How Long Can MY Veiled Go Without Eating?

[Pufferpuggirl]

I am getting very worried about my Veiled chameleon because I've run out of food for him and he's not had anything to eat in the past 3 days. Due to all the snow we've gotten, we're unable to get out to get him any food. I am really freaking out, as I don't want him to die.
Does anyone know of any other alternatives, or if he will be okay?

 

[pssh]

How old is he? Healthy Adults can got for more than a month without eating. Lowering the basking temp to about 80-83 F helps slow down the metabolism too. I would suggest that you start to breed a feeder so you always have them. Roaches are a good choice, as are silkworms and superworms. Crickets are easy too, but they stink. It is very easy to keep longer living feeders in bulk for those kinds of days. Roaches and superworms can be bought in large quantities if you do not want to breed them. If fed and watered they will last forever in a cool room.

 

[carol5208]

some veild's will eat vegetables and fruits. Do you have any romaine lettuce, kale, carrots, apples(sliced with a peeler thin)etc. You could try these or as Pssh said they can go quite a while without eating if he/she is an adult.

 

[Pufferpuggirl]

My guy is about 7-8 months old. I don't have any romaine lettuce, but I did have some old iceberg, and I put some in there. I have some zucchini, but not sure if he would be interested in eating that.
We really don't have alot in the house due to not being able to get out and buy groceries. Everything is getting thin, even people food.
I wasn't sure if he would eat earthworms, but I put a couple in there anyway just in case.
I just feel so sorry for him because he's clearly hungry and it's been since Sunday night that he last had a good meal. I hate even looking at him because I know that he wants food. Makes me feel so badly.
I am just afraid that I will lose him and that would really break my heart.

 

[warpdrive]

he will be fine. if anything, he will walk more around his cage trying to hunt. this is a good thing as it will make him a better hunter when you free range his food.

Harry

 

[dreamforthedead]

How about buying online? I know will take sometime to come but at least you know your gonna have some food for him. On sunday (5th December) this website will be selling for one day all live food tubs for £1 a box with free post. Locusts, morio worms, crickets, wax worms and meal worms of all sizes for a pound. Here's the link http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&so...Fxr9gsuAp_TimD0mw&sig2=3YW63Cv1IpRgRAKfZMKX5A Oh and have a look on the bright side and be glad your not up north, we have over a foot of snow where i am.

 

[Pufferpuggirl]

No offense, but I don't think I am any better off than you, we've had 2-feet of snow and it's still snowing now. I am not sure what will be happening tomorrow, but I don't think I will be any better off ordering online, as we've not had any post delivered all week, so I can't really wait around for that to come. The poor cham needs some food ASAP, and I might have to wander out in the snow tomorrow to try and find him some. It's heart-breaking to see him searching his viv for food and knowing that you've got none to feed him.

 

[Pufferpuggirl]

he will be fine. if anything, he will walk more around his cage trying to hunt. this is a good thing as it will make him a better hunter when you free range his food.

Harry

Sorry, didn't see your reply when I posted my last message. Do you really think he will be alright? He is searching up and down for food and I just feel awful for not having any to feed him.
As long as he will be okay .... that's my main concern. I've got a pygmy chameleon too, but he's got a couple of small live crickets in his viv, so I'm not as worried about him, but they both need more food as soon as I can get it.

Thanks for everyone's comments, much appreciated.

 

[dreamforthedead]

Bloody hell, far as i was aware the snow weren't as bad down there. Anyway your cham will be fine, i wouldn't be worried to much. You'll be surprised how tough our little green friends can be. I know it's easy for others to say not to worry, my chams heat blub went once and i didn't have a spare i also didn't know you could use normal house blubs. It was a sunday so i spent the whole day walking to every pet shop i new of to get her a bulb but of coarse they were all shut apart from one and the only one that was open didn't have any. I drove myself up the wall worrying myself stupid.

 

[Pufferpuggirl]

Thank you dream, I feel a bit better now. I don't think I could forgive myself if I allowed my guy to pass away because I couldn't get him any food. He's really starting to look beautiful and I enjoy having him around so much.
I just hope I can get some food tomorrow, if not for him, then at least for my peace of mind. You don't realise how much you care about your animals until a crisis like this happens.

