blue tongue not eating

[rleer]

Hi all,
I have had a adult blue tongue now for4 days, when i got him home he ate a third of a banana, that was three days ago and since then I have offered him a range of food and he wont eat anything. I have noticed that his tail is fairly faded. He is a little on the fat side and does need to lose some weight.
Am I worried about nothing, and just need to let him settle in. He spends all his time in hiding.
Please help to put my mind at rest.
cheers lee

 

[mouse_has_faith]

Hi Lee,

where do you live? Do you keep him inside or out? My bluetongue has been buried under the leaf litter for the past 3 days to escape the heat and hasn't eaten anything either. It's pretty normal for bluetongues to have a large meal (depending on the size of the banana, a third is big for those little guys) and then not to eat for two or three days. Just keep offering him food and water, give him UV (but in this heat MAKE SURE he has a cool, covered end and a hidebox to retreat to), and he'll sort himself out.

 

[LullabyLizard]

Don't keep feeding him banana. It is OK for a treat once in a while, but not all the time.

 

[channi]

He may be a little stressed too. As Mouse_has_faith said they only need to eat every 2nd or 3rd day and can live alot longer without food. You may want to bath him in luke warm water for a few minutes in the hottest part of the day. LullabyLizard is right too banana is not an ideal food item, those small square tins of dog food with fresh vegetables and a sprinkling of calcium powder alternated with mixed fresh fruit should offer him a varied enough diet.

 

[richoman_3]

tried snails yet ? mines loved them thats just bout all he eats

 

[JAS101]

He may be a little stressed too. As Mouse_has_faith said they only need to eat every 2nd or 3rd day and can live alot longer without food. You may want to bath him in luke warm water for a few minutes in the hottest part of the day. LullabyLizard is right too banana is not an ideal food item, those small square tins of dog food with fresh vegetables and a sprinkling of calcium powder alternated with mixed fresh fruit should offer him a varied enough diet.

dog food isnt an ideal food either . i give mine fresh vegies, fruit , roaches , crickets , garden worms . and yes snails - they go mad over snails .

 

[diamondgal79]

yep no tinned food here either.
Mine get asian greens,carrots,grapes,apple,blueberries,cauliflower,broccoili,tomatoes,snails,slugs, and mince one a week mixed with reptacal and retavite.
What are you keeping him in and do you have a UV light on him?
Cheers DG

 

[absinthe_616]

i had the same problem with jashin. are you cutting your food up?

jahsin would only eat anything if all the vegies and fruits and greens were cut into tiny squares and mixed in with her 100% natural cat food.

go to bluetongueskinks.net for a full dietary caresheet to help with your choices of food.

remember you should always have food in his/her enclosure even if s/he isnt eating. bluetongue can go for days without eating but its important to make sure theres food accessible when they do get peckish.

good luck, hope s/he starts eating

 

[JAS101]

Hi all,
I have had a adult blue tongue now for4 days, when i got him home he ate a third of a banana, that was three days ago and since then I have offered him a range of food and he wont eat anything. I have noticed that his tail is fairly faded. He is a little on the fat side and does need to lose some weight.
Am I worried about nothing, and just need to let him settle in. He spends all his time in hiding.
Please help to put my mind at rest.
cheers lee

ok ,
how do u know its on the fat side as blues are genrally porky [ atleast the ones i own and have seen in the wild are a little chuncky] are you sure its not a female ?
is it housed inside or outside ? what kind of setup is it keeped in ? [ pics would be good] .

 

[jewfish1]

If you've only had the bluey for 4 days, the change in environment has probably stressed it out. It should settle down as long as it has hides in the hot and cooler sides of the enclosure. I dont recall if you mentioned whether you keep it indoors or out. Make sure it always has fresh water. Banana is good once in a while but not too often. A variety of insects, fruit and veges should be given.

Noticed you said it was quite faded. Mine are juveniles but stop eating when they are about to shed their old skin and after shedding their appetite returns to normal. You shouldn't worry too much as they can last a long time without a meal

 

[mouse_has_faith]

I forgot to address the dullness issue in my last post. Just to echo jewfish1, a reduction in colour and loss of appetite isn't that unusual just prior to shedding. My own bluetongue, who I suspected was about to shed because he too was looking dull, emerged this morning from his 3 day absence newly-shed and chowed down on two good-sized snails with gusto.

When your bluetongue sheds, either now or in the future, be sure to check his/her toes and tail tip to ensure all the scales come off. If some don't, rub some Sorbolene cream to losen them up. You don't want his/her toes dropping off.

 

[jewfish1]

One of my little ones shed his skin today and started eating within an hour afterwards. The other 2 had a good feed at about 11am today. The one shedding seemed to be experienceing severe discomfort. It must be so itchy and uncomfortable while shedding. I helped him a little by spraying him with water and placed sandpaper in the enclosure. He already has heaps of rough surfaces in there. Seems very relaxed now and currently sunning himself after his owner gave him a bit of a soak. Mine are only about 9 months old and have shed 3 times since I bought them about 6 weeks ago. They must be growing