How long before chameleon settles in and starts eating again

[Tacomii0825]

I’m a new chameleon keeper although I did do my research months in advanced its still worrying cuz my chameleon hasn’t eaten since I got her she has been drinking but she’s only about 4 or 5 months old and is a veiled chameleon. I’ve tried hornworms, mealworms and crickets both in feeder cups and free range and she’s only eaten about 6 crickets in 6 days she also hissed at me when I tried tong feeding so I’m not sure what to do I’ve made sure her temps and humidity levels are right I added plenty of foleage and a dripper and automatic mist system to make sure she’s hydrated I even gutload the insects and dust them I should also add she only ate the cup crickets not the free roam ones and roaches are hard ti come across in my area with the stores around me having “live” ones that had at least 75% of them dead

 

[kinyonga]

Welcome to the forum!

What's the temperature in the basking area?
How big are the insects you're feeding to her?
Do you have the long linear tube UVB light?
How old is she?
Post some photos of her please.

 

[PoseidonTheChameleon]

It's normal for chams not to eat for a while when settling in a new environment. Are you positive it's a female and do you have a laybin for her? Post pics please

 

[PoseidonTheChameleon]

Welcome to the forum!

What's the temperature in the basking area?
How big are the insects you're feeding to her?
Do you have the long linear tube UVB light?
How old is she?
Post some photos of her please.

Ah beat me to it

 

[kinyonga]

Ah beat me to it

I worked hard at that!

 

[Tacomii0825]

It's normal for chams not to eat for a while when settling in a new environment. Are you positive it's a female and do you have a laybin for her? Post pics please

Unfortunately I won’t be able to post any pics till tomorrow cuz she’s sleeping right now but I did check and she had no spur on her feet. I have not yet added a laybin yet but I certainly will soon as well she’s only about 4 months is my estimate(never too soon to have a bin tho)

 

[Tacomii0825]

Ah beat me to

Ah beat me to it

Welcome to the forum!

What's the temperature in the basking area?
How big are the insects you're feeding to her?
Do you have the long linear tube UVB light?
How old is she?
Post some photos of her please.

The temperature is about 85 for basking and in the 70s throughout her cage with the coldest part being 68 during the day. I feed her the smallest crickets I can get at my local stores and make sure they are all small enough for her to eat them she has eaten a few crickets but not many I made sure they are smaller then her head from eye to eye but she doesn’t seem to take much interest. Unfortunately I do have a spiral uvb bulb my tube uvb bulb hasn’t come in yet and I had to settle with that until Amazon decides to deliver and she’s about 4 months old with 5 months being the absolute oldest

 

[kinyonga]

Do you have an egglaying bin in her cage?

 

[Tacomii0825]

It's normal for chams not to eat for a while when settling in a new environment. Are you positive it's a female and do you have a laybin for her? Post pics ple

Do you have an egglaying bin in her cage?

I am working on preparing one I just need the proper substrate for her him I’m planning on using play sand as I’ve heard that’s a very good Option although at the moment she doesn’t look to be gravid in terms of color or especially not in her stomach size she’s fairly thin right now

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Chameleons are basically shy timid creatures, and see us as predators who want to EAT them—at least until some trust can be established, and that can take a while.

This means (among other things) that they may not be comfortable eating in front of us.
Do you spend a lot of time watching her or looking for her?

Also, does she know where the food is? If there's food in the cup, but she only found it by accident, she may not have figured out that that's where it comes from. Feeder run cups are good for this because the crix can climb up the back where she can see & hunt them, and she'll know where to find them.

 

[Tacomii0825]

Chameleons are basically shy timid creatures, and see us as predators who want to EAT them—at least until some trust can be established, and that can take a while.

This means (among other things) that they may not be comfortable eating in front of us.
Do you spend a lot of time watching her or looking for her?

