lost my special needs iguana after 7 years at the beginning of December. She shared his room but
not his enclosure.

Any thoughts to his behavior? It has been cold here but
his temps are constant.

Thanks in advance
Linda

Was he ever checked for parasites? If he's slowed down eating because of the winter (which can be normal), sometimes that will let parasite numbers bloom.

In any case, I'd stop feeding him dry foods until he's eating greens regularly. Whatever his problem is, he still needs to be hydrated.
-----
Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1 Saharan Uros (Joe and Arthur)
3.0 Mali Uros (Spike, Turtle, and Tank)
1.1 Ornate Uros (Scuttlebutt and Shazzbot)
1.1 Collared Lizard (Ripcord and Rorschach)
2.0 Green Anoles (Bowser and Sprocket)
1.1 Chubby Housecats (Roscolux and Jenny)

>>Was he ever checked for parasites? If he's slowed down eating because of the winter (which can be normal), sometimes that will let parasite numbers bloom.
>>
>>In any case, I'd stop feeding him dry foods until he's eating greens regularly. Whatever his problem is, he still needs to be hydrated.

He was indeed checked for parasites when he came in and was clear. Not sure if Linda knew this, so figured I would mention it.

His original owners fed him (and I quote) "Lettuce and carrots when my son remembered to feed them" they also fed a large quantity of crix and mealies. He had birdseed for bedding as well.

Linda, I would suggest getting a blood panel to make sure everything is working well.
-----
Cindy
PHFaust

Email Cindy

Land of the Outcasts!

Thanks,

Cindy, I was going to send an e-mail just to check but
I was sure this had been done. Thanks for posting.

Linda

Is he given supplements?
I don't like the way his limbs appear to be swollen.
Does he hold his body up off the ground when he walks?
What kind of bulb is the UVB...compact/spiral or screw in?
Its possible that its the natural brumation that is causing the lack of eating, but it could be MBD or some other issue.

He really should be eating a wide variety of greens (dandelion, kale, collards, endive, escarole, ROMAINE lettuce, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, zucchini, sweet red pepper, sweet potato, etc.) and a small amount of fruit (apple, pear, berries, melon, etc.)...dusted with a phosphorous-free calcium powder. IMHO birdseed and beans is not a very good or natural diet for your uro.

Well, that picture is from a year ago. I adopted him
from a rescue group. He was owned by an 8 year old child
that fed him all of the wrong things and none of the right things. To my knowledge, he did not provide a UV source although
PHFaust could tell us for sure.

He has always been a very finicky eater. Unfortunately this
is because of the care he received before I got him. I am very knowledgable about reptiles and their care.

I have always provided the correct foods, temps and lighting.
By looking at him, other than him being a little smaller
he looks and acts fine. Normally he is very active and has
no problems running around and climbing.

Thanks
Linda

>>Well, that picture is from a year ago. I adopted him
>>from a rescue group. He was owned by an 8 year old child
>>that fed him all of the wrong things and none of the right things. To my knowledge, he did not provide a UV source although
>>PHFaust could tell us for sure.
>>

No UV Lighting and no additional heat really either on a regular basis.
-----
Cindy
PHFaust

Email Cindy

Land of the Outcasts!

"He really should be eating a wide variety of greens (dandelion, kale, collards, endive, escarole, ROMAINE lettuce, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, zucchini, sweet red pepper, sweet potato, etc.) and a small amount of fruit (apple, pear, berries, melon, etc.)...dusted with a phosphorous-free calcium powder. IMHO birdseed and beans is not a very good or natural diet for your uro."

Actually, the greens recommended here are a bit off as well. Kale should be fed very very very sparingly or not at all, collard and mustard greens are also rotational foods and should be fed sparingly due to high oxalate content as well as Ca ratios that are way off from the recommended 2:1. The romaine lettuce is also good for hydration but does not give much of a nutritional value to a Uro.
Not 100% sure on the sweet peppers either, but I could be wrong.
Also, you want to avoid fruits with a high sugar content.

Just a little extra input

Have you considered that he may be responding to different temperature changes outside. Have you checked the temperature inside his cage? My Mali has also stayed under his hide unless I wake him up, other than that, it should be okay. I've been wondering why my Uro has been sleeping so much too.

Famous Amos

Ichabod is starting to snap out of it. He came out and
basked normal and actually ate all of his greens and
mixed vegetables today.

Hopefully this will be the extent of his brumation.

Thanks for all of your advice
Linda