Chameleon refusing to eat crickets and sometimes refuses to eat at all. Question forum filled out.

[Raven]

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care? Veiled Chameleon, 2 months old, 6 days.
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? I’ve held him twice so far. The first day I got him and again today to confirm he is a boy.
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? Right now I’m offering gut loaded crickets but he won’t eat them. I offer one medium size and one small size. I also offer mealworms. He will eat those. I make sure he has a constant supply of 6 mealworms at a time. If he eats three, I replace three. The most he has eaten in one day is 6, but that was only once. The amount he eats varies. One day he only ate 2-1/2 mealworms. For the past two days I have noticed a tha there are usually a few fruit flys flying around inside of his cage. I’m not sure if he eats those. I never see him do so but then again I try to respect him because he hates it when I look at him. It really makes him mad. I gut load my feeders with carrots, potatoes, lettuce and strawberries.
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? Repti Calcium Ultrafine Precipitated Calcium Carbonate Supplement without D3. I dust every feeding except Sunday because on Sunday I use Zoo Med’s Reptivite Reptile Vitamins. I will be switching to a better multi vitamin very soon.
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? There is a waterfall in his enclosure and I mist his enclosure down at least 5-6 times a day. Yes, I have seen him drink both from the leaves and the waterfall.
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? I have only found one fecal dropping since I have had him. It was the day after he arrived. It was dark with white urate. No, i have not had him tested for parasites yet and plan to do a fecal test as soon as it is possible to do so as well as a test for parasites.
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
• When I first got him he ate one cricket. It wasn’t from my hands. I introduced him to his enclosure and offered a few crickets. He saw a bigger one on the side of his enclosure and snatched it up. Every since then he refuses to eat crickets. He went three days without eating anything but then started eating mealworms and now that’s the only thing he will eat. I do offer crickets every day and take them out every night.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? It is a ReptiBreeze Open Air Black Aluminum Screen Cage. 16”x16”x30”.
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? ZooMed Mini Combo Deep Dome Dual Lamp Fixture. Daytime I use a ZooMed ReptiSun 5.0 UVB bulb plus a ZooMed Daylight Blue reptile Bulb. There is no blue light emitted from the bulb that I can see. For nighttime I turn the UVB bulb off and switch the daytime bulb for a 60 WATT Thrive Nighttime Heat bulb for all reptiles. There’s barely any light at all. It’s a very very dim purplish color. I turn the day lights on at sunrise and turn them off at sunset.
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? Basking temp usually stays around 90F during the day. 80-85F at night. Cage floor ranges in temp from 72F- 85F during the day. I’ve seen it drop between upper 60’s to lower 70’s at night. I measure the top temp with a Thrive Thermometer and Hygrometer combo and the bottom temp with a ZooMed Digital Thermometer.
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? There are two different humidity levels. On the top the humidity ranges between mid 50’s to 90. Right now the top is at 58 it looks like. One time the hygrometer was reading 60 then fell to the bottom and read 100. This is how I keep the humidity up. First and foremost, I live in south Mississippi right off the beach. We have a subtropical environment and it is usually pretty humid here. Both outside and inside. I layered his cage with coconut husk and sprayed it to dampen then layered different types of moss that I bought in a pack from PetSmart. It’s a Thrive moss set that is used not only for decoration but also as a means of keeping humidity levels up. It comes with 6 different types of moss including a moss rope and moss sheets. I sprayed that down too to get it dampened. There is also a Thrive Tropical Waterfall Cascade in his enclosure. I clean it every other day.
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? No live plants yet but I am thinking about putting a marble queen Pothos plant in there and also thinking about putting a bleeding heart vine in there for him but have to do research on it before I do to make sure it is safe. I’m also thinking about putting a Variegated Brazil Philodendron vine in there for him. Question... does anyone know if Bleeding Heart Vines or Philodendron Vines are safe? I haven’t seen anyone else use them.
• 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? His enclosure is in front of a south facing bay window in my bedroom. It gets a good amount of sun but also has a lot of trees back there that make it to where the sun isn’t too strong. On nice sunny breezy days I open the window and blinds for him and he seems to love it. It is not near any air vents or fans. The top is somewhere around 4-1/2 feet off the ground. His enclosure sits on a tv stand that sits about 2 feet off of the ground.
• Location - Where are you geographically located? About a block off the beach in southern Mississippi.

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
My Bling Baby ate one cricket the day he came home and refused to eat at all for three days after that. On the fourth day he ate 6 mealworms that weren’t dusted with calcium. On the fifth day I offered him six meal worms that were dusted with calcium and he only ate 2-1/2.
I offer him crickets as well but he refuses to eat them. It doesn’t matter if they’re dusted or not and doesn’t matter what size they are. He simply refuses to eat crickets. The only thing he will eat so far is mealworms. He doesn’t seem to like the calcium powder either. He eats less when I dust his mealworms.
These are the only two feeder options that I can find where I’m at so I’m having to order other feeders off of the internet. I do have some baby hornworms coming in the mail that should be here Monday or Tuesday. Hopefully he will eat those. I just remembered that I can buy earthworms from some fishing shops and probably other types of worms and insects too. I’ll check that out. Hopefully I’ll be able to find one that is open for business during this trying time.
Any advise anyone can give me will be greatly appreciated and I promise I will definitely give people’s advice a try. One thing I can not do though is roaches. I’m extremely terrified of them. So I’m sorry but I won’t be able to follow any advice given that includes those nasty things.
I included a picture of his back feet because some people brought it to my attention that he might be a girl on another forum I’m active on.