Also, does she know where the food is? If there's food in the cup, but she only found it by accident, she may not have figured out that that's where it comes from. Feeder run cups are good for this because the crix can climb up the back where she can see & hunt them, and she'll know where to find them.

She saw me place her cup below her basking spot and came up to it due to the movement from the crickets before I go off to work in the morning I leave crickets in there and make sure she sees me place them in there and has only touched them a couple times. I for the most part leave her be and have rarely interacted with her expect to place food in her cage and to mist her I’ve rarely handled her as to avoid stressing her out I’ve definitely been looking for some run cups as I’m only using a regular hooked cup. Any recommendations on run cups would be very helpful tho although I should add I did also try free roaming crickets but she didn’t take much interest in those and yes I did remove them before she went to sleep(although most died during the day)

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

I made one out of PVC and plastic needlepoint fabric.

One of the site sponsors sells feeder run cups.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/sponsors/full-throttle-feeders/

This company makes another style that mounts against the screen:
https://tkchameleons.com/products/shooting-gallery

 

[kinyonga]

85F is a little warm for the basking area IMHO. 80F would be better.


As for the crickets dying...are you feeding them a nutritious diet? Are you putting some food in the cage for the free roaming ones?

 

[Tacomii0825]

85F is a little warm for the basking area IMHO. 80F would be better.


As for the crickets dying...are you feeding them a nutritious diet? Are you putting some food in the cage for the free roaming ones?

The average is 82 it only gets to 85 when the ac in my house is off and my crickets eat freshly cut carrots and sometimes apple slices and romaine. I also leave some romaine for them but the crickets seem to run to the screen and just eventually drop dead after a solid couple of hours of scurrying not really touching the food either unless I put them back in their container

 

[Tacomii0825]

I made one out of PVC and plastic needlepoint fabric.

One of the site sponsors sells feeder run cups.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/sponsors/full-throttle-feeders/

This company makes another style that mounts against the screen:
https://tkchameleons.com/products/shooting-gallery

Thank you very much this means a lot

 

[Tacomii0825]

I took this a solid 30 or 40 minutes before her lights normally come on so that’s why she’s still sleeping it was around 7 when I took this her lights come on 7:40

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

I would get rid of the artificial plants & vines, and replace with live plants only—especially with a veiled. Aside from being safer in case of nibbling, live plants help increase and maintain humidity.

These lists are chameleon-safe:
https://chameleonacademy.com/plants/
https://www.madcham.de/en/pflanzen-fuers-terrarium/
https://www.chameleons.info/l/safe-and-unsafe-plants/
https://www.chameleonschool.com/safe-plants-for-chameleons/

 

[Tacomii0825]

I would get rid of the artificial plants & vines, and replace with live plants only—especially with a veiled. Aside from being safer in case of nibbling, live plants help increase and maintain humidity.

These lists are chameleon-safe:
https://chameleonacademy.com/plants/
https://www.madcham.de/en/pflanzen-fuers-terrarium/
https://www.chameleons.info/l/safe-and-unsafe-plants/
https://www.chameleonschool.com/safe-plants-for-chameleons/

Thank you so much this means a lot you’ve all been very helpful although I would like to ask if overall just from that image does she seem healthy enough she is very alert especially when I walk in although I try to ignore her and walk but quietly as to not stress her

 

[QuinnieLeeBlu]

Yeah this is normal! My cham did that too. You might want to get real plants tho

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Thank you so much this means a lot you’ve all been very helpful although I would like to ask if overall just from that image does she seem healthy enough she is very alert especially when I walk in although I try to ignore her and walk but quietly as to not stress her

That's good. I've found moving slowly (no sudden movements) also helps.
It's hard to tell much from that one picture, and it's kind of dark.

We could help more if you'd copy/paste the following questions filled in with your answers/information. This is a standard thing here.

Please include pics of your enclosure from top (showing lights) to bottom (showing floor/substrate/drainage). THX.

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
• 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?
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
• 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?
• Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

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Please Note:

1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
2. Photos can be very helpful.