# hatchling caiman help?



## Connorcaiman87 (Jan 21, 2013)

Hello, new to the forum but not new to reptile keeping. recently aquired my dwa licence in order to get a baby caiman from a fella who had bred his pair. i have the tank set up perfectly, temperatures perfect and its kept in a very quiet area of my house that has absolutely no human traffic or noise of any kind. i never disturb her and i did an awful lot of research before i even considered taking her home. she had her vet check up and all is fine. my problem is that she just will not feed, she has no interest in insects and i have checked and double checked my temperatures every day. i even have the water temp at 30 degrees, basking spot at 32 and the cool end at a perfect 26. Her tank is well covered in plants and places to hide, even have duckweed in her water. i know babies are notorious for not feeding but im starting to worry as i just want her to be perfectly kept/happy. has anyone any advice that could help? It would be greatly appreciated!!


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## UrolithicTitan (Sep 12, 2010)

How long have you had the hatchling in the enclosure for?


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## Connorcaiman87 (Jan 21, 2013)

5 days today


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## UrolithicTitan (Sep 12, 2010)

Connorcaiman87 said:


> 5 days today


I'm not up on my Caiman care, and but if you have got your care care spot on then it will either be stress from the move putting off feeding, in which case the little guy should start to feed when settled. Or there could be something wrong with his health (e. g. internal parasites, worst case neurological issues). But provided he's a well established hatchling and the incubation went smoothly, and there should be little risk of neurological issues. Which then means it could be either be short term stress or internal parasites. 

What was his feeding like with the breeder, and an how is he currently behaving?


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## Connorcaiman87 (Jan 21, 2013)

She was eating well, she doesnt look skinny at all plus the vet gave her the all clear so i wouldnt have thought internal parasites. shes a cb baby from cb parents so i would have ruled put parasites on that alone. shes just lying in one of her many hides rather calm. I offered her a locust on a long set of tongs and she just looked at me as if to say 'no chance!!'. Ive got everything perfect temp and set up wise so its just a mystery to me of why she wont feed. im hoping its just the stress of the move but shes left well alone so i would have hoped she would have been happy by now. her siblings are also doing well as i kept in contact with the two other fellas that took her brothers and sisters. im going to try some chopped up fuzzies this evening on a dish like suggested on the care sheet on this forum (which has been a massive help). im just praying she will eat within the next few days. id be a very happy man as its bothering me to the point of not sleeping well atm, my animals welfare is paramount to me


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## Jabba the mentor (Nov 13, 2008)

Are you sure its cb from cb parents?


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## Connorcaiman87 (Jan 21, 2013)

100% positive. the guy has been keeping them for a very very long time and quite reliable. Plus with the siblings doing well im thinking mine may possibly be 'the runt of the litter'. took me to get my licence first so 'tick tock' was the only one left. its not a question of money spent or anything i just want her to be happy and healthy. if she doesnt improve ill go to the vets again but i would then worry about stress levels yet again as hes not close to where i live. just an awful situation, id just be soooo happy to know she is eating. I normally wouldnt have wc it was the cb factor that prompted me to buy her in the first place as i know its a very rare opportunity


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## Jibber (Oct 13, 2011)

a very good site for any croc owner.

http://crocodilian.com/crocfaq/faq-5.html
as a bab,y check the section about cutting the food up really small (or mince it)

I got a baby too (just over a year)


leave him alone for a few days, dont go into the tank. with mine hes fine and eatting well but when i have to get him out the tank ever 5-6months to properly clean it, i make sure i feed him really well before as he will stop eatting for a few weeks.

my mates after being stressed wont eat for a few months.

make sure you cant see hes hip bone or hes neck isnt getting skinny. thats a common sign of him being under fed.

i had the same problem when i put mine in the tank, took about 15days to eat!!!

i was told not to put locusts in as that adds to the stress, i just left pinkys in a stack near hes water and just change them each day. took me 3 days.

hope this helped. 

it took me about a 3 months to be able to feed my baby from long tweezers, i used to hold a locusts or pinky in from of him, even rub it on hes face and he would just close hes eyes or just slowly walk into hes water just looking at me saying "what".

 im having problems with my baby at the moment with some kind of teeth problem


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## Connorcaiman87 (Jan 21, 2013)

