Chameleon hasn’t pooped in 3 weeks?

[ElliotG]

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - A 3 year old male Veiled Chameleon. In my care 3 months.
• Handling - At least 1-2 a week for cleaning.
• Feeding - I feed Dubai’s, silkworms, super worms and hornworms occasionally. I gut load with collard greens and mustard greens, veggies like carrots and bell peppers occasionally.
• Supplements - Reptivite calcium with D3 and Vitamins on the 1st and 16th of the month. Dusted/liquid calcium (whichever one he takes.) every feeding.
• Watering - misting 3 times a day 2 minutes at a time. Sometimes I’ll take a bottle and spray him to watch him drink. I do see him drink off his leaves. He had a dripper 24/7 that drips onto leaves and into a plant.
• Fecal Description - hasn’t pooped in 3 weeks.
• History - Lived 3 years without heat lamp and UVB and just fed crickets. DIDNT come from best circumstances. Really picky with food at times.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - A screen 2 x 2 x 4
• Lighting - Zoomed 75 watt heat bulb with a Zoomed dome UVB light and a T5 bulb.
• Temperature - his basking spot is low 80s (81)and has areas that are in the high 70s (77-79). Ambient temperature of his enclosure is low 70s(70-73). Nighttime temps in low 70s high 60s. I measure with 3 temp gauges placed in different areas of his enclosure.
• Humidity - 30-50% humidity. Retained by long mistings and live plants. Measured with humidity gauge.
• Plants - I have a dracaena, money trees, a pony tail palm and golden pothos.
• Placement - Cage is temporarily in living room which isn’t high traffic. Only two people live here. Not near vents or busy areas. They will be moved to spare bedroom once renovations are done.
• Location - south eastern Idaho.

Current Problem - He hasn’t pooped in a long time, 3 weeks last Wednesday to be exact. He still has some appetite and ate a hornworm today. I’ve given him a warm shower and mineral oil. There’s other methods I’ll try but I’m wondering what you guys would recommend. If he doesn’t pass by the most next Wednesday he will be going to vet. I just want to give him a chance to pass here. He’s gone on a 2 week streak, this is the longest he’s gone with me. Any advice would help.

 

[ElliotG]

Incase it’s asked. Here’s his enclosure along with lights.

 

[Lindasjackson]

You sure he hasn’t pooped and you just haven’t seen it in amongst all his plants?

 

[ElliotG]

You sure he hasn’t pooped and you just haven’t seen it in amongst all his plants?

I checked with a flashlight everywhere.

 

[kinyonga]

Any signs of him eating bits off their fake vines you have?
Is he producing urates?

 

[Mendez]

He still has some appetite and ate a hornworm today.

How often are you feeding him?

Also, has his routine changed? Is he still climbing up to the basking area to warm up, etc.?

Humidity - 30-50% humidity. Retained by long mistings and live plants. Measured with humidity gauge.

Watering - misting 3 times a day 2 minutes at a time. Sometimes I’ll take a bottle and spray him to watch him drink. I do see him drink off his leaves. He had a dripper 24/7 that drips onto leaves and into a plant.

Is 30-50% humidity the maximum level that your chameleon sees? What did his last fecal look like (if you can remember)?

Do his eyes seem sunken in?

 

[ElliotG]

Any signs of him eating bits off their fake vines you have?
Is he producing urates?

No no bites off his vines. No fake leaves in his enclosure.

I haven’t seen urates.

 

[ElliotG]

How often are you feeding him?

Also, has his routine changed? Is he still climbing up to the basking area to warm up, etc.?



Is 30-50% humidity the maximum level that your chameleon sees? What did his last fecal look like (if you can remember)?

Do his eyes seem sunken in?

I feed him every 2-3 days. Usually 2-3 insects when he accepts them.
His routine hasn’t changed. He’s still waking
Up and basking in the morning, drinking too.

The highest he gets is 55% but that’s right after his mistings. Then throughout the day it goes down to 30% at the least til his next misting.

His eyes don’t seem sunken. He actually seems healthy and active.

 

[ElliotG]

I’m thinking, because people say this, is to let him go outside and let him wander around/exercise. Some people have noticed that after their chameleons have some exercise that they’ll usually poop. I’ll do that tomorrow. If that’s doesn’t work he’ll get a warm soak.

He’s a pretty lazy boy. So it’ll be good effort to try.

 

[Chameleoking]

Love the exclosure!

 

[Sonny13]

If that’s doesn’t work he’ll get a warm soak.

As far as I know they strongly advise against giving them a warm bath.

Just try the option, outside time, natural sunlight and warmth does wonders. I had the same with my veiled a month ago, took her almost 2 weeks, on which I blame on not enough basking heat.

 

[MissSkittles]

Not sure I understand your supplements. Are you giving Reptivite with D3 plus a multivitamin twice a month? Or do you mean the multivitamin is the Reptivite?
Baths and showers are not good ideas. What we think of as lukewarm can actually be scalding hot for a chameleon (or most reptiles). A better idea would be to try and increase your basking temps a few degrees to maybe 85. That should help to increase his metabolism and thereby, his digestion.

 

[Mountain Dragon]

Love the enclosure! is there a possibility he pooped in the leaves where u can’t see and designated that for his pooping spot?

 

[ElliotG]

As far as I know they strongly advise against giving them a warm bath.

Just try the option, outside time, natural sunlight and warmth does wonders. I had the same with my veiled a month ago, took her almost 2 weeks, on which I blame on not enough basking heat.

I’ll try outside then.

 

[ElliotG]

Not sure I understand your supplements. Are you giving Reptivite with D3 plus a multivitamin twice a month? Or do you mean the multivitamin is the Reptivite?
Baths and showers are not good ideas. What we think of as lukewarm can actually be scalding hot for a chameleon (or most reptiles). A better idea would be to try and increase your basking temps a few degrees to maybe 85. That should help to increase his metabolism and thereby, his digestion.

I’m giving reptivite multivitamin with d3 in it.

I’ll increase his basking and see if he poops by the time I get home from school. I’ll only be there for an hour. I just woke up and checked on him and he’s awake and basking. Doesn’t seem lethargic at all.

 

[ElliotG]

Love the exclosure!

Love the enclosure! is there a possibility he pooped in the leaves where u can’t see and designated that for his pooping spot?

Thank you!

I checked everywhere with a flashlight but I’ll do that again today. his poops are really hard to miss, but I’ll have to go looking again.

 

[kinyonga]

its odd that there are no urates or poop.

 

[ElliotG]

its odd that there are no urates or poop.

I think so too. I looked everywhere in his enclosure to no avail. I see him drink all the time and eat hornworms.

 

[ElliotG]

Here’s some picture of him this morning. He had a good misting and drank, I saw him. His eyes seem to look pretty good and he’s moving around.

 

[ElliotG]

Great news everyone, he finally pooped! Right as they get you worried too.

Sorry for the gross pics. But this is the biggest turd I’ve ever seen him pass. I’m so happy he finally did though. Which means no vet for the little guy, maybe he just takes awhile to process I have no clue. I think the hornworms were what finally helped him.