How often should a 15 month male veiled cham deficate??

[VeiledBunta1984]

How often should a adult male veiled chameleon deficate??
He is 15 months old.

Caging- 100 gallon flexarium head hight (6ft)
lighting- 2x 24"18w zoo med reptisun uvb linear tubes 8am - 6pm
heating- 150w infa red heat glow lamp & 100w ceramic heater
Temps- daytime 80-90F Night 60-70F
Food- Fed every other day 8-10 crickets, Locusts & Morio Worms. Gut loaded with carrots, apples, potatoe, oranges, rocket & spinach.
The feeders are dusted with calcium without d3 twice a week. With D3 once a week and no dusting at the end of the week.
Also i use a multi-vitamin once a month.
Humidity- mists twice a day for 4 mins with a rainmaker 40-50%
I also spray with warm decalcimize water for 10 mins at weekends untill he drinks
planting- live Weeping fig.

My chameleon has not been deficating regulary. Its been over to weeks since the last time he went!!!
The las time he went the poo looked normal. All though a lot of it for a small guy!!!
He is eating when presented with food. But has never eaten fresh fruit and veg when presented to him.
His tempreature is in the right range as i have a hygrometer probed in his basking spot which reads 88F.

Please help im starting to get worried!!!

 

[james L]

Go see a vet asap! Sound like a bad impaction. Lay off the crunchy bugs like superworms (morio). Get some silkworms or tomato worms, they help make chams poo more eaisly and regularly, and hydrating the hell out of him will help him go, but first see a vet.

 

[james L]

Also a 150 watt and another 100 watt heat bulb is way too much!!! Get rid of the red bulb, its trash! I also dont think you need the ceramic bulb. Get something like a 75 watt basking bulb, even a house bulb will work. Have it running during the day only!!!

 

[BocaJan]

If all else is ok, I'd give him a nice shower. Take a plant, put it in the shower. Aim the shower head for the wall and let it run until it feels warm. Put cham on the plant and let him shower for about 15 minutes. You don't want the water to directly hit him, just bounce off the wall and make lots of mist. He may just poop in the shower! LOL. I have chams that poop about every 4-5 days sometimes. With the cold weather they have been in a semi-hibernation state. Haven't been eating too much or moving too much.

If all fails and he doesn't poop after about a week I guess a vets trip is in order.

 

[pssh]

I would just like to say that superworms have less chitin than crickets... Also, natural sun makes some chams poop. One of mine like to poop when I hold him sometimes...

 

[Elizadolots]

I was going to say "poop in her hand" has been standard operating procedure for one of mine...

 

[Leilaskeeper]

Go see a vet asap! Sound like a bad impaction. Lay off the crunchy bugs like superworms (morio). Get some silkworms or tomato worms, they help make chams poo more eaisly and regularly, and hydrating the hell out of him will help him go, but first see a vet.

Umm, no offense but he doesn't sound like he has a "bad impaction" since he has been defecating...

Hydratte! Keep doing what you're doing .. everything looks pretty good. The shower sounds like a good idea. Just lay off the superworms and stick with staples with a good gutload. If I were you, I would hold off on feeding so many bugs a day .. perhaps 3 every other day until you start seeing him poo again.

If you don't see him poo in another week or use your descretion, then bring him to a vet. No need to freak out - just observe and you'll know if it's an issue that needs a vets attention. Don't just jump the gun - it might be nothing.

Ultimately your choice. Do what you think is right.

Please note: heating- 150w infa red heat glow lamp - I don't believe these are good. All you need is an incandescent.

 

[james L]

How do you figure??? This person said its been 2 weeks since its poop, what would you call that??? I call it impaction.

 

[VeiledBunta1984]

Ill give him a shower tomorrow and see how he is. If no sine of poop by the end of the week a trip to the vets shall be in order i think.
Thanks for ur ideas!!

 

[Miss Lily]

Putting Lily outside in the sun pretty much guaranteed a poop from her too. Even the heat of the sun through awindow worked wonders! My adult male veiled also poops every 2 weeks, but he hasn't been eating much up until recently. Now the weather has warmed up and daylight hours are gradually getting longer he is eating more. Hopefully he will poop more too!

 

[VeiledBunta1984]

i took him 2 a vet just before christmas for a check up. And i was told he's a bit fat, so ive reduced the amount im feeding him. This could be the reason.

 

[Carlton]

How do you figure??? This person said its been 2 weeks since its poop, what would you call that??? I call it impaction.

What the OP is describing is constipation and it is correctable. An impaction could be caused by a lodged cricket leg resulting in intense pain, possible prolapse, extreme stress, and is an emergency. This cham isn't showing these signs. Yes, if nothing changes it could result in an impaction, but not always.

I had a newly imported verrucosus who drove me crazy because he didn't poop for 10 days. He was eating, drinking, acting normally the whole time. Of course I made a vet appointment, took time off from work, drove for an hour, and he let it all go in the box.

 

[PicassoTheVeiled]

drove for an hour, and he let it all go in the box.

haha that sucks... not that he finally went... but that u wasted your time. good thing he was okay

 

[Leilaskeeper]

What the OP is describing is constipation and it is correctable. An impaction could be caused by a lodged cricket leg resulting in intense pain, possible prolapse, extreme stress, and is an emergency. This cham isn't showing these signs. Yes, if nothing changes it could result in an impaction, but not always.

I had a newly imported verrucosus who drove me crazy because he didn't poop for 10 days. He was eating, drinking, acting normally the whole time. Of course I made a vet appointment, took time off from work, drove for an hour, and he let it all go in the box.

You wouldn't happen to know if there are any more verrocosus available (wherever you got one)? I've only found WC ones here in Canada and they were in poor health so I sent them back. I have only found some in Florida ... you seem closer to me

 

[Carlton]

You wouldn't happen to know if there are any more verrocosus available (wherever you got one)? I've only found WC ones here in Canada and they were in poor health so I sent them back. I have only found some in Florida ... you seem closer to me

Oh, sorry, this was a wc cham I got years ago from an importer in CA. He's been on that big Ficus in the sky for a long time. I think the only ones I've seen lately were in Florida. They aren't available too often. Too bad, they are beautiful but shy.

 

[Carlton]

haha that sucks... not that he finally went... but that u wasted your time. good thing he was okay

Nah, it wasn't wasted time really. Any time I got to spend with my chams away from work was worth it! But it did teach me something...a bit of stress, bright sunlight, an unfamiliar situation and handling will often get things moving. One house I lived in had a great "poop window"...south facing, bright warm sun, convenient potted plants on a stand...all my chams at the time got their turn spending time toasting themselves on a regular basis.

 

[VeiledBunta1984]

i showerd him last nite 4 a good 30 mins. He loved it but still no sign of any poo. Ive just notice that his ceramic heater has blown. So im off 2 buy him a day glo light later. Also im gonna give him another shower and hope it starts things moving. Is their any veg or fruit i could try and feed him 2 act as a natural laxative?

 

[scorpilon]

that is a great question .. maybe anyone knows the answer for a 6 mouth old panther cham!!

 

[VeiledBunta1984]

I had a nice suprise waiting for me when i got home this eveming. Wally chameleon has at last pooped!!! Ive never been so happy to see poo in my life!!! Lol
Thanks for your suggestions. I think im gonna shower him every couple of weeks from now on to ensure of pooping and no dehydration.
Also i think ill leave crunchy bugs alone for a while!!

 

[Elizadolots]

YAY! He'll probably grow to just love that shower.

They do need some crunchiness though. Maybe you should add some fruits to the feeders' gutload? That might be the best way to combine the crunchiness they need with some moisture and "poop enhancement".