 

[Gingero]

Hello and welcome to the forums! Thank you for filling out the questions -- it is super helpful. Lots of feedback coming your way... stay tuned!

 

[kinyonga]

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care? Veiled Chameleon, 2 months old, 6 days.
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? I’ve held him twice so far. The first day I got him and again today to confirm he is a boy.
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? Right now I’m offering gut loaded crickets but he won’t eat them. I offer one medium size and one small size. I also offer mealworms. He will eat those. I make sure he has a constant supply of 6 mealworms at a time. If he eats three, I replace three. The most he has eaten in one day is 6, but that was only once. The amount he eats varies. One day he only ate 2-1/2 mealworms. For the past two days I have noticed a tha there are usually a few fruit flys flying around inside of his cage. I’m not sure if he eats those. I never see him do so but then again I try to respect him because he hates it when I look at him. It really makes him mad. I gut load my feeders with carrots, potatoes, lettuce and strawberries. Mewlworms are not a great food for chameleons. Crickets, silkworms, BSFL, locusts, roaches (oops...sorry) are better options. You should add more to your gutload IMHO...dandelion greens, kale, collards, sweet potatoes, squash, zucchini, carrots, sweet red pepper and a very small amount of berries, mango, papaya, melon, apples, pears are good options.
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? Repti Calcium Ultrafine Precipitated Calcium Carbonate Supplement without D3. I dust every feeding except Sunday because on Sunday I use Zoo Med’s Reptivite Reptile Vitamins. I will be switching to a better multi vitamin very soon. I would recommend adding a phos free calcium D3 powder twice a month too.
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? There is a waterfall in his enclosure and I mist his enclosure down at least 5-6 times a day. Yes, I have seen him drink both from the leaves and the waterfall. waterfalls are not a good thing...they're too hard to keep clean. I would recommend adding a dripper that drips at the rate of one or two drips a second and removing the waterfall.
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? I have only found one fecal dropping since I have had him. It was the day after he arrived. It was dark with white urate. No, i have not had him tested for parasites yet and plan to do a fecal test as soon as it is possible to do so as well as a test for parasites.
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
• When I first got him he ate one cricket. It wasn’t from my hands. I introduced him to his enclosure and offered a few crickets. He saw a bigger one on the side of his enclosure and snatched it up. Every since then he refuses to eat crickets. He went three days without eating anything but then started eating mealworms and now that’s the only thing he will eat. I do offer crickets every day and take them out every night.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? It is a ReptiBreeze Open Air Black Aluminum Screen Cage. 16”x16”x30”.
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? ZooMed Mini Combo Deep Dome Dual Lamp Fixture. Daytime I use a ZooMed ReptiSun 5.0 UVB bulb plus a ZooMed Daylight Blue reptile Bulb. There is no blue light emitted from the bulb that I can see. For nighttime I turn the UVB bulb off and switch the daytime bulb for a 60 WATT Thrive Nighttime Heat bulb for all reptiles. There’s barely any light at all. It’s a very very dim purplish color. I turn the day lights on at sunrise and turn them off at sunset. Colored lights are not recommended...a regular household incandescent light bulb can be used for basking...wattage that produces a basking area in the low to mid 80'sF. For UVB I use a long linear reptisun 5.0 tube light. There should be no lights on at night.
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? Basking temp usually stays around 90F during the day. 80-85F at night. Cage floor ranges in temp from 72F- 85F during the day. I’ve seen it drop between upper 60’s to lower 70’s at night. I measure the top temp with a Thrive Thermometer and Hygrometer combo and the bottom temp with a ZooMed Digital Thermometer. Your baskingtemperature is too hot IMHO....low to mid 80's F is good for that age.
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? There are two different humidity levels. On the top the humidity ranges between mid 50’s to 90. Right now the top is at 58 it looks like. One time the hygrometer was reading 60 then fell to the bottom and read 100. This is how I keep the humidity up. First and foremost, I live in south Mississippi right off the beach. We have a subtropical environment and it is usually pretty humid here. Both outside and inside. I layered his cage with coconut husk and sprayed it to dampen then layered different types of moss that I bought in a pack from PetSmart. It’s a Thrive moss set that is used not only for decoration but also as a means of keeping humidity levels up. It comes with 6 different types of moss including a moss rope and moss sheets. I sprayed that down too to get it dampened. There is also a Thrive Tropical Waterfall Cascade in his enclosure. I clean it every other day.
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? No live plants yet but I am thinking about putting a marble queen Pothos plant in there and also thinking about putting a bleeding heart vine in there for him but have to do research on it before I do to make sure it is safe. I’m also thinking about putting a Variegated Brazil Philodendron vine in there for him. Question... does anyone know if Bleeding Heart Vines or Philodendron Vines are safe? I haven’t seen anyone else use them. I don't know if the two plants you asked about are ok or not. Pothos, hibiscus are good though. With veiled chameleons it's recommended that you use real plants that have been well washed both sides of the leaves.
• 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? His enclosure is in front of a south facing bay window in my bedroom. It gets a good amount of sun but also has a lot of trees back there that make it to where the sun isn’t too strong. On nice sunny breezy days I open the window and blinds for him and he seems to love it. It is not near any air vents or fans. The top is somewhere around 4-1/2 feet off the ground. His enclosure sits on a tv stand that sits about 2 feet off of the ground.Light coming through the th glass won't provide any UVB. Also make sure your chameleon has a way to get into the shade so you don't bake it.
• Location - Where are you geographically located? About a block off the beach in southern Mississippi.

