2 senegal cham feeding issues

[acford]

i have 2 juvenile senegal chameleons that are barely eating. we put crickets in their cage so they can eat them freely but they do not touch them. So because of not alot of choices they eat mealworms, maybe 2 a day and thats it. I have been asking around at reptile expo's about what is a good food for them besides crickets because i know mealworms are not the greatest for them. I was told that hornworms are good and so are phoenix worms, and i wanted to get more information before ordering them online. Does anyone have and suggestions or ideas that i can use, or any information on what is better for them?

 

[SSimsswiSS]

House flies are a good at getting their feeding attention. What size crickets are being used? You might want to play with sizes. A smaller cricket might be choosen over a large adult cricket.

 

[acford]

right now we are using the small/ medium size from petsmart. They aren't that big so i do not think they could eat the large ones.

 

[james L]

Your senegals are more then likely sick. Almost all senegals for sale are WC. Most are full of parasites, worms, bacterial infections you name it. You should bring them to a vet and get a fecal float done on both animals. This way, if there is a real issue causing them not to eat, you can catch it early before they get really sick, then die. How are you housing them?

 

[acford]

They are housed together in a 16x16x20 screen cage. Does any vet look at them or is there some type of special place to go?

 

[james L]

It helps to have someone familiar with reptiles. You should house them separately in the size cage you have. What kind of lighting are you using? What are your cage temps? Is the weather warm outside where you live? the reason I ask is because they may do better for you outside. Im currently keeping mine outdoors, but i live in S.FL.

 

[acford]

the temp stays between 75 to 80. I live in maryland and right now it has been a little bit chilly for may. But when the weather is nice i have them outside. I use a 60w zilla day blue light bulb and for a few hours out of they day i alternate with a 50w basking bulb. But when i have the light off of them it seems they are more active and like their cage without the light.

 

[james L]

Chams are diurnal reptiles that NEED uvb lighting. They should get it for at least 10 hours a day. They also need a basking bulb (which you have). That should be on during the day also. You should get 75watts but 50 will do. The uvb bulb should be 5.0 or 10.0 fluorescent. No compact bulbs. There are a few brands to choose from. Zoomed makes the best for the money. Dont take this the wrong way but you need to do alot of research on chameleons. They are very difficult to care for. Sorry.........

 

[acford]

so my chameleons now have their own reptisun 5.0 uvb bulb and a basking bulb, and both senegals are already eating more, they even tried some crickets.The senegals have a vet appointment for wednesday. Now if the vet does/probably will find worms what do they do to take care of the problem?

 

[serenitystarlite]

How big are they? That cage is a little small for 1, let alone 2 unless they are really tiny. They're a smaller chameleon but I would go with a slightly bigger cage for each of them and I definitely wouldn't house them together. Do you happen to know where they were imported from? That can help greatly with your temperatures/humidity

 

[pssh]

so my chameleons now have their own reptisun 5.0 uvb bulb and a basking bulb, and both senegals are already eating more, they even tried some crickets.The senegals have a vet appointment for wednesday. Now if the vet does/probably will find worms what do they do to take care of the problem?

they will probably give you medicine to get rid of the parasites. If you come back here and let people know what meds you got for which parasites, they can help you with any extra care/signs you should look for while on it. Some meds dehydrate them so they just need extra water, stuff like that will be really helpful so you know what to expect.

Good luck!

 

[acford]

they are smaller. We have been told since they have been housed together since they were very young they could be kept together until we saw any signs of aggression which we havent yet.... is this true? And no i do know know where they were imported from i bought them from a reptile expo and never even thought to ask.

 

[acford]

they will probably give you medicine to get rid of the parasites. If you come back here and let people know what meds you got for which parasites, they can help you with any extra care/signs you should look for while on it. Some meds dehydrate them so they just need extra water, stuff like that will be really helpful so you know what to expect.

Good luck!

ok thank you so much!

 

[pssh]

Hello, while experienced chameleon owners can sometimes keep two or three together in the same cage, it is really not recommended for chameleons other than pygmies and sometimes mellers. It would probably be best for them in the long run to just get them seperate cages. The sometimes very subtle stress signs can be hard to catch to a newer owner and can/will be very detrimental to the health of the animals over all. I would get a second cage with all the goodies as soon as possible.

 

[luevelvet]

Senegalensis are a tricky species. If they were raised together and show no signs of stress or aggression, then it's possible for them co-habitate, but they will need plenty of space and and plant cover. I recommend a larger cage if you do want to keep them together. We housed single animals in 2x2x3' cages and to be honest I couldn't imagine two adult senegalensis getting along in that size. It was perfect for just one.

They tend to like it very warm and wet. I cannot stress their water needs enough. We had ours in the same misting system as our montanes, 10mins 3x per day. They love to bask, so don't place the bulb too close to prevent burns. One female we had wasn't happy unless I used a 100w bulb, while the male didn't seem to mind it with a 75w. I'm not suggesting you use a 100w bulb, you should monitor your temps carefully and adjust accordingly.

As noted above, they do tend to carry a good deal of parasites and do stress out easily, a combination that doesn't treat chameleons very well at all. A vet visit is definitely the way to go and hopefully will get your two little ones on the right track.

Post some pictures of the actual animals and their enclosure. Every little bit of info helps.


Cheers!

Luis