Having trouble getting my Graceful to eat

[eyespy23]

Ok...I have a four month old Graceful and I am having trouble getting his terrarium hot and humid enough. (i posted for help on the enclosures section and no one is answering me.) So this may be a reason for his not eating the crickets i put in there for him...

He doesn't seem to be at all interested in the crickets. Its not that he isn't fast enough because even when they are perched on his back and walking in front of his face he doesn't care. I dont think they are disappearing so I dont think they are being eaten. So I consulted petco and they said they ONLY feed their chameleons mealworms. So i went to petsmart to get mealworms. they told me that mealworms were not a good staple for their diet and were not very nutritious, but okay if I was needing to get him to eat something. i do dust them with Reptocal by the way. Anyway. I put those in there and he gobbles them up.

So what should I do to get him to eat the crickets. I don't want him to be on an unhealthy diet.

 

[FFSTRescue]

Can you fill out the "How to ask for help" form? I'm not sure where that is on this site, but if someone could post a link for you, that would be helpful.
What temperature are you keeping him at? Are you using a UVB fluorescent bulb along with a basking bulb? Graceful chameleons are sensitive to temperatures and don't like it too hot or they get stressed and won't eat, it should be around 68-73 degrees and they get stressed if it is hot. If you have a basking bulb and it is a small cage, get rid of it, if it is a larger cage (should be a screen cage) put it in a corner where he can get away from it and the temp shouldn't go above 80, give him plenty of fluids, try to hydrate him as much as possible by spraying him for several minutes a few times a day, and maybe he will eat. He may be too stressed from the heat to eat.
That was just a very quick overview, so if you can give us more information about how you are keeping him along with a picture of his enclosure, that would really help.

 

[eyespy23]

Is this what you are talking about?

Cage Info:

* Cage Type - Fully Meshed, 18" length x 18" width x 23" height.
* Lighting - I have two exo terra lamps, one with a 2.0 UV bulb and the other with a 150 watt infrared bulb. Right now i have them both on all the time because im afraid he isnt warm enough
* Temperature - In the middle of the terarrium it is 80 degrees at its hottest but it goes between 70 and 80
* Humidity - about 65%. I have moss in various places, I have a dripper going, I mist several times a day, I go through about 8 oz or more of water a day just by misting.
* Plants - I have an Arthurium Orchid plant in there which I researched to make sure it wasn't on the toxic list and I have a bunch of fake ones too.
* Placement - I have it placed in our Foyer which gets a good amount of sunlight, lower traffic area, probably the more quiet area of the house. Definitely the hottest place in the house.
* Location - Central California


Chameleon Info:

* Your Chameleon - The species = graceful chameleon, sex= They said it was male but I have no reason to believe it is or isnt. and age of your chameleon = They said it was about 4 months old but he is about 4 1/2 inches without his tail. How long has it been in your care? 5 day
* Handling - a few times a day.
* Feeding - I have put several crickets in there and he doesn't seem to be interested in them and I don't think they have been disappearing. I put some mealworms in there and he ate them immediately.
* Supplements - I was gutloading the crickets with Flukers cricket quenchers or something like that...i dust the meal worms and crickets now with Reptocal. But he is only eating the mealworms and not the crickets.
* Watering - I have a little dripper. I have it set up so the drops of water can cascade down the leaves and he can drink them right off the leaves. I mist several times a day, about12 oz of water or less a day and i will mist for about 3 min at a time.
* Fecal Description - I havent noticed any.
* History - i dont have any history. I bought her from a petstore
* Current Problem - I dont know if my terrarium is hot or humid enough.


I am trying real hard to get the temp right and the humidity right. I am worried about him. I have it set up so that he can get to the top and get close to the heat, or go to the lower area and get cool, or there are great big leaves he can hide under if he wants shade.

 

[FFSTRescue]

