Feeding and Nutrition :: Can't chew?

[CoralAmanda]

My RES, Franklin, has been sick for almost two weeks now. My vet treated him for pneumonia and he got his last shot Thursday but hasnt been acting healthier. I havent seen him eat since he started acting sick and I've tried hand feeding him his pellets, but he wouldn't take them. I just tried feeding him a piece of lettuce and for 20 minutes he would occasionally act like he was trying to open his mouth but just couldn't. Then finally he opened wide and bit the lettuce but couldn't bite all the way through it. So I hand fed him a tiny piece and he bit that and it just sat there half in his mouth for a few minutes. When I walked back over I didn't see the lettuce so I can't say for sure that he ate it. But he won't bite anymore lettuce; he just sits there and stares at me. Any suggestions on what I should do?

[ataraxiamb]

Have you tried calling the vet?

Was he eating up until today?

[CoralAmanda]

I personally havent seen him eat for almost two weeks. But I have kept fresh food in his tank. We told his vet at the last visit and she listed things we could do at the vet but we cant exactly afford them. So I was wondering if anyone knew something I could do at home to get him to eat something.

[ataraxiamb]

I found these threads that might help:

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=32355&p=313025&hilit=cat+food+lettuce#p313025

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=34181&p=324831&hilit=entice+to+eat#p324831

[CoralAmanda]

Thanks!

[steve]

Boiled white chicken meat, boiled egg whites, canned tuna, live prey... I would try some of these as well.

[CoralAmanda]

I put some tuna in his tank before I left and I'm going to pick up a fish or two on the way home.

[Mo Milazzo]

The feeder guppies are definitely the way to go. My Franklin wouldn't eat for a few weeks and I just put in a small guppy and that did the trick. However, it did take a while for him to eat pellets. Start off with guppies and slowly transfer to pellets.