Help! Henry won't eat! :(

Briostarr

Briostarr

New Member
Help! Henry won't eat and is very thin. I used to be an avid reptile girl, but it's been about 15 years and I've forgotten half of what I knew. There is no reptile vet in my area either or I would have been there yesterday! Please see history below, I'm new to this forum and it won't let me move it.




Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - Male Veiled Chameleon, about 1 year old, have had for about a year.
  • Handling - Not very often, he gets awnry. I've been trying to handle him more over the past month though.
  • Feeding - Only crickets, usually about 10 per day. Tried meal worms, he wasn't a fan.
  • Supplements - Have not supplemented yet
  • Watering - Used to have a water fall but got rid of it, too finicky. Now I Mist a full spray bottle worth, about 2x daily. He loves it, drinking from leaves the air and side of cage. Moves around alot and enjoys it.
  • Fecal Description - Poo seems normal brown. Never tested
  • History - He was great until this Christmas when I realized that he needed help. I worked so much that it took me a while to notice that he was dehydrated. Eyes stayed closed and sunken in, wouldn't move. Also, I had moved to bigger cage and didn't upgrade lighting, so it wasn't warm enough. So I got 100w and misted him constantly with a mixture of water and Pedialyte (too old school?). He came back better than ever, strong appetite and healthy again. Now I've noticed over the past week that he's not eating. I've seen him eat one cricket, and the others are hanging out still. He didn't seem dehydrated, but he's slightly lethargic. He's still alert, and does move around but has changed his hangout spots. He's even been at the bottom of the cage digging which made me question his sex for a minute. Today he was sitting on the bottom sleeping, but is now back up top. He's very thin but still bright colors. I know that his set up is not good, but now I'm really afraid to change it and stress him out even more. It's a 39 gallon tank,standing on its side. One whole side is screen but lights sit on the glass. Is he not getting enough uvb? Not enough ventilation? The basking temp is about 100, rest of cage is about 75. Humidity about 40%.

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - glass fish tank, standing on its side. Front is screen
  • Lighting - 12 hrs 100w zoo med , Exoterra heat global 50w 24hours.
  • Temperature - Basking at 100°, mid is about 75° and bottom is 70°. Do not know night temp.
  • Humidity - 40%, long mist 2x daily.
  • Plants - live, schefflera trinette
  • Placement - In my bedtoom on my dresser. He sits eye level with me. Low traffic, no vents or fans.
  • Location - Central Michigan

Current Problem- Please look in history section.
 

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Briostarr said:
Help! Henry won't eat and is very thin. I used to be an avid reptile girl, but it's been about 15 years and I've forgotten half of what I knew. There is no reptile vet in my area either or I would have been there yesterday! Please see history below, I'm new to this forum and it won't let me move it. .




Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - Male Veiled Chameleon, about 1 year old, have had for about a year.
  • Handling - Not very often, he gets awnry. I've been trying to handle him more over the past month though.
  • Feeding - Only crickets, usually about 10 per day. Tried meal worms, he wasn't a fan.
  • Supplements - Have not supplemented yet
  • Watering - Used to have a water fall but got rid of it, too finicky. Now I Mist a full spray bottle worth, about 2x daily. He loves it, drinking from leaves the air and side of cage. Moves around alot and enjoys it.
  • Fecal Description - Poo seems normal brown. Never tested
  • History - He was great until this Christmas when I realized that he needed help. I worked so much that it took me a while to notice that he was dehydrated. Eyes stayed closed and sunken in, wouldn't move. Also, I had moved to bigger cage and didn't upgrade lighting, so it wasn't warm enough. So I got 100w and misted him constantly with a mixture of water and Pedialyte (too old school?). He came back better than ever, strong appetite and healthy again. Now I've noticed over the past week that he's not eating. I've seen him eat one cricket, and the others are hanging out still. He didn't seem dehydrated, but he's slightly lethargic. He's still alert, and does move around but has changed his hangout spots. He's even been at the bottom of the cage digging which made me question his sex for a minute. Today he was sitting on the bottom sleeping, but is now back up top. He's very thin but still bright colors. I know that his set up is not good, but now I'm really afraid to change it and stress him out even more. It's a 39 gallon tank,standing on its side. One whole side is screen but lights sit on the glass. Is he not getting enough uvb? Not enough ventilation? The basking temp is about 100, rest of cage is about 75. Humidity about 40%.

