female xanth not eating only drinking? what could be wrong

A

alex arango

New Member
my female xanth that just had 9 babies about a month ago on april 1st has not been eating at all latly just drinking alot of water, today has been the 3rd day she has gone with out eating one single cricket just drinking alot of water. 2 days ago i affered her some meal worms and crickets but she didnt eat any at all then i offered her water from a dripper right after i offered her crickets and she started drinking right away and drank alot. yesterday i offered he both water and food and she did not drink or eat. today i offered her food and she didnt eat a single cricket or mealworm she did drink water though. im thinking she could still be pregnant and is going to drop some babies soon but sure i cant tell if shes pregnant or not.
what else could it be?
 
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
xanth jacksons, female, about 13-15 months old, about 5-6 months

Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
normaly 1-2 times a week for free range, past month or so about twice since she just have babies a month ago.

Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
crickets, waxworms, roaches, i offer her about 8 crickets or about 6 roaches every day acationaly some waxworms. i gut load with carrotes and oranges.

Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
calcium plus once a week.

Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
water fauntain. 1-3 minute misting 3-4 times a day. i offer her water every day but usually drinks quit a bit every other day.

Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
about 2 weeks ago i saw her urate was yellow so i offered her more water and started misting her more often, i could find any poop today so i can tell you how its lookn today but about 3 days ago befor cleaning her cage her urate looked much better and much whiter.

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?
screen 18x18x23, homemade

Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
60w household light bulb. 5.0 uvb lights 10-12 hours a day if not taken out to sun.

Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
bottom of cage is at 66 degrees F. basking temp is at 82 degrees F.

Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
humidity is currently at 76, cage is bult over a big plant witch gives good humidity. i use a reptology hydrometer.
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
not sure of name.

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?
in my living room next to my males cage, i have a non see through plastic barrior so they cant see each other. 5-6 feet from top to bottom. about 25 feet from road.

Location - Where are you geographically located?
seattle wa

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
has not been eating for 4 day today. i offered her crickets and waxworms today and didnt eat a single one again but did drink water when i offered her.

-my female xanth that just had 9 babies about a month ago on april 1st has not been eating at all latly just drinking alot of water, today has been the 3rd day she has gone with out eating one single cricket just drinking alot of water. 2 days ago i affered her some meal worms and crickets but she didnt eat any at all then i offered her water from a dripper right after i offered her crickets and she started drinking right away and drank alot. yesterday i offered he both water and food and she did not drink or eat. today i offered her food and she didnt eat a single cricket or mealworm she did drink water though. im thinking she could still be pregnant and is going to drop some babies soon but sure i cant tell if shes pregnant or not.
what else could it be?
 
She may still have another clutch, I have heard of females having multiple clutchs developing inside at once...
But its more probable she is just on a hunger strike. I noticed you said "water fountain"? Thats no good man, it is an excellent source for bacteria to propogate!

Chameleons can go quite a while without food, as long as she is still drinking I wouldnt worry too much. Try some blue bottle flies if this continues, no cham can irresist them!
 
coldbloodedAL said:
She may still have another clutch, I have heard of females having multiple clutchs developing inside at once...
But its more probable she is just on a hunger strike. I noticed you said "water fountain"? Thats no good man, it is an excellent source for bacteria to propogate!
Click to expand...

so is it normal that she is not eating a month after giving birth if she is going to have another clucth?
whats the casue of a hunger strike? is a hunger strike a bad thing?
how often do i have to clean it to prevent bacteria?
 
I've heard that scales usually help. If she has boosted in weight in a week, she is surely pregnant.
And yes what Al said also ^^^^ :)
 
ChamomilleCame said:
I've heard that scales usually help. If she has boosted in weight in a week, she is surely pregnant.
And yes what Al said also ^^^^ :)
Click to expand...
thats a good idea, i will purchas a scale asap. if i get a scale today or tommorow will i notice a differance if i weight her a week later from today or tommorow? if she is indeed pregnant?
 
alex arango said:
thats a good idea, i will purchas a scale asap. if i get a scale today or tommorow will i notice a differance if i weight her a week later from today or tommorow? if she is indeed pregnant?
Click to expand...

Just measure the girl every day for a week and see the progress. Yes, if it is pretty drastic, there is a big possibility that she is pregnant. To be more sure, keep weighing her every day.
 
alex arango said:
so is it normal that she is not eating a month after giving birth if she is going to have another clucth?
whats the casue of a hunger strike? is a hunger strike a bad thing?
how often do i have to clean it to prevent bacteria?
Click to expand...

The most sure way to tell she has another clutch growing is to monitor her weight and size. Sometimes chams just do it, or they get addicted to a certain food and wont eat anything else. I wouldnt start worrying about it until it hits a week/week 1/2. Like I said they can go a while without food as long as they drinking water.
As for the water fountain, if you MUST have it.. I would recommend cleaning it daily or every two days. If she is pooping in it, get rid of it. The risk does not outweigh the benefit.

Edit: I would not weigh her daily, there is no need to stress her out that much. Just do it once a week, and if your moving her outside for some sun you could dp it then too.
 
coldbloodedAL said:
The most sure way to tell she has another clutch growing is to monitor her weight and size. Sometimes chams just do it, or they get addicted to a certain food and wont eat anything else. I wouldnt start worrying about it until it hits a week/week 1/2. Like I said they can go a while without food as long as they drinking water.
As for the water fountain, if you MUST have it.. I would recommend cleaning it daily or every two days. If she is pooping in it, get rid of it. The risk does not outweigh the benefit.

Edit: I would not weigh her daily, there is no need to stress her out that much. Just do it once a week, and if your moving her outside for some sun you could dp it then too.
Click to expand...

well i have a water fall from a pet store but i didnt see my other cham drink from it very often but i will replace her water fauntain n see how she drinks from a waterfall.
 
alex arango said:
ok but i have a hard time giving my 2 year old male vield some water out of a dripper, he has never drank from a dripper, i have seen him drink from his fauntain though. what can i do so he can start drinking from a dripper?
Click to expand...

Have it drip, onto some leaves. One drip every 3-5 sec.
 
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