Thats a brilliant amount of info there thank you very much!! Il wait til she wanders out tonight to check her neck and hip bones but from memory she doesnt look too skinny, dont wish to disturb her at all. i literally have her tank decked out with lots of plants and hides to make sure she felt at home, plus as i said her temps are perfect and everything else according to the caresheet has been done. Thank you very much for you reply it really is appreciated. tonight ill try her with finely chopped mouse and hope she takes even a wee bit, i love her to bits i just want her to feed id feel so much happier, as its fully stressing me out that she may be stressed out. i placed a towel over the front of the glass so that when i do come into the room i dont disturb her. ill continue doing this until she feeds. thanks again


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## Connorcaiman87 (Jan 21, 2013)

Forgot to say, i hope your baby feels better. its proper distressig when theres something wrong with an animal, so i do hope yours will be ok


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## Connorcaiman87 (Jan 21, 2013)

Had to do a bit of maintanance on her tank today, was a bit too humid so had to remove her from her tank (placed her in a tub of warm water with a towel over the top) which she was rather good about, didnt struggle when lifted out and placed back in. she still hasnt eaten but im continually trying by changing the chopped up mice everyday. hoping she shall eat soon. she doesnt seem skinny, has a bit of weight on her belly, no hip bones on show and her neck isnt skiny either. shall keep updating as i go along, really praying she takes something one of these days. she is still just lying in her main hide rather placidly and doesnt seem to have moved, opens her eyes when she hears me come into room and just sort of watches me til i leave. i only come in to check temps then quietly leave again. I know babies are famous for not eating but this is killing me. Fingers crossed....


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## Jibber (Oct 13, 2011)

hope shes doing ok, she might be the runt of the litter like mine.

its very hard to tell if a croc is under weight as they normally always have a fat belly, and there all muscle no fat.

its not everyones choice but i put a few baby fish around 2cms in hes tank. he loves them and the oils and vits are good for the croc. if i put 5 in he will sit in the water and he might not eat them for weeks but its always good for them to have fresh live food, as he might decide to eat and the mice etc may have gone off due to the heat. ( normally eats 1-2 in the first day, now he would eat all 5 in 1 go, he will eat anything that moves now even me :devil: ).

when i first got my 2nd caiman he wouldnt eat in front of me. he would only eat fish when i was out the room.

ive had quiet a few problems over time, nothing too massive. but crocs not eatting is the most common i would say. most of the time its due to stress.


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## UrolithicTitan (Sep 12, 2010)

Jibber said:


> hope shes doing ok, she might be the runt of the litter like mine.
> 
> its very hard to tell if a croc is under weight as they normally always have a fat belly, and there all muscle no fat.
> 
> ...


Personally I believe live feeding of this type for Crocodilians is the best way. Unlike feeding live rodents to reps, there's no risk of damage to the Croc. from the fish and the Croc. gets fed in a more natural and stimulative way. Just like feeding insects to reps.


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## Connorcaiman87 (Jan 21, 2013)

I heard guppies are good for thiamin which the crocs really need! Do you keep your caiman humid at all? Also what sort of fish would you recommend to try her on? Shes pretty small, bout 9 inches from snout to tip of tail


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## Emeraldandy (Sep 13, 2011)

*Re: Caiman not feeding*

Hi I am afraid this is such a common problem when moving a caiman from one environment to another. They often go on hunger strike until they feel settled and secure, if you can try and resist the temptation to check her/him to many times a day to if its OK . I would provide cover three sides of the vivarium/aquarium with a solid wall, this will allow the caiman to only view your movements from the front and will give the animal greater security. Don't worry if he/she does not feed for a week, it should gain its appetite once settled. As already suggested small moving fish/insects are always a good stimulus and offer these once every three days. I only offer one insect at a time so I know for definite it has been eaten. Hope all goes well with your new acquisition..


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## Connorcaiman87 (Jan 21, 2013)

I totally refitted her tank to provide an insane amount of cover, i leave her well alone now as i know temps are constantly ok, i plan on putting some small fish into her water tomorrow and jus leaving her alone for a few days. thanks very much for all the advice and the well wishes. They are much appreciated!! I will give you all an update when she finally decides to eat a few things. thanks again


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## cagnaj96 (Nov 6, 2010)

How is she doing matee?


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## Connorcaiman87 (Jan 21, 2013)

Has gone from shy to active and curious. Refusing locusts but happily eating all the guppies i offer her! Thanks for all those who offered advice much appreciated


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