Bad Feeder - Suggestions?

[steve75]

I've played with the temps also throughout the months and the proximity its in now has seemed to stimulate her appetite more (and she poops more). I've also tried no dish of food, dish on x day, dish every day, dish every other day. None has worked. She's never touched single feeder in a dish. The vet's guess since her tail is plump and she is proportionate is that she's a runt...but even runts eat, don't they? I think even the few dwarfs eat regularly.

 

[dragonflyreptiles]

Runts are usually seen in litters, not clutches and I really doubt she is a dwarf.

honestly, I have some that eat everyday, some that don't BUT they all GROW. So that is what botthers me about your post, its not that she doesn't eat regular, she is not growing from what you have posted.

You've done the vet check, done the temp changes, done the fecal..... all I can presume is that maybe another fecal could be done, a slow to none growth rate while eating can be due to pinworms, and pins do not show up everyday on every fecal, they show up during "their cycle" to the host so you may need a few fecals to accurately diagnose them.

 

[dragonflyreptiles]

Also "playing" with temps for months is a bad idea, set them at a hot of 90-92 and let the room temp be just that, unless of coarse your cool is 90, the cool should be a normal room temp of summer 78 winter 68, playing with temps can cause a stress cycle.

Day light cycles can also cause problems, does she have daylight cycle 14 hours or so daylight and 10 night in the room? If not that can throw her really way off.

 

[steve75]

Experimenting with the heat was necessary. At cooler temps she didn't eat and at hotter temps she was noticably stressed. At these temps she is in a neutral dispostion in terms of stress and occasionally (see seldom compared to never) eats. Her light cycle is a full natural light cycle. I'm in inland Southern California and the ambient temps do not fall below the mid-70's.

I am 100% positive she's not a dwarf, but I'm not positive she's not a runt (by runt, I just mean a naturally small specimen...not necessarily an unsuckled animal). I have been looking to take her into another vet for a 2nd opinion and a check for worms/parasitical infestation. She's now on the same exact heat and light cycle (and has been) as all of my geckos and the rest are perfect feeders with no health/feeding problems whatsoever.

I think she may just be an anomolly and the only solution will be a slurry formula until she voluntarily hunts food. I was just hoping there was some experience to outweigh this anomolly.