Closed eyes, wandering, can't tell if eating- please help!

[Gannon]

I just got my male baby veiled Chameleon shipped to me 3 days ago and at first glance he was very active and drinking a lot of water, 2 days have past and he's not opening his eyes a lot and he just started wandering and clinging to the top of his cage- I put crickets and meal worms in his cage and can't tell for 100% certainty that he's been eating. I'm very worried about him, any help would be very much appreciated.



Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care? Baby Veiled Chameleon, can't be more than 2 months old, he's a boy. I've had him for 2 whole days now
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? I've only held him once.
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? Crickets, I've been trying to feed him 5-7 crickets each day, I just don't see him eating much at all
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? Repti Calcium without D3- everyday with his crickets and Rep cal calcium with D3 every other Thursday- getting vitamins soon for other Thursday
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? I have a mistking Mister, and I must his cage for short durations between 3-5 times a day
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? I've only seen him poop once.
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? 2x2x4 feet repti breeze
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? 5.0 UVB (I think reptisun) and I think a 100watt heat bulb
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? The bottom of his cage will fluctuate between 75-80 degrees while his basking spot is between 85-95
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? Very humid as I mist frequently
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? Yes, pothos vines, fichus tree and scheffalares tree
• 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?its located on an IKEA table next to my dresser and in between my window
• Location - Where are you geographically located? Columbus Ohio

 

[bobbydigital]

Know exactly how many feeders you're putting in there that way you can keep tabs on how much your cham has consumed. Or try cup feeding.

 

[kinyonga]

It might be that the lights are bothering it.

 

[Gannon]

Can anyone recommend better light setting? What had worked for you guys? I'm pretty sure the UVB is ok but what could I use as a better basking bulb? Also I just put in a small dish with a couple meal worms in addition to his feeder crickets, I'll be sure to locate the crickets and keep tabs on them.

 

[bobbydigital]

I could be wrong, but I feel like 100 watt is too high. I use a 75 watt at the moment with a 5.0. Also you should add some more vines.

 

[kinyonga]

It's the UVB that I was thinking could be the problem. I
Some of them can cause eye problems.

 

[Gannon]

I currently have two UVB's I have a reptisun 5.0 tube which a lot of people on the site recommend and a 5.0 exo terra bulb, currently using the reptisun, and I have Pothos Vines growing at the sides of his cage atm, hes usually good at licking water off his scheffalares Leaves, hes still behaving this way and not eating well- someone please help

 

[bobbydigital]

When you say not eating well, is he eating at all?

 

[serenaj25]

Can anyone recommend better light setting? What had worked for you guys? I'm pretty sure the UVB is ok but what could I use as a better basking bulb? Also I just put in a small dish with a couple meal worms in addition to his feeder crickets, I'll be sure to locate the crickets and keep tabs on them.

ditch the mealworms they have little nutrition value and the hard exoskeleton can cause an impaction, especially for a cham that little. Has he been pooping?

 

[Gannon]

He's only pooped once that I could see yesterday, do you have tips on assisting him with eating feeder crickets? He doesn't seem motivated at all to hunt them in his enclosure. And if he's eaten he's eaten at maximum 3 feeders in the time I've had him. Which is worrying I know he needs like 5-7 feeder crickets a day at minimum.

 

[kinyonga]

At that age he should be eating 15 or so crickets small enough to fit in his mouth comfortably.
Was he opening the eyes when you first got him?
When did you switch to the Repti-sun?

 

[Gannon]

I oringinally purchased the repti sun, but switched before I got him because I heard conflicting messages about it, he was opening his eyes when I first got him. He's been using the exoterra bulb until just yesterday I switched to the repti sun because people were suggesting maybe the one I was currently using was bothering his eyes. Does anyone have any tips on getting him to eat? He's been hanging on the side of his cage for a while and doesn't seem motivate to look for his feeders.