It sounds like you are very concerned about him, that is nice to see such caring and concerned new owners. You have come to the right place
I am going to try my best to tell you what you're doing well and what needs to be changed, but I'm half asleep, so I hope someone else chimes in and gives info too.
You need to shut off all lights at night. He needs no heat or light at night, and that is how it should be for their health. It is fine if it gets down in the 60's at night. During the day, it needs to be about 68-75 degrees, no more than 75, in the majority of his cage. This species is from an area of the world where it is cooler. We tend to think that all reptiles like it hot, but it is not true with some chameleons. That means that you probably don't need the basking light. And the basking light should never be in the middle of the cage, it should be off to one side so it covers only a small area of the cage. And 150 watts is way too high. You should get a temperature gun and measure the area under the basking bulb, because it shouldn't be more than about 83 degrees for this species at the hottest point. It you have a 150 watt bulb in the middle of the cage, I guarantee that it is getting way too hot for him. Get a smaller wattage bulb, like 40 watts, and try to elevate it off the screen somehow because they cling to the screen right under the bulb and can be fatally burned. This will give him the option to get warmer if he feels like it, and like I said, make sure the hottest part of the cage does not get above 83, plus or minus a couple degrees, and that should only by a very small basking area taking up very little of the cage.
As far a supplementing, make sure the Repcal you are using doesn't have vitamin D3 in it or any other vitamins, that it is just calcium and give a tiny amount of it with the worms at every other feeding, some people say every feeding. Give vitamin D3 once every 2 weeks or so, and give a multivitamin about once every 2 weeks or so. As far as him not eating crickets, he may not be used to them, or he may be stressed from the heat. You should really get a temperature gun, you can get them online or go to a hardware store and see if they have one. I bought one for $13 and compared it to the expensive ones and it is very accurate. That way you can measure the temperature of different areas of the cage.
As far as hydration, it sounds like you are doing a great job. I would get one of those pump sprayers that you get in the gardening section of the hardware store, that way you can spray him for several minutes for the first spraying of each day. After the lights come on, I wait about an hour and spray them for 5 minutes or longer, then the sprayings later that day are less.
It sounds like he isn't defecating, I would feed him wax worms. They are the white, fatty worms that are sold next to the meal worms. They are very soft bodied, and if he has and constipation or impaction issues, they should help. Once you have the beginning things figured out, then you can alter his diet with silkworms, hornworms, and roaches. But I would definitely switch to wax worms for a few days to get things moving through his intestines.
So most importantly, decrease the heat, get some waxworms/grubworms, and make sure you are only giving him calcium at each or every other feeding (a small amount) and vitamin D3 and multivitamins once every few weeks, but I would give multivitamins and D3 to him soon because he is probably low given he is most likely wild-caught.
I always tell people that it is important to take your chameleon to the vet, this advice on here is not medical advice and should not take the place of the medical advice a vet will give you and treatments the vet may give. He could be constipated from having parasites, so the vet will check a fecal and give dewormer. Also, the UV light, is that a long tube light or coil? The long tube fluorescent lights are best because they disperse the UVB light more evenly so he has a better chance of absorbing it. Also, the 2.0 might be too low since it is on top of the screen, you may want to think of a way of mounting it under the screen since screens filter out UV light, or go up to a 5.0 UVB
I know I missed some things and may have accidentally said things incorrectly, but I guarantee someone will correct me if I did and tell you the things I forgot. If you have more questions, do not hesitate to ask, and keep us updated. Also, a picture of your chameleon close up and of his enclosure would really help. I would also go through the gallery images on this website to look at other people's set-ups.
Thanks for asking, everyone loves to help

 

[Elizadolots]

I think your temps are high for that chameleon. I'm a bit jealous. I've wanted a Graceful.

Here's a site with some really good information on caring for a Graceful.

Good luck! I hope you get the problems worked out. I look forward to seeing pictures of your baby once you've got things settled.

 

[kinyonga]

Can you post a picture of the chameleon please?

Look at the back of the heel...graceful males may have tarsal spurs.

Humidity isn't as critical as long as the chameleon is well watered.

In another thread you said..."I have it placed in our Foyer which gets a good amount of sunlight"...the sunlight may be good for providing light, but the UVB from it won't pass through the glass.

You said it won't eat the crickets...how big are the ones you are offering it? If they're too big or too small it won't likely eat them.

You said..."I was gutloading the crickets with Flukers cricket quenchers"...I feed crickets a wide variety of greens (dandelions, collards, kale, endive, escarole, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, etc.)

 

[eyespy23]

Thanks for your responses guys. I have posted a couple pics of Calvin for you. I dont know what "tarsul spurs" look like so if you see that, let me know. They arent great pics.

I think i might have the temperature right now...I have the 150 watt infrared hung so it is a ways away from the top of the cage...so in the hottest part of the cage which is accessible, is about 83...the lowest is about 75. And he has shade so he can get cool and he has vines where he can get warm and he can get close to the window where its a little warmer too. I think the humidity is good now too. With the real plant in there, the moisture sticks a lot longer. I didnt know it woudl do that.

I do also feed the crickets potatoes and apples. And as far as size. I have a mixture of large med and small. I suppose he could be eating them but I have never seen him have any interest and its hard to tell if they are hiding or being eaten. Just when I think he has eaten them, i find them roaming around walking over the top of him again. He does eat the mealworms well though. I will try some other foods.