baby male veiled not eating

[e30nate]

Chameleon Info:

* Your Chameleon -male veiled, about 3 months. had it about a week
* Handling - maybe three times since ive had him
* Feeding - feeding crickets, i offer as many as he will eat throughout the day, he usually eats between 5-10. i feed the crickets nature zone cricket total bites. its what the guy at lll recommended.
* Supplements - repcal calcium with d3 and herptivite once so far, and sticky tongues calcium o every feeding.
* Watering - i have a dripper dripping most of the day, and hand mist 3-4 times a day for about a minute each. i saw him drink the first day and thats it.
* Fecal Description - its brown with white urate. never been tested
* History - dont have any. i bought him from lll reptile last friday.


Cage Info:

* Cage Type - 12x24x24 all screen
* Lighting - exo terra repti glo 5.0 linear and a 55 watt basking bulb.
* Temperature - temp is constantly 70 and 79-80 basking temp. use a digital thermometer at basking spot, and thermo/hygro combo.
* Humidity - between 55-60, jumps to about 68 after misting. use a digital thermo/hygro combo.
* Plants -ficus with fake vines and benda branches.
* Placement - it is in my bedroom right next to the closet. no air vents or anything, fairly low traffic. top of cage is about 5.5-6 feet from floor.
* Location - im in southern california.


he has been really good, except he hasnt eaten at all yesterday or today. i put a couple mealworms in his cage today, and cant find them, so he might have ate them, but not sure. he usually cup feeds his crickets, but has shown no interest. he is very active and keeps his eyes open and stuff. just not eating.

 

[carol5208]

Honestly I don't see anything in your set up that would cause your cham not to eat. Ambient of 70 is a tad low but your basking is perfect. You humidity is good.How big are your crickets? If they are too big he might be having trouble eating them? The only suggestion I would make is to gutload your crickets with fresh fruits and vegetables. This has nothing to do with why your cham is not eating, but just something that is better for the health of your cham in the future.

 

[moviemanmania]

How many days have you had him so far? Is he showing dark stressed colors or does he seem pretty happy and curious?

 

[e30nate]

i got him last friday, so a little over a week. hes usually pretty light colored. not quite as light as when hes sleeping, but close, but the last few days hes been really dark, and this morning after i turned his lights on, he was very still with his neck puffed up and his front foot in the air.

 

[jannb]

What size crickets are you feeding him? He should be eating at least 10 to 12 appropriate size feeders everyday. Sometimes young Veileds don't like to cup feed and if the food is too big they can't eat it.

 

[e30nate]

What size crickets are you feeding him? He should be eating at least 10 to 12 appropriate size feeders everyday. Sometimes young Veileds don't like to cup feed and if the food is too big they can't eat it.

theyre no bigger than quarter inch. since i have had him, he hasnt eaten more than ten in a day. hes really shy about it too, if he even sees you walk in the room he will stop eating and go to his basking spot. i will try free roaming them tomorrow and see what he does.

 

[e30nate]

could he not be eating because hes stressed? hes very dark almost all the time for the last couple days, and whenever you open the cage, he runs and hides. another question, if the humidity in his cage stays between 50-60% wit just his dripper going, do i still have to mist. i think the misting could be stressing him out because he absolutely HATES misting.

 

[jannb]

could he not be eating because hes stressed? hes very dark almost all the time for the last couple days, and whenever you open the cage, he runs and hides. another question, if the humidity in his cage stays between 50-60% wit just his dripper going, do i still have to mist. i think the misting could be stressing him out because he absolutely HATES misting.

Unless it's a very large 3 month old, I only mist and do not drip. Make sure the cage is dry between mistings.

 

[pssh]

Maybe he's going to shed? Does he look dull or pale? you could also try raising his basking spot a few degrees. Babies can still thermoregulate you know Some just do better at warm temperatures earlier, especially since it's winter.

 

[e30nate]

i thought maybe he was going to shed. he does look kinda dull, but he is really dark. at night when hes sleeping, hes a very bright green though.

