So I've had a Veiled cham for about a week today and he's been perfectly fine. Eating, sleeping, drinking all correctly. But when I woke up today, he was hanging from the top of the cage and when I took him down he was flinching oddly. As I sat him down on a leaf he seemed fine. I fed him a cricket which he excepted but he's only eaten that 1 today other than the regular 7 a day. Also, he will not open either of his eyes, they look popped out like they have been before, but this has happened all day. I don't know if he's just started to shed or what but I am deeply worried.
Advise needed. Deeply worried.
- Thread starter MyaJade
- Start date
Ventari
New Member
Julija
New Member
I agree about him looking dehydrated, and shower would be a good idea. If you decide to try it it is very important that you don't shower him directly!!
Take a plant, put your chameleon on it, make the water luke-warm, then direct the shower head so that water hits the wall an bounces of it and on to the plant where your chameleon is sitting. Showering him directly will stress him out immensely, especially considering that he is still so young.
Also, do not leave him unattended because he can accidentally drown considering how small he is.
carol5208
Chameleon Enthusiast
Make sure when you give advice like this, you explain in detail. You told the member to give him a "real shower" which would mean dousing him with jets of powerful water which could kill him if he aspirated the water.
Your Chameleon - He is a 2 month old Veiled that I've had for a week starting today.
Handling - I handle him at lease once everyday.
Feeding - I am currently feeding him 7 crickets a day, which I gut-load with 'Total Bites'
Watering - I use the dripper technique to water him. I mist every hour. But I've seen him drinking only a little bit so far.
Cage Type - His cage is glass with a screen top.
Temperature - Its is usually 80 degrees daily for him with a lot of shaded areas in his cage.
Humidity - The humidity level veries from 50-70.
Location -I live up in Lakewood, Colorado.
Handling - I handle him at lease once everyday.
Feeding - I am currently feeding him 7 crickets a day, which I gut-load with 'Total Bites'
Watering - I use the dripper technique to water him. I mist every hour. But I've seen him drinking only a little bit so far.
Cage Type - His cage is glass with a screen top.
Temperature - Its is usually 80 degrees daily for him with a lot of shaded areas in his cage.
Humidity - The humidity level veries from 50-70.
Location -I live up in Lakewood, Colorado.
deadhd5
Avid Member
I don't agree that he looks dehydrated, but something is not right if he isn't opening his eyes, which is likely due to your enclosure and lighting setup.
Please elaborate on the enclosure (is it a terrarium or an aquarium) and your lighting. Remove the heat lamp at night, temps can go down to low 50's at night and he will be ok. Any light at night disrupts sleep and could be the cause for his sleepy eyes.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/
Here is the caresheet for vields, follow it to the detail. You may need to make a bunch of changes (it appears you got some poor advice if you are using a red heat lamp 24/7) but these changes are necessary if you want your cham to live longer than a month or so.
Good luck!
deadhd5
Avid Member
Seeing ribs is not an indicator of dehydration. Orange urates, sunken eyes, and skin folds are symptoms of dehydration. A perfectly healthy cham could show some rib depending on their pose.
Thank you so much for the link. He's doing a lot better sense yesterday.
