Connorology
Avid Member
If your chameleon won't eat despite having his eyes open you may still need to force feed him.
My chameleon was lethargic and refusing food. I made "bug juice" (as I have seen it previously referred to) out of several different feeder types, unflavored pedialyte, and a little egg yolk. It was gross, but it worked well. I tossed a bunch of juvenile crickets, a couple superworms (recently shed if possible), and a few waxworms into a plastic bag which I stuck in the freezer to kill them. I then crunched them all up, removing the shells of the superworms while leaving as much of the delicious worm-goo behind as possible (hey, I warned you it was gross). The waxworms really help the consistency, and though a lot of keepers don't like waxworms, I think the fat content makes them good for sick animals. If you can get butterworms, reptiworms, hornworms, or silkworms they would probably all be great additions, but if you don't have access to the more exotic feeders, the crickets, waxworms, and superworms work fine.
After all the bugs were mashed up, I added a little bit of egg yolk and pedialyte to get the mash about smoothie consistency and loaded it into a syringe. If you're anticipating having to force feed him for an extended period of time, you could load several syringes and stick the unused ones in the freezer and then thaw them before the next feeding.
To force feed it's probably best to have a helper if that's an option. Try to get the syringe above the chameleon's tongue and squirt in a little bit at a time, giving him time to swallow down the mash to ensure he doesn't asphyxiate.
I found this article particularly helpful for formulating a diet: http://www.chameleonnews.com/02SepDonoghue.html
After a few days of syringe feeding my chameleon's weight stabilized, he started eating on his own again, and he made a full recovery.
My chameleon was lethargic and refusing food. I made "bug juice" (as I have seen it previously referred to) out of several different feeder types, unflavored pedialyte, and a little egg yolk. It was gross, but it worked well. I tossed a bunch of juvenile crickets, a couple superworms (recently shed if possible), and a few waxworms into a plastic bag which I stuck in the freezer to kill them. I then crunched them all up, removing the shells of the superworms while leaving as much of the delicious worm-goo behind as possible (hey, I warned you it was gross). The waxworms really help the consistency, and though a lot of keepers don't like waxworms, I think the fat content makes them good for sick animals. If you can get butterworms, reptiworms, hornworms, or silkworms they would probably all be great additions, but if you don't have access to the more exotic feeders, the crickets, waxworms, and superworms work fine.
After all the bugs were mashed up, I added a little bit of egg yolk and pedialyte to get the mash about smoothie consistency and loaded it into a syringe. If you're anticipating having to force feed him for an extended period of time, you could load several syringes and stick the unused ones in the freezer and then thaw them before the next feeding.
To force feed it's probably best to have a helper if that's an option. Try to get the syringe above the chameleon's tongue and squirt in a little bit at a time, giving him time to swallow down the mash to ensure he doesn't asphyxiate.
I found this article particularly helpful for formulating a diet: http://www.chameleonnews.com/02SepDonoghue.html
After a few days of syringe feeding my chameleon's weight stabilized, he started eating on his own again, and he made a full recovery.