 

[kinyonga]

What size are the crickets? Try dripping water on the tip of his nose at the rate of one drop per second or so and when he starts drinking slip a cricket head first between his teeth.

 

[Zephalia]

Definitely use the Reptisun linear tube - the coil bulb is useless and harsh on their eyes. I see that you do not have many branches/foliage on the top third of his enclosure. Babies need to feel secure, especially when housed in larger cages. Run several vines/branches horizonally across the top third of the enclosure - make the closest spot about 6 inches down from the top and then have varying heights for him to perch on lower than that. Find some fake foliage as well to drape along the vines for extra places for him to hide in. I also recommend bumping him down to a 60 watt bulb - he's climbing the cage and 100 puts out a lot more heat so you don't want him getting burned. Just place the basking spot close enough that you get a 90Fish basking spot for him.

The reason I make these suggestions is that they climb on the cages when they feel unsafe as they are trying to find a way out. He needs to be high up AND hidden but the top area of your cage doesn't have much in it so the only places for him to hide are low down and that's just not suitable for him. While he's up there climbing around trying to get out, he's not having access to water or food and is getting dangerously close to his lighting. If you fulfill these needs for him, I think you will see a change in his behaviour but please make them quickly as babies can dehydrate so fast from going off food/water.

I have attached one of my baby cages for you to look at - this is what I'm talking about. I also scatter a few crickets in the cage, as some babies prefer to hunt - as well as place a cup with feeders in it for easier food access.

 

[Gannon]

I lowered the wattage bulb and am going out for more vines and foliage after work today- Zoro will open his eyes once in a while and can move around ok, he still has his eyes closed for a majority of the time. I called the breeder I purchased him from (LLLReptile) and they said that I should continue care but let him get more used to his new enclosure. And I'm also putting everything into practice people on the forums are suggesting. Zoro (my chameleon) seems to be more active but I'm still really worried about his well being. Thanks for the input everyone and I'm always open to more tips!

 

[bobbydigital]

Have you looked up a good reptile vet in your area in case you need to take him to the vet?

 

[Gannon]

Definitely use the Reptisun linear tube - the coil bulb is useless and harsh on their eyes. I see that you do not have many branches/foliage on the top third of his enclosure. Babies need to feel secure, especially when housed in larger cages. Run several vines/branches horizonally across the top third of the enclosure - make the closest spot about 6 inches down from the top and then have varying heights for him to perch on lower than that. Find some fake foliage as well to drape along the vines for extra places for him to hide in. I also recommend bumping him down to a 60 watt bulb - he's climbing the cage and 100 puts out a lot more heat so you don't want him getting burned. Just place the basking spot close enough that you get a 90Fish basking spot for him.

The reason I make these suggestions is that they climb on the cages when they feel unsafe as they are trying to find a way out. He needs to be high up AND hidden but the top area of your cage doesn't have much in it so the only places for him to hide are low down and that's just not suitable for him. While he's up there climbing around trying to get out, he's not having access to water or food and is getting dangerously close to his lighting. If you fulfill these needs for him, I think you will see a change in his behaviour but please make them quickly as babies can dehydrate so fast from going off food/water.

I have attached one of my baby cages for you to look at - this is what I'm talking about. I also scatter a few crickets in the cage, as some babies prefer to hunt - as well as place a cup with feeders in it for easier food access.

Can you tell me what kind of vines and foilage you're using in your baby cage? Amazon link? I put more in mine but yours looks very cool and effective- thank you.

 

[Zephalia]

@Gannon I use green garden wire from the dollar store in my enclosures. I wind them or braid them to make them thicker for the larger animals. You can get a pretty big roll for just a couple bucks. As for foliage, I stick to pothos and umbrella for the baby cages. I also drape fake plants/vines from the dollar store over the branches in order to create hiding spaces and surface for the crickets to walk on. I like to keep my baby cages more simple than the adults as I need to be able to monitor who is eating and find everyone without too much trouble.