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
My Bling Baby ate one cricket the day he came home and refused to eat at all for three days after that. On the fourth day he ate 6 mealworms that weren’t dusted with calcium. On the fifth day I offered him six meal worms that were dusted with calcium and he only ate 2-1/2.
I offer him crickets as well but he refuses to eat them. It doesn’t matter if they’re dusted or not and doesn’t matter what size they are. He simply refuses to eat crickets. The only thing he will eat so far is mealworms. He doesn’t seem to like the calcium powder either. He eats less when I dust his mealworms.
These are the only two feeder options that I can find where I’m at so I’m having to order other feeders off of the internet. I do have some baby hornworms coming in the mail that should be here Monday or Tuesday. Hopefully he will eat those. I just remembered that I can buy earthworms from some fishing shops and probably other types of worms and insects too. I’ll check that out. Hopefully I’ll be able to find one that is open for business during this trying time.
Any advise anyone can give me will be greatly appreciated and I promise I will definitely give people’s advice a try. One thing I can not do though is roaches. I’m extremely terrified of them. So I’m sorry but I won’t be able to follow any advice given that includes those nasty things. Forget the earthworms...it's not something I would recommend.
I included a picture of his back feet because some people brought it to my attention that he might be a girl on another forum I’m active on.

Hope this helps!

 

[Brodybreaux25]

Perfectly normal behavior for a cham who was recently rehomed.

 

[Gingero]

Feedback In line

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care? Veiled Chameleon, 2 months old, 6 days.
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? I’ve held him twice so far. The first day I got him and again today to confirm he is a boy. Yup definitely a boy.
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? Right now I’m offering gut loaded crickets but he won’t eat them. I offer one medium size and one small size. I also offer mealworms. He will eat those. I make sure he has a constant supply of 6 mealworms at a time. If he eats three, I replace three. The most he has eaten in one day is 6, but that was only once. The amount he eats varies. One day he only ate 2-1/2 mealworms. For the past two days I have noticed a tha there are usually a few fruit flys flying around inside of his cage. I’m not sure if he eats those. I never see him do so but then again I try to respect him because he hates it when I look at him. It really makes him mad. I gut load my feeders with carrots, potatoes, lettuce and strawberries. Couple things here. 1. It is very normal for a chameleon to not eat when getting settled into a new home. Usually takes them at least 2 weeks to get used to their new home. 2. Meal worms are not a recommended feeder because they are not nutritious and be challenging for chameleons to digest from the chitin in their exoskeleton. Other feeders (excluding roaches per your request -- I don't blame ya haha) would be silkworms, black solider fly larvae, superworms (as a treat), hornworms (as a treat), wax worms (as a treat), blue bottle flies, black solider flies, wax moths, and hawkmoths once he is bigger. 3. Potatoes, strawberries, and lettuce aren't great things to be gutloading with since they are high in phosphorus. You want to use fruits and veggies that are high in calcium and low in phosphorus. This video goes over gutloading and better things you could be using but just to name a few, sweet potatoe, collard greens, and mango.
• 
  
• 
  
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? Repti Calcium Ultrafine Precipitated Calcium Carbonate Supplement without D3. I dust every feeding except Sunday because on Sunday I use Zoo Med’s Reptivite Reptile Vitamins. I will be switching to a better multi vitamin very soon. I actually use Reptivite without D3 myself and haven't had any issues. You'll also want to pick calcium WITH D3 and alternate between that and the multivitamin every other Sunday.
• 
  
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? There is a waterfall in his enclosure and I mist his enclosure down at least 5-6 times a day. Yes, I have seen him drink both from the leaves and the waterfall. Waterfalls are VERY RISKY with chameleons. I've seen many chameleons pass away from bacteria growing in the waterfall. I'd recommend using a dripper instead. Any reason why you're misting 5-6 times a day? That is a lot but I am mindful that everyone's natural humidity and chameleon's drinking response is different. Generally twice a day for 2-3 minutes is recommended.
• 
  
• 
  
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? I have only found one fecal dropping since I have had him. It was the day after he arrived. It was dark with white urate. No, i have not had him tested for parasites yet and plan to do a fecal test as soon as it is possible to do so as well as a test for parasites.
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
• When I first got him he ate one cricket. It wasn’t from my hands. I introduced him to his enclosure and offered a few crickets. He saw a bigger one on the side of his enclosure and snatched it up. Every since then he refuses to eat crickets. He went three days without eating anything but then started eating mealworms and now that’s the only thing he will eat. I do offer crickets every day and take them out every night.

