ChamelaChameleon
Chameleon Enthusiast
Today he has been gaping. Not like a RI. More like I'm not happy or leave me alone.
Carmelo Cham
- Thread starter ChamelaChameleon
- Start date
ChamelaChameleon
Chameleon Enthusiast
He gets in these positions and can't move. I think the grabbing of the leg is in response to the awkward positions. Also his movement is limited due to the safety netting I added in March. I know he's not cold because I added a heat lamp. He may be weak because he has refused to eat for a few days. I just offered him a hornworm and he just turned his back to me and the hornworm. He is using all 4 legs when he walks away and turns his back to me!
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ChamelaChameleon
Chameleon Enthusiast
I haven't had grasshoppers, his absolutely favorite feeders, for 2 weeks. Could he be having a tantrum for grasshoppers? I have ordered grasshoppers. They should arrive in a few days. The gaping happens when I approach the cage.
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
Poor big guy. Wish I had answers. Maybe ChamelaChameleon
Chameleon Enthusiast
I think he ate the hornworm. I can't find it in the cage. I have silkworms and grasshoppers in route.
So I am pretty concerned with how full his cheeks and casque are. If this is how they always are then he is holding far too much weight. Renal failure would be very high risk with this much being held if that is fat. If they have just gotten that full in a short period of time then something else is going on in his body... worry would be issues of organ function and swelling due to that. May be a pain response and that is why he is grabbing like that.
ChamelaChameleon
Chameleon Enthusiast
He had complete bloodwork and xrays in late ~ March- early April. Results were very good. Healthy organs and very strong bones. He has been overweight since I adopted him. He's only getting 2 feeders 3 times a week. 1 staple (medium grasshopper or cricket) and a medium horn or silkworm. Even with this restriction - he has lost no fat in his cheeks or casque. He has lost a bit of body mass but even that is really slow. A medium grasshopper is about 1 inch in length. I could feed 2 times a week.
Would medium feeders be enough nutrition? Carmelo is aware that falling gets my attention quick, quick. Could his odd positions be a plot to get more feeders? Upside down in the Money Tree planter looking at me with eyes of pity is a bit far but it gets my attention. Then when I place him on a branch, he immediately slides down the branch upside down. Even though he just gripped my hand with the strength of Samson! His grip is strong, strong. He can climb up the tree swing with no hesitation.
Today, he is basking and acting normal. No odd positions, no hanging by 1 claw. Yesterday I gave him a hornworm. He refused to eat it in my sight but he ate it after I left the room. Can Chameleons be this smart and manipulative? I feel like I'm being manipulated for feeders! @Beman HELP!
Oh, and gaping at me like he's a brat! Turning his back when I enter the room. Not today, today he is his normal self.
@Beman. Look at the 1st picture. He is clearly looking at me. The second picture, you can't see his eyes but he looked at me as soon as I got within his sight.
Would medium feeders be enough nutrition? Carmelo is aware that falling gets my attention quick, quick. Could his odd positions be a plot to get more feeders? Upside down in the Money Tree planter looking at me with eyes of pity is a bit far but it gets my attention. Then when I place him on a branch, he immediately slides down the branch upside down. Even though he just gripped my hand with the strength of Samson! His grip is strong, strong. He can climb up the tree swing with no hesitation.
Today, he is basking and acting normal. No odd positions, no hanging by 1 claw. Yesterday I gave him a hornworm. He refused to eat it in my sight but he ate it after I left the room. Can Chameleons be this smart and manipulative? I feel like I'm being manipulated for feeders! @Beman HELP!
Oh, and gaping at me like he's a brat! Turning his back when I enter the room. Not today, today he is his normal self.
@Beman. Look at the 1st picture. He is clearly looking at me. The second picture, you can't see his eyes but he looked at me as soon as I got within his sight.
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ChamelaChameleon
Chameleon Enthusiast
This is him upside in the Money Tree. Notice him looking at me.