 

[jannb]

Have you tried taking him out of the cage when you are around to closely supervise and allowing him to hang out on a plant or small tree? Sounds like he's depressed in the cage.

 

[e30nate]

i just tried that. i put a small schefflera on top of the tv and let him climb around on it. i also put his feeders in a shallower cup, and as soon as i put him back in his cage, he ate four crickets and a mealworm. i guess he either hates the cup or needed somewhere new to roam. he also is a lot lighter in color too.

 

[e30nate]

hes not getting better

hes still not eating. for a few days he would eat a couple worms and a few crickets, but now hes not eating at all again. today i noticed his urate was kinda yellow. i mist about 4 times a day, and keep a dripper going. today i noticed he was basking with his eyes closed too. his temps and humidity are good. i dont know what to do

 

[jannb]

You have a good chameleon vet not to far away Dr. Greek. I would call tomorrow and get him in. Mean time if you have any sunshine at your house today and it's not below 50 take him outside in the sun for awhile.....just keep him in the low to mid 80's in the direct sun. Sun can work wonders for these guys.

Attila Molnar, DVM *
All Animals Medical Center, Calabasas, California - (818) 591-2773

Daniel Reimer, DVM *
Adler Veterinary Clinic, North Hills, California - (818) 893-6366

Thomas H. Boyer, DVM
Pet Hospital of Penasquitos, 888-F Carmel Mountain Road, San Diego, CA - (858) 484-3490
Pet Hospital of Penasquitos

Todd R. Cecil, DVM
Pet Emergency and Specialty Center, Chula Vista, CA (619) 591-4802 and La Mesa, CA (619) 462-4800

Tom Greek, DVM
Greek & Associates Veterinary Hospital, 23687 Via Del Rio, Yorba Linda - (714) 463-1190 or (866) 940-7028
www.tomgreek.com

 

[Julirs]

Ha e you tried raising his temps? Take him up to 85 and see what happens. As far as drinking, sometimes they can be stubborn. You may have to just mist and mist and mist until he starts to drink. You a handsprayer with a super fine mist so you don't end up flooding your house.

 

[pssh]

Ha e you tried raising his temps? Take him up to 85 and see what happens. As far as drinking, sometimes they can be stubborn. You may have to just mist and mist and mist until he starts to drink. You a handsprayer with a super fine mist so you don't end up flooding your house.

Yeahh. Like I said, some just do better at high tempertures sooner than others.

He may look miserable while you do it, but just keep on misting him. It might also help to put him in the tub on a plant while you do it, for drainage. it might take 2 minutes, or 20 minutes, but just keep misting. Try to use hot water in the bottle so it comes out lukewarm ish. They are usually more receptive to drinking when the water isn't freezing.

 

[e30nate]

last night i put him on his schefflera in the shower for like 20 minutes, and he seemed to love it. he was a very bright green instead of his usually "army" green, and even after i put him back in his cage he was bright until i turned out the lights, but this morning when i turned them on and he woke up he was back to his dark color.

whats the lowest the humidity should drop to at night? i mist before i turn out the lights, and it gets up to about 65-70, and by morning when i turn the lights on its down to around 35%. is that too low for him?

 

[pssh]

Humidity isnt usually the problem. Veileds can stand super low humidity as long as they get enough water to drink.

In the shower did he seem stressed at all? My chameleons fire up in the shower because they dont like it.

 

[Julirs]

You should let your cage dry out before you turn the lights out. You do not want your chameleon sleeping in a wet cage. I think you are overthinking humidity. Did you bump his temps up yet?

 

[e30nate]

he didnt seem stressed at all. he actually seemed very happy. he would be exploring everywhere, and when he found a spot he liked, he would sit there all stretched out and let the water get him.

i make sure to let the cage dry before i turn out the lights, that way bacteria cant build up cause its wet. i did raise the temps a little. his basking area is at 85 and the rest at about 72-75