How long can a hunger strike normally last?

[Saldarya]

I had a thread in the health forum concerning the fact that my male Panther was not eating, but it seems that through some trial and error he is simply holding out for Superworms....

I will say that I was only feeding him literally 1 a week on Sundays. His other feeders have been crickets, dubias, butterworms, silkworms as they hatch and he has always been a healthy eater. That being said, Superworms were definitely his favorite.

So here we are now and he is holding out. Every time I open the cage he comes running down and then turns around if it is not a SW!!! It really is kinda funny, like a spoiled child.

I guess the real question is for those who have dealt with such an issue. How long will they normally hold out? How long can they go before the lack of food is worse for them than the superworms?

Thanks for any thoughts all.

Bobby

 

[AnvilsHammer]

First, The Chameleons will not starve themselves to death. So don't worry it won't ever come close to that. I know what my girlfriend did when her chameleon hunger striked was she maintained the usual feeding schedule but removed the favoured food.

Sooner or later your little guy will end the strike and eat, grudgingly.

I believe the chameleon in my case lasted about a week and then she started eating again. as long as you water and you see him drinking (and any more senior member chim in if I'm wrong) They can last a month without food, but i doubt it will get anywhere close to that time.

 

[jezzie]

Our male veiled favours certain food for awhile as well. First supers, then crickets, now hornworms. After a few days he caves and takes anything I put in there. Though he still rushes for hornworms.

 

[Chameleonic]

i think the best way to deal with these hunger strikes is to offer no food for a couple of days ~ this will make him wonder where his next meal is coming from. Sometimes the strike will last for weeks but like said he will not starve himself

 

[Psychobunny]

i think the best way to deal with these hunger strikes is to offer no food for a couple of days ~ this will make him wonder where his next meal is coming from. Sometimes the strike will last for weeks but like said he will not starve himself

That's what I do, no food for a few days.
Reptiles are not like mamals, they dont need to eat every day.
I suspect many reptile pet owners overfeed their animals way too much

In the wild, they dont always get lucky and find a bug to eat

 

[Saldarya]

Thank you all for the comments. Today is day 2 with no food, so we will give it another day or 2 and go from there.

Thanks again!!

Bobby

 

[Sinfulintent]

Spoiled little kids sometimes Good luck with getting him to eat. Must be a pain waiting on him

 

[Saldarya]

Update!!!

Clearly he is a wimp, he only held out 3 days!!!

Today he ate a couple of butter worms, so I will begin to introduce other things gradually.

Thanks for all the feedback!!

Bobby

 

[Kaitee]

My little one hasn't eaten for 4 weeks !!! Was only eating crickets, he is healthy, took him to the vet, he is drinking and reasonably active, it is winter here...but I am still concerned...any comments or help please...???

 

[Sonny13]

Have tried anything else except crickets? Maybe some wax worms, normally a treat, however they normally trigger them to eat. BSFL or Silkworms could also do the trick.

 

[ERKleRose]

Old thread, but have you tried green banana roaches, as well? Did you test his fecal when you went to the vet? If you want to start your own thread to get better help, could you also post it with the husbandry form filled out in as much detail as possible, including pics of him, his entire cage, and his lights, please?

 

[Kaitee]

Enclosure is green mesh, gets natural sun during day with plenty of greenery for shade. Mist at least three times a day, ceramic heat lamp at night if very cold.
Awake during day and sleeps between 8pm and 6am...
Has not eaten now for 5 weeks, so no poop...
Offered fresh crickets every day but still not interested...

 

[redhorse]

I have had this issue many times and smaller foods usually cure it. Example: Had an adult Jackson stop eating for 3 days on normal crickets (med size) but when I added the fruit flies she went to town eating them. It seemed the movement sparked her interest again. Almost like- to much movement and it triggered her feeding response. Good luck!

 

[MissSkittles]

Enclosure is green mesh, gets natural sun during day with plenty of greenery for shade. Mist at least three times a day, ceramic heat lamp at night if very cold.
Awake during day and sleeps between 8pm and 6am...
Has not eaten now for 5 weeks, so no poop...
Offered fresh crickets every day but still not interested...

What sized crickets are you offering? They need to be the right size…no larger than the space between the eyes. For a baby that size I wouldn’t go any larger than 1/4” max.