ChamelaChameleon
Chameleon Enthusiast
@MissSkittles do you think he's being manipulative? I'm serious! He seems perfectly fine today. Part of me thinks he's having a tantrum for grasshoppers. I haven't had grasshoppers for 2 weeks. I've been giving him crickets. 1st week he ate the crickets. 2nd week he did not eat any crickets only 1 hornworm on each feeding day. In March when he was really falling from branches, he got a ton of attention. We let free roam in a large indoor tree, took him outside for at least 1 hour everyday, and held him as long as he wanted to be held. We would take him to the cage and he would not climb in. When he is ready to go back to his cage, he climbs in with no hesitation. I don't know if Chams are smart enough to be manipulative but I think Carmelo is being a spoiled rotten brat! Even his gaping was directed at me. My daughter went in and he did not gape at her. As soon as I walked in a few minutes later he began gaping.
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
While I’ve no doubts that they are quite smart and have us wrapped around their mitten fingers, I don’t think they’re capable of manipulating behavior. For example, the hunger strikes are really just that they have no interest in the food we give and aren’t hungry enough to eat it anyhow. We give in before they get hungry enough and give the really yummy favorites and the cycle repeats and we are reinforcing that ‘fussiness’. I really think he’s probably in his later stage of life and is having his good days and bad days. I’m going to guess that your daughter has never really bothered Carmelo with handling or anything like that. So she isn’t seen as anyone who might want to interact or (gasp!) handle him. While you are the bringer of yummies and the taxi to the interesting and cool places, you are also the one who has done all of that terrible stuff too, like vet visits and stuff.
I wouldn’t reduce his diet any further. Even though he is chubby, he does still need nutrition. Also, I believe it was @jannb who once told me that it is difficult for the fat in the casque and cheeks to reduce.
If he is not losing anything with what your feeding 3 days a week then yes I would reduce to 2 days and monitor weight loss weekly with a gram scale.
ChamelaChameleon
Chameleon Enthusiast
My daughter found Carmelo like this
ChamelaChameleon
Chameleon Enthusiast
She tried to help him to a branch but he started bucking his head and gaping at her. He then climbed onto a branch himself. My grasshoppers just arrived. She is gonna feed him 1 to see his reaction plus today is a feeder day.
ChamelaChameleon
Chameleon Enthusiast
I'm 99.999% convinced that he is having tantrums for grasshoppers. There is a slight possibility that he might be suffering from short term memory loss and he forgets to grip the branch. I just don't know. His husbandry is good, uvb bulb was changed in ~March, basking is ~82, he has a dripper during awake hours, misting 2 times a day, and night time fogging everyother night and his grip is very strong. I really think he's throwing tantrums. I wonder if others have had this behavior.I’m so hoping he is just being a brat. A cute brat at that. Hoppers do your magic and get Carmelo back to good.
Sonny13
Chameleon Enthusiast
This looks more like he could be having seizures, we’ve seen it with other chams. This could cause a second or seconds neurological dysfunction and knocking him off balance and grip making him fall. This would explain more his behavior he doesn’t know what happened, but is in a weird unnatural position. I would slowly think of making a fall safe environment for him.
ChamelaChameleon
Chameleon Enthusiast
His cage is fall safe. I did that ~March. I added plastic netting. He was falling from branches at that time. That's why we have the weird positions. The netting prevents him from falling to the floor. I'll just continue to monitor him.
Sonny13
Chameleon Enthusiast
Perfect! Thought I remembered it, but didn’t read back the posts.
ChamelaChameleon
Chameleon Enthusiast
Update: This guy has not had 1 issue since the grasshoppers have arrived. I'm feeding him 1 large grasshopper and 1 sm-med hornworm 2 times a week. No odd positions, no upside down on branches, no laying in the Money Tree pot. Nothing! No gaping! Nothing! He seems to be as happy as can be! I feel like he was having tantrums for grasshoppers. It was his way of letting me know he was not happy.
