- Joined
- Jun 21, 2010
- Messages
- 6
We have had our russian for about a year, he (I think) was purchased from Petco last July and they weren't sure how old he was (not that I trust most of what they say there...but that's another post).
When we brought Yoda home, he acclimated quickly and was a fairly good eater. Though he'd only touch romaine lettuce (throughout the year I've tried, dandelion leaves, greens, green/red/yellow peppers & broccoli), he ate a ton of it (at least a small handful a day). He was alert, dug quite often in his enclosure and enjoyed being outside with us to roam the yard. He'd head to a shaded area of his enclosure and lay in the "sun" as well.
Over the last few weeks though, he's become more and more lethargic (won't move for an entire day, even to find the heat source) and won't eat. At first he was just eating less, even though the same amount was offered so I figured he wasn't as hungry. But the last few days, the food sits there and goes untouched, even when I place him directly next to it. It's almost like he's drugged. The last 3 days he's to the point he barely opens his eyes when I pick him up (or when I soak him) and doesn't even go in his shell in defense.
I'm using a new brand of bulbs (but the same wattage), but other than that nothing has changed. His mulch is the same (bought from PetSmart) and his water and food locations are the exact same. He did go nearly 3 days without his hottest heat source (the bulb blew over a holiday weekend, but I got him a new one ASAP). I've read that sometimes they stop eating until their body temp is restored, but this was quite awhile ago and the bulbs have been back on for weeks now.
Help! What questions aren't I answering? What have I missed? What can I do? He does have an appointment to see a vet this week, but since he stopped eating all together 3 days ago, and was barely eating before that, I'm worried he might not make it.
When we brought Yoda home, he acclimated quickly and was a fairly good eater. Though he'd only touch romaine lettuce (throughout the year I've tried, dandelion leaves, greens, green/red/yellow peppers & broccoli), he ate a ton of it (at least a small handful a day). He was alert, dug quite often in his enclosure and enjoyed being outside with us to roam the yard. He'd head to a shaded area of his enclosure and lay in the "sun" as well.
Over the last few weeks though, he's become more and more lethargic (won't move for an entire day, even to find the heat source) and won't eat. At first he was just eating less, even though the same amount was offered so I figured he wasn't as hungry. But the last few days, the food sits there and goes untouched, even when I place him directly next to it. It's almost like he's drugged. The last 3 days he's to the point he barely opens his eyes when I pick him up (or when I soak him) and doesn't even go in his shell in defense.
I'm using a new brand of bulbs (but the same wattage), but other than that nothing has changed. His mulch is the same (bought from PetSmart) and his water and food locations are the exact same. He did go nearly 3 days without his hottest heat source (the bulb blew over a holiday weekend, but I got him a new one ASAP). I've read that sometimes they stop eating until their body temp is restored, but this was quite awhile ago and the bulbs have been back on for weeks now.
Help! What questions aren't I answering? What have I missed? What can I do? He does have an appointment to see a vet this week, but since he stopped eating all together 3 days ago, and was barely eating before that, I'm worried he might not make it.