Weighs, a picture, and a shrinking skink.

[Fatal_S]

Hey everyone! Yesterday ago I bought a fancy new digital kitchen scale, so I've been doing some weight watching with my skinks. Well this came with good news and bad news. I'll start with the good news:

Pryce is getting huge! 2 weeks ago he was 14 inches, yesterday he was 263g, and today...15.5 inches and 325g! That's right, 62g in 24 hours. He's a huge pig, and munches at everything, including a cupcake wrapper he found on my table -.-' His weights actually went: yesterday before food = 263g; yesterday after food = 298g; today before food = 309g; today after food = 325g. Yay for my heavy skink!

Wocket is also showing great gains. He's much bigger than when he arrived, and even feels heavier than a feather. He's also behaving great and generally doing everything a silver tanny shouldn't do. He is now 7 inches long! Since yesterday he's gone from 48g to 63g, a gain of 15g! Yay! His weights: yesterday before food = 48g; yesterday after food = 55g; today before food = 61g; today after food = 63g. He eats well, and is getting more used to coming out for a while. I'm so happy with him! Picture from today:


Now Trikks is my problem child, and I'm getting worried about him. He's actually losing weight now, which is a big concern. He doesn't seem to have grown at all since I got him, and is now noticably smaller than Wocket. He only ate a tiny bit since coming to live with me, and hasn't eaten at all this past few days. He's still active and grumpy about coming out, but he behaves alright once out, especially outside in the sun. I've been trying not to worry, telling myself he'll eat eventually, but now that he's losing weight, I'm going insane. He's currently at 33g, he was 34 yesterday. He's still only 6 inches long, same as when I got him. If he doesn't start to eat soon, he'll be going for a vet visit. I also want to contact Andrew as soon as my e-mail is back up and running and ask about what he was feeding. I'm trying all sorts of food, but he always ignores it and just wanders away to find a place to hide or escape. I've tried egg, banana, various fruits, catfood and wet dogfood. I've also tried both larger pieces of food and the normal mash. He just ignores it all. He still comes out to bask and look around, so I don't think he's trying to brumate, but argh! I want my skink to eat and get big. All suggestions and opinions welcome. Thanks in advance.

[Tattoo]

How about some snails or some kind of worm! They seem to perk up over wiggly food. Sorry to hear your babe is giving you a hard time. It scares the crap out of me when Tattoo won't eat!

[Leigh]

I did reply yesterday saying snails, live feeders or some chicken

[gloom_kitty]

little darlings. sounds like loki. he likes to make me frett as well. try some raw lambs liver. the only two foods he eats with gusto is the liver or banana. he likes raw egg as well. if yours takes to the liver then wizz it up with some greens, and be sneaky. however loki loves to gulp down chunks of the liver though, i think the blood tastes nice

good luck

[Tattoo]

Gloom ... I think I'm gonna hurl.

[Fatal_S]

I replied yesterday...poo. Well Trikks will eat mealworms, many of them, but only if they're not contaminated by other food -.-' If they're in his food he'll wait for them to surface before picking them out.

Cooked chicken is the main meat I use, so he obviously isn't impressed by that.

He wont eat egg, banana, or a lamb stew. Haven't tried liver, may have to.

I have yet to find snails around small enough for my little guys to eat. Pryce has had 2, but I need to get more little ones. I plan to order many feeder insects/snails and get some colonies going in the future.

He's a frustrating, beautiful little guy.

[Lisa]

I also replied yesterday, but it was probably so long and boring that it's what crashed the server!

I'd monitor the weight thing before getting too stressed, and I probably wouldn't put too much belief in the scales, sorry! Their metabolisms are quite slow, so major weight gain and loss should take place over time and so what you might be seeing on the scales is simply due to fluid, gas, etc.

If he is noticeably - and rapidly - losing weight to the point that you can notice it (not just because the scales say so), then yes, you may have a problem. But just because he eats less than the others, and is not as big as them, I'd try not to compare. You know, one person can eat 5 cheeseburgers a day and not put on weight, the next person's on a diet but just can't shift the weight.

And also, if he feels the need to brumate, then there really isn't anything you can do about it. Just on that, they can go off food but not go to sleep. My Ralph stopped eating in March but didn't go to sleep until June. Also, just because he's still out doesn't mean he's not thinking of a kip. Between March & June when Ralph didn't eat, he was still out every day.

A bit more condensed than yesterday's missing post, but just my thoughts and suggestions.

Oh, and I also think I mentioned something about that if he's really only into one thing, I think at his age, and provided you get supplements right, then that's ok. And then once he's mature you can look at extending his variety. Goes against the grain, but if it's just the act of eating that is a bother then stick with it. Don't compare him to your other skinks, don't think that if he's not full grown in a year or growing at a constant rate that there's something wrong, and don't continually try and get him to eat. He might come to think of it as a bad thing you always prompting him to eat.

Ooops, just about as long as yesterdays

[Lisa]

Phew! All this talk about food has made me hungry. Even if it is about bugs and livers and spewy stuff! Time for lunch, I'll never be an infrequent eater

[gloom_kitty]

lol

the liver thing isnt to bad. my axolotls have it raw too.

loki is so fussy and sometimes only eat twice a week, and only when hand fed. i think baby tannys are just programed to be the biggest pain in the rear. oh, roast pork got eaten a couple of times. and when im being sneaky cranberry sauce or apple sauce on top is a good way of getting nasty veg eaten.

[Leigh]

If you have a picky eater, beat them at thier own game and be a picky feeder. DONT feed them for as long as it takes to see him REALLY looking for food. Trust me you'll know if he's proper hungry, you will see it in his face and his actions.

[Fatal_S]

Thanks for the replies everyone. He may be trying to brumate, which makes me sad, but I still have the other 2. Wocket, my silver tanny, has a great appetite, as does Pryce. I just got worried because of the big size difference between the 2 little ones even though they were the same size when I got them. I think I'm going to leave him be, and if he starts coming out looking for food, then I'll feed him. We can work on cuddle time when he's done being stubborn.

Also, I fed them all today with their regular food mixed in with lots of raw egg. Pryce ate a huge amount, and Wocket ate pretty good too. Trikks of course had to have his nose pushed into it to taste, then he ignored it and tried to run away again. He's my stupid-with-heights baby, as he likes to make dashes off high things. I never let him, but it's still annoying. The other 2 are much better, and Pryce is great about not jumping ^.^ Such different little guys.

[Drew]

just like my Boris, is soooo picky with food, would just likc a few times and go. doesnt even wana have chicken, which he had before.
Just like the guys have been telling here, relax. Im really trying not to freak out with my Boris.

did you try Papaya?
how about slurring everything?

Jen is right, id try not to compare.
she told me the same thing. the best!

hope he is going ot be ok.

[Shadowfax]

I second the vote for snails/slugs. I've yet to see a skink refuse that treat -- Maya actually foams at the mouth when he smells them!