Chameleon is eating less

Tbeamiss · Oct 18, 2020

Beman said:
@Tbeamiss I am going to give you feedback but I have a few additional questions to ensure you get the right info.

• Male veiled chameleon 6-7 months. In the pics is he holding the mouth slightly open or is this his normal resting with the mouth not closed all the way?

• 3 times a week for 5-10 minutes

• Feeding locusts everyday.. How many are you feeding?

• Calcium with out D3, nutrobal vitamins Can you post a pic of your supplements so I can make sure they have everything he needs? Along with your schedule of use.

• Dripper system in place

• Poo is normal colour and urate is white

• Cage reptibreeze starter kit.. He has outgrown this enclosure. He has to have a 2x2x4. They can become restless and stressed when they are in a cage that is too small for them.

• T8 uvb reptile systems 10%, on 12 hours a day. This needs to be switched to a T5HO fixture with a 5.0or 6% UVB bulb. You need a 9 inch distance with this fixture and the highest branch below it for him to not be over exposed or under exposed to UVB. The UVB you have is not ok for a few reasons... A 10.0 T8 he would need to get 5 inches below it but that is if it had the reflector panel to push the UVB down. This one does not. MBD is a risk with improper UVB>

• Misting at lunch time for 2 minutes.. Misting should be done prior to or after lights are off to reduce the heat in the cage when you add moisture.

• Temperature basking spot 90⁰c near bottom of the cage 75⁰c Do you mean Farenheit? 90F is too hot. At basking low 80's is best. They live longer lives when they are not exposed to higher temps.

• Humidity with out misting is around 50% Ideally your looking for 30-40% daytime and up to 100% at night. Not misting mid day when heat lamp is on will help reduce levels.

• I use a live house plant which is safe for chameleons (I can't remember the name)

• Location is up high on chester draws

• I am in the Uk

Sorry for the late reply I have brought a bigger cage today. All the things you are saying I'm doing. I have been In contact with my breeder. I'm trying to get my hands on a t5 fixture but I'm not sure which one is best. What do you recommend?

Tbeamiss · Oct 18, 2020

Tbeamiss said:
Sorry for the late reply I have brought a bigger cage today. All the things you are saying I'm doing. I have been In contact with my breeder. I'm trying to get my hands on a t5 fixture but I'm not sure which one is best. What do you recommend?

He was also just holding his mouth open. If it was constantly like that what does this mean.

Tbeamiss said:
Sorry for the late reply I have brought a bigger cage today. All the things you are saying I'm doing. I have been In contact with my breeder. I'm trying to get my hands on a t5 fixture but I'm not sure which one is best. What do you recommend?

He gets large locusts around 6 a day

He was

Tbeamiss said:
Sorry for the late reply I have brought a bigger cage today. All the things you are saying I'm doing. I have been In contact with my breeder. I'm trying to get my hands on a t5 fixture but I'm not sure which one is best. What do you recommend?

He has 6 large locusts a day sometimes 8

He was just holding his mouth open

His supplements routine is what my breed has given me. I have been in contact with recently about this.

Tbeamiss · Oct 18, 2020

Tbeamiss said:
breed

*breeder

Beman · Oct 19, 2020

Tbeamiss said:
He was also just holding his mouth open. If it was constantly like that what does this mean.

He gets large locusts around 6 a day

He was

He has 6 large locusts a day sometimes 8

He was just holding his mouth open

His supplements routine is what my breed has given me. I have been in contact with recently about this.

Have you changed the basking temps to what I recommended? If your temps are still 90F then he could be gaping because he is too hot. They will also gape when they have a respiratory infection. Or even when you walk up on them and they are being defensive.

So if your across the room and it is still 90F in there at basking and he is gaping under the heat then it is more then likely due to the temp being too hot for him.

If you lowered your temps and he is doing it consistently it could mean he has a respiratory infection. He would need a vet in that case to be treated.

If he does it every time you walk up to the enclosure then he is showing a defensive posture. Letting you know your in his space and to back off.

Tbeamiss · Oct 19, 2020

Beman said:
Have you changed the basking temps to what I recommended? If your temps are still 90F then he could be gaping because he is too hot. They will also gape when they have a respiratory infection. Or even when you walk up on them and they are being defensive.

So if your across the room and it is still 90F in there at basking and he is gaping under the heat then it is more then likely due to the temp being too hot for him.

If you lowered your temps and he is doing it consistently it could mean he has a respiratory infection. He would need a vet in that case to be treated.

If he does it every time you walk up to the enclosure then he is showing a defensive posture. Letting you know your in his space and to back off.

I have changed the temps yes. Brilliant that's good to know about the respiratory infections. He doesnt do it a lot. Hes a very friendly chameleon and never does any defense displays. Thanks for the help

Beman · Oct 19, 2020

Tbeamiss said:
I have changed the temps yes. Brilliant that's good to know about the respiratory infections. He doesnt do it a lot. Hes a very friendly chameleon and never does any defense displays. Thanks for the help

If you go to this page https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-academy-podcast/
And in the search function for the podcasts there type in gaping. You will get episode 162 What a Gaping Chameleon Means
Give that a listen. It will help you identify the differences.

Chameleon is eating less

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