 

[Gingero]

Feedback In line

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? It is a ReptiBreeze Open Air Black Aluminum Screen Cage. 16”x16”x30”. Just want to make you aware he will need a bigger enclosure once he is older. At least 24x24x48".
• 
  
• 
  
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? ZooMed Mini Combo Deep Dome Dual Lamp Fixture. Daytime I use a ZooMed ReptiSun 5.0 UVB bulb plus a ZooMed Daylight Blue reptile Bulb. There is no blue light emitted from the bulb that I can see. For nighttime I turn the UVB bulb off and switch the daytime bulb for a 60 WATT Thrive Nighttime Heat bulb for all reptiles. There’s barely any light at all. It’s a very very dim purplish color. I turn the day lights on at sunrise and turn them off at sunset. Your UVB is something that needs to change ASAP. The one you have right now does not penetrate deep enough for him to absorb the UVB. I show this in a video that I test a bunch of different UVB bulbs. I'll link it for you. You'll want a linear T5 HO (high output) UVB bulb and fixture. You can get the Reptisun 5.0 or Arcadia 6%. Unless the room gets below 60F turn off that night light. A temperature drop is beneficial for chams at night and they need totally darkness to sleep.
• 
  
• 
  
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? Basking temp usually stays around 90F during the day. 80-85F at night. Cage floor ranges in temp from 72F- 85F during the day. I’ve seen it drop between upper 60’s to lower 70’s at night. I measure the top temp with a Thrive Thermometer and Hygrometer combo and the bottom temp with a ZooMed Digital Thermometer. 90F is wayyy too hot for a baby. It would be great for an adult... but a baby shouldn't have hotter than 85F. Again, no heat at night please.
• 
  
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? There are two different humidity levels. On the top the humidity ranges between mid 50’s to 90. Right now the top is at 58 it looks like. One time the hygrometer was reading 60 then fell to the bottom and read 100. This is how I keep the humidity up. First and foremost, I live in south Mississippi right off the beach. We have a subtropical environment and it is usually pretty humid here. Both outside and inside. I layered his cage with coconut husk and sprayed it to dampen then layered different types of moss that I bought in a pack from PetSmart. It’s a Thrive moss set that is used not only for decoration but also as a means of keeping humidity levels up. It comes with 6 different types of moss including a moss rope and moss sheets. I sprayed that down too to get it dampened. There is also a Thrive Tropical Waterfall Cascade in his enclosure. I clean it every other day. I'd remove the moss. Poop particles and bug guts can cause bacteria to grow.
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? No live plants yet but I am thinking about putting a marble queen Pothos plant in there and also thinking about putting a bleeding heart vine in there for him but have to do research on it before I do to make sure it is safe. I’m also thinking about putting a Variegated Brazil Philodendron vine in there for him. Question... does anyone know if Bleeding Heart Vines or Philodendron Vines are safe? I haven’t seen anyone else use them. Here is the go-to safe plant list: https://flchams.com/chameleon-safe-plant-list/
• 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? His enclosure is in front of a south facing bay window in my bedroom. It gets a good amount of sun but also has a lot of trees back there that make it to where the sun isn’t too strong. On nice sunny breezy days I open the window and blinds for him and he seems to love it. It is not near any air vents or fans. The top is somewhere around 4-1/2 feet off the ground. His enclosure sits on a tv stand that sits about 2 feet off of the ground.
• Location - Where are you geographically located? About a block off the beach in southern Mississippi.

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
My Bling Baby ate one cricket the day he came home and refused to eat at all for three days after that. On the fourth day he ate 6 mealworms that weren’t dusted with calcium. On the fifth day I offered him six meal worms that were dusted with calcium and he only ate 2-1/2.
I offer him crickets as well but he refuses to eat them. It doesn’t matter if they’re dusted or not and doesn’t matter what size they are. He simply refuses to eat crickets. The only thing he will eat so far is mealworms. He doesn’t seem to like the calcium powder either. He eats less when I dust his mealworms. Please dust with every feeding.
These are the only two feeder options that I can find where I’m at so I’m having to order other feeders off of the internet. I do have some baby hornworms coming in the mail that should be here Monday or Tuesday. Hopefully he will eat those. I just remembered that I can buy earthworms from some fishing shops and probably other types of worms and insects too. I’ll check that out. Hopefully I’ll be able to find one that is open for business during this trying time. Hornworms grow fast so be careful they don't get too big for him. Hard no on the earthworms.
Any advise anyone can give me will be greatly appreciated and I promise I will definitely give people’s advice a try. One thing I can not do though is roaches. I’m extremely terrified of them. So I’m sorry but I won’t be able to follow any advice given that includes those nasty things.
I included a picture of his back feet because some people brought it to my attention that he might be a girl on another forum I’m active on. Definitely male.

