Force feeding is sometimes necessary for lizards in captivity. There are situations and conditions which will result in a lizard not eating on their own.
Lizards can sometimes get diseases that result in seizures or similar conditions. During an incident like, it's imperative not to feed them. Most likely they may not be able to swallow the food. At this point, seeking the help of a veterinarian is a good idea. In order to feed, the animal needs to have a tube placed into their stomach. It is tricky to get their mouth open, but should be possible using the syringe itself.
Squeeze the processed food into the back of the throat using the syringe and avoid the trachea at the back of the tongue. The food you offer should only be enough for the animal to handle. Handling more food is something larger lizards can obviously do. It's also possible to force-feed feeder insects. The liquid substitute is easier to digest if the lizard is having digestive problems because much of the work is already done. Liquid feeding has another advantage and that's controlling what the lizard is getting into its diet.
Working very well is vegetable baby food. This food is high in vitamins and can easily be digested by the lizard. Calcium supplement should also be added to the food. Younger lizards need to be fed more often but in smaller quantities, while larger lizards will need to be fed less often, but with higher quantities per feeding. Your lizard has a natural way to eat its food and you can follow this so you wouldn't upset their natural metabolism.
To avoid upsetting their natural metabolism, follow the natural way your lizard eats food. If your lizard eats both insects and vegetables, you can use a type of cat food (used for sick cats) if they will eat it. You can also try to add insect matter (use fresh insects) into the liquid mix.
Lizards can sometimes get diseases that result in seizures or similar conditions. During an incident like, it's imperative not to feed them. Most likely they may not be able to swallow the food. At this point, seeking the help of a veterinarian is a good idea. In order to feed, the animal needs to have a tube placed into their stomach. It is tricky to get their mouth open, but should be possible using the syringe itself.
Squeeze the processed food into the back of the throat using the syringe and avoid the trachea at the back of the tongue. The food you offer should only be enough for the animal to handle. Handling more food is something larger lizards can obviously do. It's also possible to force-feed feeder insects. The liquid substitute is easier to digest if the lizard is having digestive problems because much of the work is already done. Liquid feeding has another advantage and that's controlling what the lizard is getting into its diet.
Working very well is vegetable baby food. This food is high in vitamins and can easily be digested by the lizard. Calcium supplement should also be added to the food. Younger lizards need to be fed more often but in smaller quantities, while larger lizards will need to be fed less often, but with higher quantities per feeding. Your lizard has a natural way to eat its food and you can follow this so you wouldn't upset their natural metabolism.
To avoid upsetting their natural metabolism, follow the natural way your lizard eats food. If your lizard eats both insects and vegetables, you can use a type of cat food (used for sick cats) if they will eat it. You can also try to add insect matter (use fresh insects) into the liquid mix.
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