Baby Veiled Not Eating- Becoming Skinny

acmartin7

New Member
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Veiled, female, 17 days old (2 weeks, 3 days). She hatched from her egg on June 5th. She was incubating from November 9th.

Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
2 to 3 times per week so far and this has been to try and move her toward food and water.

Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the
schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Pin Head Crickets, Grated Carrot, Kale, Cucumber, Blueberries. I have only seen her eat once and it was only a little bit of blueberry and carrot. i have not seen her eat any of the pinhead crickets. feeding one-two times a day. we have been gut-loading the feeders with flukers orange all in one supplement/ diet and flukers yellow water gel.

Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?

Multi-vitamin(once every 3 days) and calcium with d3(once every 3 days).
the brand of both is repti-cal.

Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?

We have a dripper system that drips at a very slow rate all day and we mist 2-3 times a day till the leaves are wet.

Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?

We have not noticed any droppings so far. They have not been tested for parasites.

History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

We incubated the eggs since Nov 9th, 2013. 3 out of the 7 eggs have hatched so far.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?

We have a screen type cage, 2 feet wide by 2 feet long by 4 feet tall.

Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?

We have a Zoo Med Basking Combo Pack (night and day) and Zoo Med ReptiSun 5.0 UVB T5 HO Lamp.

Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?

68 degrees on the floor and 85 degrees at the top (basking spot). The lowest overnight temp is 65-70 degrees.

Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?

The humidity is anywhere between 60-80% according to thermometer/humidity dual gauge we got from Petco.

Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?

We have 2 plants, a large schefflera that reaches to the top of the case and a pothos that is closer to the bottom of the case.

Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?

The cage is located next to a window on the second floor of an apartment building facing hills and tree tops. The top of the cage is 8 feet from the floor.

Location - Where are you geographically located?

We are located in the Bay Area/ San Francisco, Ca area.


Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

We have not noticed her eat for the last week and a half and she is looking very weak and skinny compared to her counterparts. We have not noticed her drink water. She has been keeping her eyes closed unless you stimulate her physically (meaning nudging her with our fingers or trying to move her closer to food) and she has also been hanging upside down for long periods of time without moving (4-5 hours or more at times)

Pictures:
The entire cage.
Cage 1.jpg

The Baby we are worried about
Chameleon 1 Skinny.jpg

Her sister who was born a few days after her who we are comparing her size to.
Chameleon 2.jpg

A close up of the inside of the cage.
Cage.2.jpg

She seems to be getting worse! Does anyone have advice?

Any help as to what we should do would be greatly appreciated!
-Angela and Dago
 
Yeah, I would say force feed her - mash up some crickets/berries and give it to her via an oral syringe. She may not appreciate all the handling and coaxing towards food either. When my cham was smaller he never really drank water, just absorbed it but it probably wouldn't hurt to put some treated water in the mash as well. Good luck! As always, if problems persist - see a vet.
 
She's soo small that I wouldn't feel comfortable force feeding her. It's a delicate thing to do, and being so small if you don't have experience force feeding this might be too risky.

I would separate her into a much smaller cage and see if being alone and having an easier time finding food makes things easier for her.
 
veggie and fruit pureed baby food. smear it on a plant leaf. you may have to smear a little around it's mouth, to get her started. Newborn veils HATE people! I would NOT encourage any activity around her unless absolutely needed. Increase her temp to around 85f, slowly and mist frequently to the side of her. Not directly on her, as it will stress her even more. Sometimes, the veils can be late starters. Don't let her dehydrate!!!!! They can have quick turnarounds. Definitely try hydei fruit flies. God's answer for stubborn veils.
 
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