 

[Raven]

Hello and welcome to the forums! Thank you for filling out the questions -- it is super helpful. Lots of feedback coming your way... stay tuned!

Thank you so much!

 

[Raven]

Hope this helps!

Thank you so much for your info! One question, what is BSFL? And haha at your roach pun! Lol! How exactly do the temps work for young to adult veiled Chams?

 

[Gingero]

BSFL is black solider fly larvae. Also known as calciworms or phoneix worms.

You'll gradually bump up the wattage of your basking bulb or move the distance of the basking branch (be careful it's not too close to burn your cham) as your chameleon gets older.

 

[Raven]

Perfectly normal behavior for a cham who was recently rehomed.

Thank you so much for clarifying that. I was actually kept telling myself it was normal behavior for the little guy. It only makes since. Plus I’ve read a few other people who were having this same exact problem with their new Chams that were the same age. The only thing that really worries me is the fact that Mr. Attitude over here won’t eat his crickets. He only wants mealworms that aren’t dusted. ??‍

 

[Raven]

BSFL is black solider fly larvae. Also known as calciworms or phoneix worms.

You'll gradually bump up the wattage of your basking bulb or move the distance of the basking branch (be careful it's not too close to burn your cham) as your chameleon gets older.

Awesome I’ll try to find some.

 

[Raven]

Feedback In line

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care? Veiled Chameleon, 2 months old, 6 days.
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? I’ve held him twice so far. The first day I got him and again today to confirm he is a boy. Yup definitely a boy.
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? Right now I’m offering gut loaded crickets but he won’t eat them. I offer one medium size and one small size. I also offer mealworms. He will eat those. I make sure he has a constant supply of 6 mealworms at a time. If he eats three, I replace three. The most he has eaten in one day is 6, but that was only once. The amount he eats varies. One day he only ate 2-1/2 mealworms. For the past two days I have noticed a tha there are usually a few fruit flys flying around inside of his cage. I’m not sure if he eats those. I never see him do so but then again I try to respect him because he hates it when I look at him. It really makes him mad. I gut load my feeders with carrots, potatoes, lettuce and strawberries. Couple things here. 1. It is very normal for a chameleon to not eat when getting settled into a new home. Usually takes them at least 2 weeks to get used to their new home. 2. Meal worms are not a recommended feeder because they are not nutritious and be challenging for chameleons to digest from the chitin in their exoskeleton. Other feeders (excluding roaches per your request -- I don't blame ya haha) would be silkworms, black solider fly larvae, superworms (as a treat), hornworms (as a treat), wax worms (as a treat), blue bottle flies, black solider flies, wax moths, and hawkmoths once he is bigger. 3. Potatoes, strawberries, and lettuce aren't great things to be gutloading with since they are high in phosphorus. You want to use fruits and veggies that are high in calcium and low in phosphorus. This video goes over gutloading and better things you could be using but just to name a few, sweet potatoe, collard greens, and mango.
• 
  
• 
  
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? Repti Calcium Ultrafine Precipitated Calcium Carbonate Supplement without D3. I dust every feeding except Sunday because on Sunday I use Zoo Med’s Reptivite Reptile Vitamins. I will be switching to a better multi vitamin very soon. I actually use Reptivite without D3 myself and haven't had any issues. You'll also want to pick calcium WITH D3 and alternate between that and the multivitamin every other Sunday.
• 
  
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? There is a waterfall in his enclosure and I mist his enclosure down at least 5-6 times a day. Yes, I have seen him drink both from the leaves and the waterfall. Waterfalls are VERY RISKY with chameleons. I've seen many chameleons pass away from bacteria growing in the waterfall. I'd recommend using a dripper instead. Any reason why you're misting 5-6 times a day? That is a lot but I am mindful that everyone's natural humidity and chameleon's drinking response is different. Generally twice a day for 2-3 minutes is recommended.
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• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? I have only found one fecal dropping since I have had him. It was the day after he arrived. It was dark with white urate. No, i have not had him tested for parasites yet and plan to do a fecal test as soon as it is possible to do so as well as a test for parasites.
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
• When I first got him he ate one cricket. It wasn’t from my hands. I introduced him to his enclosure and offered a few crickets. He saw a bigger one on the side of his enclosure and snatched it up. Every since then he refuses to eat crickets. He went three days without eating anything but then started eating mealworms and now that’s the only thing he will eat. I do offer crickets every day and take them out every night.

