problems with my gulper

[kido]

i need help with my gulper cat..

about a week ago she suddenly stopped eating and hasn't eaten since.. i have had her for about 2 months now and has been eating regularly shrimp & mussels (handfed) .. but now she will come up, take the food (shrimp or mussels) and after a couple of seconds spit it out.. i just tried feeders but the same thing happened.. after the initial bite, she spits it out..

water parameters are: ammonia - 0 , nitrite - 0 , nitrate - 10 , ph - 7.4

hope you guys can help me out

 

[elindra]

i need help with my gulper cat..

about a week ago she suddenly stopped eating and hasn't eaten since.. i have had her for about 2 months now and has been eating regularly shrimp & mussels (handfed) .. but now she will come up, take the food (shrimp or mussels) and after a couple of seconds spit it out.. i just tried feeders but the same thing happened.. after the initial bite, she spits it out..

water parameters are: ammonia - 0 , nitrite - 0 , nitrate - 10 , ph - 7.4

hope you guys can help me out

Try raising the water temp a little to increase it's appetite?

 

[KenyanSandBoa]

Is there any bloating?

My gulpers won't eat for a while when they bloat. It usually take s little bit and then they purge all of the water and start eating again.

 

[kido]

Try raising the water temp a little to increase it's appetite?

you think i should? cuz its really warm now here in manila.. since its summer, its about 36 celsius feels like more , i don't have a thermometer in my tank so i can't really say what temp its in but i assume its warm..

Is there any bloating?

My gulpers won't eat for a while when they bloat. It usually take s little bit and then they purge all of the water and start eating again.

nope, no bloating as he really looking thin now..

 

[KenyanSandBoa]

you think i should? cuz its really warm now here in manila.. since its summer, its about 36 celsius feels like more , i don't have a thermometer in my tank so i can't really say what temp its in but i assume its warm...

Yeah, that's a bit warm. How warm is it where the tank is? Could it be too hot?

 

[kido]

i'm not sure.. i don't think so since i have been keeping up with my water changes.. also when i try to hand feed her i can feel how warm the water is and its not too hot.. again she does take the food but after a couple of seconds she spits it out

 

[KenyanSandBoa]

i'm not sure.. i don't think so since i have been keeping up with my water changes.. also when i try to hand feed her i can feel how warm the water is and its not too hot.. again she does take the food but after a couple of seconds she spits it out

One of mine does that from time to time. I had luck with holding the shrimp sideways and when the gulper opens to test it I just hook it in his mouth past the throat flap and he'll take it. If I only place it in his mouth, he'll spit it out more often then not.

Figured it may be worth a try...best of luck.

 

[kido]

thanks, will try to do that..

 

[KenyanSandBoa]

thanks, will try to do that..

Just thought I would add this:

The one gulper that is the pain has been going through his starvation period again recently. I tried feeding him on several occasions and he just spit the food out every time.

I decided to do a 40% water change on that tank and later that night he was eating like a pig. I thought I would mention it because maybe that will be enough to stimulate your gulper to eat.

Worth a shot...

 

[kido]

update: after about a month of not eating.. i decided to try to treat with an anti-parasite (ocean free) and added a heater.. after a week of treatment my gulper finally ate and has regained her appetite like nothing ever happened.. so back to normal and eating from my hand..

conclusions:
1. she had a parasitic infection and after treatment, regained her normal appetite
2. appetite was increased due increase in temperature of the tank (heater) and there was no parasitic infection
3. gulpers just have periods of fasting and is their normal behavior

i'm actually leaning towards #3. this is because a lot of gulper keepers have shared that they have experienced the same thing, their gulpers refusing to eat for a period of time and will regain their normal appetite after this period..

what do you guys think?