Food habits changed

[Howeybeans]

Hi I have a 9 month old panther male. I had him for 5-6 months. Up until 2 weeks ago he was a monster eater. I started off feeding crickets everyday. And would feed him 1 Dubai before the crickets since I don't think he likes them much I would give him 1 before crickets. Then I found horn worms and bought a few online they grew really fast and for awhile all he was eating was horn worms he loved them and I herd they could be used as a regular diet. He would eat one a day they where big. When he ate the last one I tried to get him back on cricket roach diet. Don't want him to eat just one food source but he hasn't eaten or pooped much in the last 2 weeks. I figure he would get hungry and I would wait this out. I'm worried and now want to buy horn worms just to get him to eat. Any advice. He did sheed 2 weeks ago which I figured why he didn't eat a few days. I will also add that it's getting warmer here in New York and I took him outside and he loved it and now I think he hates his cage every time I open cage he tries to get out. Appreciate any help.

 

[nimax67]

hey howey, I have a similar problem with my adult male aged 14 months. Just recently gone off crickets and locusts and the dubias and will only eat morio(super)worms, which I've been told isn't good as a sole food source. I've had him to the vets, poo checked out fine no parasites, vivarium set up all fine too. The advice I've been given is he's spoiled and to starve him . I'm currently on day 6 of only giving him crickets and locusts but he's still refusing. Someone said on here no healthy animal will deliberately starve itself, but he's doing a good job of it so far. He will eat the occasional fruit beetle larva and silkworm, but again, the advice I've been given its that these are treats, not regular. Be good to hear how you're getting on with your fussy eater...

 

[nightanole]

Sub adult = 2 dozen crickets a day, poofs at dubia
90 days later = wont eat a cricket (and hasnt for 4 years since), in-hails dubia

 

[Howeybeans]

Hey Thanks for the Reply when I wrote this almost 1 month ago I checked every day for a reply and gave up. So I did buy Horn worms again I couldn't wait out the starvation. he looked dehydrated and had a long wrinkle going down the side. when the worms came in he attacked them for 2 days. the 3rd day I offered a roach and he ate it. so he seemed to find his appetite and I would feed worms every other day they grow so fast that 1 worm was enough to fill him up. I gave him the last worm 4 days ago. I try and feed him before I leave for work so he has all day to bask in the heat to help digest. but I can’t sit there all day holding Dubai’s, crickets I throw in and he hunts them or they are hiding under the potted plants and if I leave Dubai’s they go to the bottom and burry themselves in the dirt of a plant. on the weekends I spend more time with him and monitor his eating better. he still loves to go outside. the other day I brought him outside and within 2 mins he found a bug and ate it. I don't know what he ate so I was a little worried. I heard they shouldn't eat outdoor bugs. so I need to build an outdoor enclose for him to hang out in. the horn worms are supper juicy and keep them hydrated. I ran out of worms so I’m going to see how he does with crickets and Dubai’s. it makes since that they won’t starve them self’s, but when you care for them you want to make them happy. he went 2 weeks where he wasn't eating much. He might have ate a few crickets since they are in the cage but his poo went from moist cocoons to dried hard shrived poo. the white part is the urine and there was very little. Now he goes every other day and its big with a ton of white. I think they like to try new things since he went outside saw a new bug and he traveled down the tree he was in and ate it. never once did I throw a cricket or roach in the bottom other cage and he ran to it. I put him on a branch 4 ft. up and he saw something and made his way down. I also offer food before we go out so he is not hungry so he doesn't eat bugs. So I’m guessing he saw something new and was curious to how it tastes. Maybe try and get something new for him to try. instead of supper worms try horn worms. try and kick start him into eating again. let me know how he make out

 

[Howeybeans]

Here is Rango bitting into a Dubia and squeezing the poo out of it. I sometimes wonder if he does that on purspose.

 

[Andee]

Have you tried cup feeding? It sounds like you are just free ranging?

 

[Howeybeans]

Cup feeding Dubia"s I tried once and they climbed out and I gave up. I put dubia near him and wait if he doesn't go for it I take it away. what cup do you use that they cant climb out of.

 

[Andee]

You need a taller cup, I use something like a taller super worm cup, and connect it to the screen with jewelry plastic thread stuff (or 10 pound fishing line) poke or drill small holes in the bottom so that it can drain any water that collects.

 

[JacksJill]

I'm currently on day 6 of only giving him crickets and locusts but he's still refusing. Someone said on here no healthy animal will deliberately starve itself, but he's doing a good job of it so far. He will eat the occasional fruit beetle larva and silkworm, but again, the advice I've been given its that these are treats, not regular. Be good to hear how you're getting on with your fussy eater...

Silkworms are a fine staple feeder. They are 40% of my chameleons diet. If he will eat those you are ok.

 

[JacksJill]

@Howeybeans you reminded me sometimes to break a hunger strike you can try feeding outdoors. There have been times when mine wouldn't eat and I'd take the exact same feeders out of their cage they had been ignoring and they would snap it up in bright sunshine. Something about dining alfresco that makes food taste better.

 

[nimax67]

Silkworms are a fine staple feeder. They are 40% of my chameleons diet. If he will eat those you are ok.

I caved in this morning after a week of his refusing crickets and gave him a couple of silk worms, one of which he took from my fingers which is the first time he's fed from my hand, so he must have been hungry. I'm happy to continue with a mix of silks (hoping I can get them regularly) and hopefully fruit beetle larvae (though he's lucky on those) and morios occasionally if you think that's ok? Do you have experience of chams that just go off crickets and locusts for life?

 

[nimax67]

Have you tried cup feeding? It sounds like you are just free ranging?

I put them in a tub clipped to a vine, some climb out so it's s mix, cup and free range

 

[JGspecial]

my panther wont eat crickets or dubia roaches, its so annoying.

 

[Andee]

The problem with worms is they don't gutload well. Their digestive tract is shorter and simpler so keeping a gutload in their system is much harder and getting them to eat most is hard as well.

 

[nimax67]

The problem with worms is they don't gutload well. Their digestive tract is shorter and simpler so keeping a gutload in their system is much harder and getting them to eat most is hard as well.

well I guess I will have to persevere with starving him...

 

[Andee]

Yeah XD a week isn't that long to him, and trust me he knows you are weaker than him at the moment

 

[nimax67]

Yeah XD a week isn't that long to him, and trust me he knows you are weaker than him at the moment

The up side is he's not sick, no parasites, vet reckons very well cared for so he can afford to be picky (apparently superworms taste like peanut butter, though someone did suggest gutloading the crickets with strawberries, anything worth a go I guess). So how long starving/only crickets can I go without a) doing him harm and b) losing my sanity?

 

[nimax67]

The problem with worms is they don't gutload well. Their digestive tract is shorter and simpler so keeping a gutload in their system is much harder and getting them to eat most is hard as well.

ok so update, little bugger still totally refusing crickets and locusts, goes for days without eating even though they are in the big tub in his viv. However this morning, I put in a couple of wax worms (small ones, in the tub along with 6 crickets). He hunted out the wax worms and ate them, but left the crickets. I then put in a couple of adult black soldier flies from the box of calci worms I have. They duly took off and flew round the vivarium, so he hunted them down and ate them. Contrary little git! :-/