Hey Gingero! It's nice to meet you. I watch your YouTube videos. I can't remember if I have subscribed yet or not but I will definitely make sure to do that very soon. Thank you so much for Taking time out of your days to answer people's questions personally as well as making informational videos and spreading valuable knowledge to everyone out here watching and reading.
Awesome! Thank you for clarifying that he is a definite boy. I was really worried about that because I don't feel that I am experienced enough to have a girl. Maybe sometime in the future but not now. Lol!
Can you please recommend some websites or eBay sellers to buy these different beneficial insects from at a low price? I am on a budget and cannot afford super expensive things. I usually buy from eBay but recently have been trying to find individual business websites to buy from that have decent prices and good ratings. Awesome, thank you so much for the nutritional information. I have a note book that I write things down in to remember about chameleon care. I guess I could probably store the info in my MacBook LOL! It would be a lot more organized that way and easier to find.
I do know that it is not good for them to only eat mealworms or to eat them on a regular basis. That's why I'm so worried about him. I really need to get him to eat the crickets. I wonder why he just stopped. On the first day that he came home he snatched up a cricket and ate it like he was starved. It was a medium to large size cricket. I had put different size crickets in there on accident. I asked for the 1/4 inch ones at PetSmart and ended up getting all different types of sizes. The first time I fed him I just opened the bag of crickets and dumped some in there. So I guess that big one was the first one he saw. After that day he absolutely refuses to eat crickets. After that I got desperate and got him some mealworms. I tried to get superworms and even asked PS if they had any other insects but they didn't. The lady said they were out of superworms because they go fast.
Someone on Reddit suggested force feeding him the crickets and another person advised against it, I have been thinking about force-feeding the crickets but am unsure about it. I watched a video on how to force-feed sick chams and chams that are on eating strikes in a way that is as stress free and painless as possible. The man said to just gently hold your finger on one side of his head so he can't snatch his head away and just press the insect up against the chameleon's lip until he opens up and eats. I tried this for a few minutes today but Bling wouldn't open up and eat and then he refused to eat at all for the rest of the day. He didn't seem upset or stressed out at all when I was trying. He never got dark and just stayed that same bright green he is when he is content. I didn't try again for the rest of the day and I'm not sure if I should try again or just keep offering the crickets and hoping that one day he will eat them.
As far as the supplements go, I will most definitely take your advice. Everyone says no D3 at all, it isn't good for them. I didn't quite understand how that could be true since it is vital for then to get from the sun and artificial lighting. So I was thinking it had to be ok every now and then. Thank you for clarifying that, I will be sure to add that to his feeding schedule. Do you have any specific brands you would recommend? I can't remember if you said anything about good brands in your video or not.
Ok, waterfall will most definitely be gone now. After watching your video I do understand how they can be extremely risky. However, I am indecisive about the dripper because of the drainage. I don't have any kind of a system like that and I don't have the tools to build one. There has to be another alternative.
I mist 5-6 times a day because I don't mist for two minutes at a time. I mist for 30-45 seconds at a time. He really hates the misting so I shorten the time frame and increase the amount of times that I mist. Plus, I don't always see him drink. I've only seen him drink twice. My daughter has seen him drinking a few times. So, I try to offer water frequently. I do mist the entire enclosure down and make sure everything is dripping with water.
Thank you very very much for all the information you have shared with me and the time you spent correcting and advising me. I hope you had a wonderful Easter! It's nice meeting you, I really like your videos!!! I noticed you have a few plants. Are you also an avid plant keeper? I most definitely am. Last time I did a count on my plant collection I had 40. Since then I have given some away and have bought new ones. Everybody is always telling me that I should start selling plants but it's so hard for me to do so because I always start talking to someone and we have a common interest so I give them things like plants and cuttings when there are people are out there making good money on the same plants and cuttings. LOL!

 

[Raven]