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - glass fish tank, standing on its side. Front is screen
  • Lighting - 12 hrs 100w zoo med , Exoterra heat global 50w 24hours.
  • Temperature - Basking at 100°, mid is about 75° and bottom is 70°. Do not know night temp.
  • Humidity - 40%, long mist 2x daily.
  • Plants - live, schefflera trinette
  • Placement - In my bedtoom on my dresser. He sits eye level with me. Low traffic, no vents or fans.
  • Location - Central Michigan

Current Problem- Please look in history section.
Click to expand...
Do you have a UVB light? If so I don't think they go very well through glass. And if it hasn't been replaced I believe they go bad in about 6 months. And he needs to have his crickets dusted with calcium 5-7 days a week and calcium with d3 once every two weeks along with a multivitamin every two weeks on alternating weeks. Also what are your temps at night? They should be in complete darkness at night with no lights
 
Briostarr said:
No, I don't have uvb unless either of the bulbs that I'm using puts out uvb. :(
Click to expand...
I'm no expert so you'll have to wait for someone else to chime in, but those things I would consider getting and using soon Unless a more experienced person tells you differently.
 
UVB lighting is a must you need to buy a UVB bulb. Also, if I am reading correctly are you using a night light? There is no need for that Chameleons need darkness to sleep. If the temps get low i would recommend using a ceramic heat bulb which provides heat with no light. Also I do not think that UVB light can penetrate through glass so i would recommend a full screen enclosure.
I can't really tell from the pictures you have posted if it is male or female. Are there Tarsal spurs on the back feet? If so then it is a male.
My Veiled just went through a hunger strike, which I found can be somewhat common. Try adding more variety to the diet to make your cham more interested.
 
Im not an expert but ill give you what i would do.

First you are going to want to get a brand new setup and fast. A fish tank is for fish not chameleons and no uvb light can get through glass i dont think many rays at all get through glass. but yeah i would start with a all screen cage, some people use glass and screen but never on the top but i also have no experience with a viv setup. For your uvb i would say get one as soon as possible or things will go bad quickly. I would also say to get some supplements going asap. post more pics of the setup and im sure some experts will come in with a lot more advice.
 
i don't like how he's lying on the branch like that. you say you have never supplemented, i'm suspecting that your chameleon might have MBD. have you read over the caresheets yet? you need to correct your setup ASAP and i would definitely reccomend a vet visit with a vet who has had experience with chameleons. i will attach the link to the caresheet, and good luck with your chameleon!
 
Thanks everyone! I know his setup isn't good but I've been worried about changing it while he's sick. I have a 100 gallon screen cage and I El move him into that after work. I had the heat bulb because this room is freezing at night, but I will remove that and add uvb. There are no veterinarians in the area who have reptile experience, I wouldn't even take him to the one that I worked at for 4 years. I'll update tonight, thanks so much!
 
Briostarr said:
Thanks everyone! I know his setup isn't good but I've been worried about changing it while he's sick. I have a 100 gallon screen cage and I El move him into that after work. I had the heat bulb because this room is freezing at night, but I will remove that and add uvb. There are no veterinarians in the area who have reptile experience, I wouldn't even take him to the one that I worked at for 4 years. I'll update tonight, thanks so much!
Click to expand...
I am no expert by any means (actually my cham is currently having eating problems as well :( but u should not remove the heating bulb and add a uvb, just add a uvb along with the heating bulb so you have both. And chams like it dark at night so i just turn all of my lights off:)
 
With no UVB and no supplements....it's amazing he's not showing extreme signs of MBD.

Probably most of this has been said....but I'm repeating it anyhow.
Too correct MBD he needs a liquid calcium like calcium gluconate or calcium sandoz until his bones are strong again. You should have a vet to tell you when the bones are strong enough again. Calcium is important not only in bone health but in other systems and the muscles as well.

UVB light allows the chameleon to produce the D3 needed to use the calcium in its system. D3 produced from exposure to UVB will not build up in the system as long as the chameleon can move in and out of the UVB light.

Appropriate temperatures allow for proper digestion so there should be a basking area to provide a temperature in the mid 80's F in one area of the cage. It can be a regular incandescent household light bulb of a wattage that provides the right temperature.

Since most feeder insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorous it's recommended to dust the insects just before feeding them to the chameleon with a phosphorous-free calcium powder at almost all feedings.

To ensure the chameleon gets some D3 it's recommended that you dust twice a month with a phosphorous-free calcium/D3 powder. This leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of its d3 from its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system and lead to health issues which is why we only use it twice a month.

We recommend that you dust twice a month with a vitamin powder that has a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A. Vitamin A from prEformed sources can build up in the system and lead to problems but prOformed sources won't. This means that you can give preferably when you feel it's necessary without worrying about overdosing it the rest of the time.

It's also iimportant to feed/gutload your insects well. For crickets, superworms, roaches, locusts you can use a wide assortment of greens and veggies such as dandelion greens, kale, escarole, endive, collards, carrots, zucchini, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper and a bit of fruit such as pears, apple, berries, melon.

Water can be provided by misting and using a dripper a couple of times a day. Let the cage dry out before the lights go off.

Hope this helps!
 
I'm sad to report that Henry passed away while I was at work today. I had been frantically scouring the Internet for the past week, trying to figure this out. I wish there was a reptile vet in my area, I would have taken him asap. I know now what I did wrong. Thanks so much for all of your information, I'm devastated right now that I couldn't save him. I wish I would have found this forum earlier.
 
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