Graceful Chameleon dark with black spots

[aslater09]

Hello! Let me start out by saying that i love the site and all the discussions alot! They've been very helpful to me in taking care of my cham. Ive had my cham for almost a week now and she is my first that ive ever had. But there are some things that have been worrying me about her. First of all i have only seen her eat once and it was a cricket. But i noticed that some of the crickets where jumping around her and walking on her and she looked like she was kind of annoyed. So i took out the crickets and i have tried cup feeding her some meal worms that are dusted with calcium(without d3) but she has not ate even one. So thats one of the things that is upseting me. Also, today she has been dark colored with black spots for a few good hours now and she still has not ate. I dont if maybe she is just not used to her new home or another thing that im not sure about is maybe she needs to lay eggs? I dont know what to do! I just want her to be okay and happy bright shade of green

 

[kinyonga]

If you put an opaque container (12" deep x 12' x 8" almost full of washed play sand) in her cage it will be one thing less to worry about.
Can you post a picture of her please?
What's the basking temperature in her cage?

 

[Ashton777]

I just got my first lizard the other day too! She's is also a graceful chameleon, she is a year old and was breed on a farm. I feed her the first day and she ate about 12 crickets. She is very shy and gets scared when I putt hand anywhere in the cage. She gets kinda darker green with dark spots too! She ate 5 crickets yesterday and also like you there were crickets crawling around and sometimes on her. She also didn't look like she liked them being in her but I have still left them in there. She didn't drink much water either just a couple sips. Now today she hasn't drinken any or hasnt eaten either. She dosent move around much just kinda stays in her baskIng area. The temp at her basking area is around 71. Please let me know what else you have done or how your chameleons have acted aswell, thanks!!

 

[CNorton]

I just got my first lizard the other day too! She's is also a graceful chameleon, she is a year old and was breed on a farm. I feed her the first day and she ate about 12 crickets. She is very shy and gets scared when I putt hand anywhere in the cage. She gets kinda darker green with dark spots too! She ate 5 crickets yesterday and also like you there were crickets crawling around and sometimes on her. She also didn't look like she liked them being in her but I have still left them in there. She didn't drink much water either just a couple sips. Now today she hasn't drinken any or hasnt eaten either. She dosent move around much just kinda stays in her baskIng area. The temp at her basking area is around 71. Please let me know what else you have done or how your chameleons have acted aswell, thanks!!

Please be careful! A chameleon that doesn't eat or drink and displays lethargic behavior (like staying in one spot all day) CAN mean there are underlying health conditions. I would recommend giving absolute privacy and lots and lots of water. What I mean by privacy is to make sure the chameleon cannot see people or pets walking by or looking in on it at all, for these first few days/weeks. I always tape paper towels up for privacy. If you want to make sure it is eating...count the crickets and only check at nighttime.

Are you familiar with the shower method? Turn the shower on lukewarm and direct the spray towards the wall. Place a plant with lots of leaves in the rebound or splash of the water, not directly in the stream. Make sure the water can properly drain, so the chameleon doesn't drown. Make sure the chameleon is placed on the plant and leave the chameleon in the shower with the water going for 30-50 minutes.

The increased humidity will be good for rehydration even if the chameleon doesn't start drinking. In my opinion, water is absorbed through the skin of a chameleon. Do this for several days, I would recommend two days in a row, only regular misting on the third day, and a shower for the fourth day.

If you haven't taken your graceful to the vet yet, please do! At the very least, take a fresh fecal sample to the vet and have them "do a fecal float and smear." Gracefuls are VERY VERY rarely bred on a farm (actually I've not heard of them being bred in captivity since the mid 90s) so your chameleon is most likely wild-caught. That doesn't mean that it is necessarily healthy or unhealthy. Just keep in mind that it has been through major trauma to get to you and now needs time to rehabilitate.


BOTTOM LINE: Hydration, Privacy, Nutrition, and then Medication (if parasites are found from the fecal sample) I hope this was helpful.

 

[kinyonga]

Ashton777 said..."The temp at her basking area is around 71"...that's too low. I would bump it up to the mid 80's. No wonder she's not moving much...she has to be cold.

 

[Ashton777]

I bought her from a pet store and they told me she was breed on a farm. Ok so i went and got her a 150W infrared instead of my 100w, i also got her a uvb 10.0 bulb. I talked to a guy today and he said chams can go a month without eating! So i was maybe thinking not to feed her for a day and see if the next day she will eat? I also notice she is closing her eyes right now. Im wondering is she is tired because the light change. I usually keep the infrared on all day/night, and turn on the uvb/uva around 9-10.30 am and turn it off around the same time.

 

[kinyonga]

Aslater09...can you fill out the answers to the questions in the "how to ask for help" thread at the top of the health forum please?
Hows' she doing now?