Hey Gingero! It's nice to meet you. I watch your YouTube videos. I can't remember if I have subscribed yet or not but I will definitely make sure to do that very soon. Thank you so much for Taking time out of your days to answer people's questions personally as well as making informational videos and spreading valuable knowledge to everyone out here watching and reading.
Awesome! Thank you for clarifying that he is a definite boy. I was really worried about that because I don't feel that I am experienced enough to have a girl. Maybe sometime in the future but not now. Lol!
Can you please recommend some websites or eBay sellers to buy these different beneficial insects from at a low price? I am on a budget and cannot afford super expensive things. I usually buy from eBay but recently have been trying to find individual business websites to buy from that have decent prices and good ratings. Awesome, thank you so much for the nutritional information. I have a note book that I write things down in to remember about chameleon care. I guess I could probably store the info in my MacBook LOL! It would be a lot more organized that way and easier to find.
I do know that it is not good for them to only eat mealworms or to eat them on a regular basis. That's why I'm so worried about him. I really need to get him to eat the crickets. I wonder why he just stopped. On the first day that he came home he snatched up a cricket and ate it like he was starved. It was a medium to large size cricket. I had put different size crickets in there on accident. I asked for the 1/4 inch ones at PetSmart and ended up getting all different types of sizes. The first time I fed him I just opened the bag of crickets and dumped some in there. So I guess that big one was the first one he saw. After that day he absolutely refuses to eat crickets. After that I got desperate and got him some mealworms. I tried to get superworms and even asked PS if they had any other insects but they didn't. The lady said they were out of superworms because they go fast.
Someone on Reddit suggested force feeding him the crickets and another person advised against it, I have been thinking about force-feeding the crickets but am unsure about it. I watched a video on how to force-feed sick chams and chams that are on eating strikes in a way that is as stress free and painless as possible. The man said to just gently hold your finger on one side of his head so he can't snatch his head away and just press the insect up against the chameleon's lip until he opens up and eats. I tried this for a few minutes today but Bling wouldn't open up and eat and then he refused to eat at all for the rest of the day. He didn't seem upset or stressed out at all when I was trying. He never got dark and just stayed that same bright green he is when he is content. I didn't try again for the rest of the day and I'm not sure if I should try again or just keep offering the crickets and hoping that one day he will eat them.
As far as the supplements go, I will most definitely take your advice. Everyone says no D3 at all, it isn't good for them. I didn't quite understand how that could be true since it is vital for then to get from the sun and artificial lighting. So I was thinking it had to be ok every now and then. Thank you for clarifying that, I will be sure to add that to his feeding schedule. Do you have any specific brands you would recommend? I can't remember if you said anything about good brands in your video or not.
Ok, waterfall will most definitely be gone now. After watching your video I do understand how they can be extremely risky. However, I am indecisive about the dripper because of the drainage. I don't have any kind of a system like that and I don't have the tools to build one. There has to be another alternative.
I mist 5-6 times a day because I don't mist for two minutes at a time. I mist for 30-45 seconds at a time. He really hates the misting so I shorten the time frame and increase the amount of times that I mist. Plus, I don't always see him drink. I've only seen him drink twice. My daughter has seen him drinking a few times. So, I try to offer water frequently. I do mist the entire enclosure down and make sure everything is dripping with water.
Thank you very very much for all the information you have shared with me and the time you spent correcting and advising me. I hope you had a wonderful Easter! It's nice meeting you, I really like your videos!!! I noticed you have a few plants. Are you also an avid plant keeper? I most definitely am. Last time I did a count on my plant collection I had 40. Since then I have given some away and have bought new ones. Everybody is always telling me that I should start selling plants but it's so hard for me to do so because I always start talking to someone and we have a common interest so I give them things like plants and cuttings when there are people are out there making good money on the same plants and cuttings. LOL!

Oh, I have another question for you that I've really been wondering about. I have a full spectrum LED grow light. Its one of the NARS LED grow light knock offs with the tiny little colored squares that are lights. It's super bright. I can't switch it from veg to bloom. It's just flat out full spectrum but don't emit heat. I was wondering if it would be ok to use it for Bling every now and then as a sun source. Would it be good or bad for him? I think it is strong enough to give a human being a sunburn but am not sure about that. Maybe at a safe range so it won't be so intense for him? I know it was good for my understory plants like my Tacca and Medinilla plants as long as I had the plants shaded with other plants or when I didn't put them directly under it.

 

[Gingero]

So happy you find my videos helpful and you are very welcome As long as someone is willing to learn and make changes, I'm willing to share what I know.

- I buy most of my bugs from Josh's Frogs who have the reputation for being high quality but they aren't the cheapest on the market. Other keepers breed their own bugs because that's the most cost effective. I know some people buy off Ebay (I think @Brodybreaux25 does?) so I'll let them weigh in.
- PLEASE DO NOT FORCE FEED. This can cause stress and harm if not done properly. Plus your guy not eating right away is totally normal. I promise. Also if you offered bugs that are too big, he is less likely to eat them. You generally want them no bigger than the width between their eyeballs. Just give him time and keep offering crickets. Plus chams can go weeks without food if need be.
- I use Rep-Cal products for my calciums and Reptivite without D3 for my multivitamin.
- See if you can position the dripper to land into a potted plant. That would help catch any water plus water your plant
- It's really not recommended to mist that often. You have to make sure the enclosure is dry between mistings or you run the risk of bacteria growing. Chams are shy drinkers and just because you don't see him drinking, doesn't mean he isn't. I've only seen Neptune drink 3 times total in the almost 2 years I've had him. The way to check if he is drinking is by his urates.

Thank you for the well wishes! Hope you had a great Easter as well. I only have a handful of plants and most of them end up in chameleon enclosures haha

I'm going to let @cyberlocc weigh in on the LED lights since he knows way more about those than I do. What he really needs is a linear T5 UVB that I mentioned earlier

 

[cyberlocc]

Oh, I have another question for you that I've really been wondering about. I have a full spectrum LED grow light. Its one of the NARS LED grow light knock offs with the tiny little colored squares that are lights. It's super bright. I can't switch it from veg to bloom. It's just flat out full spectrum but don't emit heat. I was wondering if it would be ok to use it for Bling every now and then as a sun source. Would it be good or bad for him? I think it is strong enough to give a human being a sunburn but am not sure about that. Maybe at a safe range so it won't be so intense for him? I know it was good for my understory plants like my Tacca and Medinilla plants as long as I had the plants shaded with other plants or when I didn't put them directly under it.

Do you have a link to it? With the specs or what not?