 

[dreamforthedead]

Thank you dream, I feel a bit better now. I don't think I could forgive myself if I allowed my guy to pass away because I couldn't get him any food. He's really starting to look beautiful and I enjoy having him around so much.
I just hope I can get some food tomorrow, if not for him, then at least for my peace of mind. You don't realise how much you care about your animals until a crisis like this happens.

That is very true, chameleons know how to get right to your heart. I bet he is looking lovely, you should get some pics up sometime. Good luck for tomorrow.

 

[Itwas]

both pet shops near me haven't received their deliveries due to the snow so im almost in the same position. Doc has had a good feed over the last few days and ive got a few crix for tomorrow with a few wax worms too but i dont want to give him too many of the waxies so i hope they get some soon.

 

[roguekiller23231]

there are a few things that you can do, and i'd do it sooner rather then later, as the weather is not going to be getting any better any time soon.

www.livefoods.co.uk

order from them, they should dispatch and it should come the next day, it will not be your post man who delevers them, it will be the Royal Mail parcel delivery service.

you could also chops up some fruit or veg into very small peices (about 1cm either way, no larger) and put it in the same place that you feed him/her, or if you feed them treats on your hand, place the peices on your hand and offer them, if it's never been offered it's goign to take a little time for it to see it and try it, but it should eat.

another thing that you can do, but not sure if it's a good or bad thing, lower the tempurature slightly, this should cause it's motabilism to slow down and so the food that it's eaten will take longer to digest.

 

[Texas Panther Man]

Dont worry too much. Chams go days in the wild without food. Now water is a different story. As long as he's hydrated he will be fine. Ive had gravid females go over a week without food with no ill effects. He's past the baby stage so he should be fine as long as he was in good shape prior to the snow induced faste.

 

[Miss Lily]

They really are remarkable creatures. My first chameleon didn't eat for 10 days before laying one of her clutches of eggs, yet she still had the energy to dig the hole, lay over 100 eggs and cover the hole back in again!

 

[dreamforthedead]

there are a few things that you can do, and i'd do it sooner rather then later, as the weather is not going to be getting any better any time soon.

www.livefoods.co.uk

order from them, they should dispatch and it should come the next day, it will not be your post man who delevers them, it will be the Royal Mail parcel delivery service.

you could also chops up some fruit or veg into very small peices (about 1cm either way, no larger) and put it in the same place that you feed him/her, or if you feed them treats on your hand, place the peices on your hand and offer them, if it's never been offered it's goign to take a little time for it to see it and try it, but it should eat.

another thing that you can do, but not sure if it's a good or bad thing, lower the tempurature slightly, this should cause it's motabilism to slow down and so the food that it's eaten will take longer to digest.

I forgot all about that website, i've used them before and they are fast at delivering.

 

[Itwas]

I got a tub of crix and a tub of mini mealworms for a quid today because they were delivered to the pet shop virtually dead. i brought them home and stuck them in front of the radiators and it looks like a few are coming around.

 

[Pufferpuggirl]

My husband was able to get out today and go to a couple of shops near us to get some crickets. Neither shop had any crickets as they were waiting on deliveries. I ordered some crickets from the website mentioned above, but I don't know when they will come because we've not had any post delivered all week. However, there's a small shop in Worksop that we phoned today and thankfully they have several different sizes of crickets available, so we will be going there tomorrow to get some (we didn't have time to get them today as the husband had to go to work).
I noticed that Ziggy was biting and eating pieces of leaves from the live tree that's in his vivarium. Strangely enough, when we poked around in the viv, we seen at least 3 live crickets -- so I don't know if Ziggy hasn't seen them or what. But it made me feel better knowing that there is something for him to eat if he just looks around a bit and finds it. So I'm not worrying so much about Ziggy now, but I am still worried about my pygmy chameleon who I think probably needs food more often than a larger chameleon does.
Hopefully tomorrow I will get food for both of them and then I won't have to worry any more, which will be nice. I've been so stressed this week.

 

[glOckcOma]

Well at the least your chams are hungry. My little guy refuses to eat anything but superworms, I havent fed him in 2 days and I put a cricket in front of him earlier and still wont eat! He is stressing me out!!

 

[Itwas]

im not gonna give him anymore mealworms as there was a partially undigested one in his poop. i only give him a couple over a few days but it;l be just crix and the occasional waxworm for a while.