Full Spectrum, with most LEDS doesn't mean Full Spectrum like a UV flo bulb. It means that LED provides the full Visible spectrum, which does not include UV, another words it cannot give a human a sunburn .

As long as the light isnt Blurple, it should be fine. Also yank that Blurble night light, if temps get below 50 at night, get a Arcadia deep heat PJ. Despite common thought, moonlight is not Purple/Blue its just 4 lux, which is pretty much impossible to recreate.

 

[Chamlover89]

I absolutely love bsfl they are great. We have a gecko that goes crazy for them. The cham eats them, and the dart frogs like them as a treat periodically. All around great feeders and they keep an extraordinarily long time. Great to keep on hand in a pinch if you run out of crickets or he takes a hunger strike. I keep them in a closet that stays a little cooler and they keep well.

 

[Raven]

So happy you find my videos helpful and you are very welcome As long as someone is willing to learn and make changes, I'm willing to share what I know.

- I buy most of my bugs from Josh's Frogs who have the reputation for being high quality but they aren't the cheapest on the market. Other keepers breed their own bugs because that's the most cost effective. I know some people buy off Ebay (I think @Brodybreaux25 does?) so I'll let them weigh in.
- PLEASE DO NOT FORCE FEED. This can cause stress and harm if not done properly. Plus your guy not eating right away is totally normal. I promise. Also if you offered bugs that are too big, he is less likely to eat them. You generally want them no bigger than the width between their eyeballs. Just give him time and keep offering crickets. Plus chams can go weeks without food if need be.
- I use Rep-Cal products for my calciums and Reptivite without D3 for my multivitamin.
- See if you can position the dripper to land into a potted plant. That would help catch any water plus water your plant
- It's really not recommended to mist that often. You have to make sure the enclosure is dry between mistings or you run the risk of bacteria growing. Chams are shy drinkers and just because you don't see him drinking, doesn't mean he isn't. I've only seen Neptune drink 3 times total in the almost 2 years I've had him. The way to check if he is drinking is by his urates.

Thank you for the well wishes! Hope you had a great Easter as well. I only have a handful of plants and most of them end up in chameleon enclosures haha

I'm going to let @cyberlocc weigh in on the LED lights since he knows way more about those than I do. What he really needs is a linear T5 UVB that I mentioned earlier

Well, today I have some good and maybe bad news. When I got home from work today I found him sitting on top of his hygrometer, which sit way up top between the lights. He was a really dark color. I’m. Not sure if he was upset for some reason or if he was hot. No one was here while I was working today, the kids were with my sister. But I got him out and this time instead of turning and running he came right out on my finger. Then he slowly startled lightening up his colors until he was really bright green. Then he finally ate from my hand!!! I was so happy and proud of him!
I took your advise and took most of the moss out. I left the moss rope and that stringy blonde moss hanging from some branches and as much as I absolutely hated it, I took the waterfall out because you’re right. It is a breeding ground for bacteria. Now it’s a bare bottom.
I do have a ton of plants, but I’m afraid his enclosure might be too small right now so I’ll have to figure something out. Maybe put a cup at the bottom to catch the drips? I could just empty and clean it every day. I watched your video about putting a milk jug with a hole tacked into the bottom and using that as a drip system. Perhaps I’ll try that out. I do like the idea.
Is it safe to use the blue dawn dish soap to clean his enclosure? I know it’s safe for the plants. You can even make a mixture and spray it on the plants to get rid of certain pests. But not sure if it’s safe for a reptile. I think I used to use it to clean a snake’s cage that I had years ago.

Today I found a urate that was older but it was mainly white and the tip was yellow. It was less than half of the urate. Is that ok?
The hornworms came in today and he loves them! Yay! He is till refusing to eat the crickets though. And not eating the mealworms anymore. I think he has been eating these darn fruit fly’s or fungus gnats that came into my house off my plants. They’ve been swarming his cage. I’m not sure if it’s ok or not. They might slow down since I took all the coconut husk and green moss layers out. I’m having a hard time getting rid of them. My neighbor below me told me that she’s been having a problem with them in her apartment too. Might be beneficial for Bling here but it’s seriously annoying for us. Lol!

 

[Raven]

Do you have a link to it? With the specs or what not?


Full Spectrum, with most LEDS doesn't mean Full Spectrum like a UV flo bulb. It means that LED provides the full Visible spectrum, which does not include UV, another words it cannot give a human a sunburn .

As long as the light isnt Blurple, it should be fine. Also yank that Blurble night light, if temps get below 50 at night, get a Arcadia deep heat PJ. Despite common thought, moonlight is not Purple/Blue its just 4 lux, which is pretty much impossible to recreate.

It is definitely a blurple or magenta color. Lol! Have you ever seen one of those badass square NARS lights? It’s a knockoff of one of those and works pretty good! My plants looked amazing when they were under that light.

 

[Raven]

It is definitely a blurple or magenta color. Lol! Have you ever seen one of those badass square NARS lights? It’s a knockoff of one of those and works pretty good! My plants looked amazing when they were under that light.

I’ll check and see if I do. It should be in my purchase history on eBay.