Is new Chameleon okay?

vickibugg0918

New Member
Hello,

We purchased Illy, on Friday evening from a local Petsmart along with a Zoo Med Chameleon kit and a few additional items. When we arrived home we setup his enclosure (all mesh, about 3 feet high and 2 feet wide, blue daylight bulb & heat lighting, also purchased a red heat lamp for night heating, led fogger shaped like a log, plastic vines and ropes). In addition to the fogger that emits fog every 45 minutes, we are spraying the enclosure 2-3 times a day. That night he had a healthy looking excrement, was active and seemed great. On Day 2 he ate 15 mealworms and was again acting completely active and defecated normally. On day 3, he ate 5 mealworms in the morning but then not again, still acting normal. On day 4 we awoke to a ball (about an inch in length) of non digested, but dead, mealworms that look as tho he either threw them up or pooped them out, unsure. There was also regular excrement nearby. He did not eat mealworms or canned crickets that were offered to him that day. Today, day 5, he was offered kale, bok choy, cricket and mealworm and has had no interest in any of it. This will be his second day not eating. He is still active and seems fine other than not eating.

I have looked for answers all day and found many things such as the fact that I shouldn't be feeding him mealworms as a primary meal, to make sure his temps are in the 80s, which they are, etc. I am a first time Chameleon owner and I would appreciate any suggestions/help as I would be heartbroken if he gets sick or doesn't make it. I will attach a photo of him also. If you have any ideas on his age that would be helpful also, all I know is he is a juvenile.

Thank you so much!
 

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Congratulations on the new cham!! It will help him a lot to ditch the red heat lamp at night. Chameleons need complete darkness and they also prefer a drop in temperature while they sleep. I'm glad you are paying attention to humidity, but don't over do it. Veiled Chameleons aren't naturally from humid areas... being Yemen and Saudi Arabia. 50 - 60% humidity is where I like to keep mine. It could be that the mealworms were just too much for him. If he has been having normal fecal matter, then I wouldn't think there were any impactions. I would have a fecal done to make sure he is parasite free. Also, he may not be eating because he is about to shed. I have had chameleons that will go days without food when they shed. He looks good in the picture by the way!! Check out jannb's blog on Veiled Chameleons, it may answer future questions. Welcome to the Forums!!
 
You should be feeding a variety of feeders, mealworms are ok but only as a treat. I would only offer a few a week. His diet could and should consist of things like crickets, roaches, soft bodied feeders such as black soldier fly larvae, silkworms, hornworms, also there is stick insects, mantids if you don't mind work, feeder flies, moths. etc.
 
No canned crickets!!! You should be feeding live food and feeding the crickets a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables that can be passed on to your chameleon.
 
Looking at his casque, he's not a baby, that's good news. Without a size reference, hard to be exact, but I would guess between 3 or 4 months. This means it won't hurt him to go a couple of days without eating.
Definitely get rid of the red heat lamp at night, calyptratus can take quite cool temps at night. Also like the
Op said don't feed many mealworms- crickets and roaches make a much better staple diet. You need to check out Jann's care sheet, and the general care of chameleons at the top of this page under resources.
I 'm glad to see Petsmart is selling a larger,older cham these days, this gives the new cham buyer a greater
Chance for success! You need to pay a lot of attention to supplementation and gut loading feeder insects
Because veileds grow really fast.
 
Update:

Did not use the red heat lamp last night and when I went to turn his day lights on this morning he was sleeping on a branch, he opened his eyes when I started talking to him... seems as though he got a good rest! Will not be using the light again and temp in the cage was about 72 in the morning.

Having a variety of live feeders overnighted (butterworms, superworms, etc.), they should arrive tomorrow morning. He ate 1 mealworm last night (it's all we have to offer him right now unfortunately). When the other feeders arrive, how much do you recommend I offer him considering he hasn't eaten in days?

Will also be removing the ecocarpet from the bottom of his cage so it will just be the black plastic.

Also, bought a pothos plant and repotted it using organic soil, however, I am hesitant to put this in the cage because of the soil dangers I have read about, any suggestions?

Thank you so much!
 
I would let him eat his fill unless he goes crazy about it. I guess not more than 15 - 20 never had the problem of chams over eating myself. I too would guess him to be about 3 months, and he looks good. As far as the soil dangers go just put some large enough rocks on top of the soil he can't eat. Have you checked out Jannb's care sheet yet? Good luck :)
 
This is him right now. He has eaten 5 mealworms today and is still very active. The other feeders will be here tomorrow morning! Does he look okay? image.jpeg image.jpeg
 
He looks good! I would pack your enclosure with plants though. The more plants, the more secure he will feel. If there are no plants then he will feel exposed and nervous.
 
Ok so now we have the right feeders and plants and humidity but I think we have a lighting issue as he isn't digesting properly based on the look of his feces. See pictures. We are going to go buy new higher wattage bulbs today. Any tips, advice etc is greatly appreciated.
 

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It looks like you got one of those red bulbs if so nix it you don't need it. Your cham will have a harder time associating that with the basking light and wont be drawn to it as much. I use a regular 60W incandescent house bulb. With his age I would keep the basking heat at around 85 degrees, and bring it up to 90 after he reaches 6 months and older. Hope I was some help. What are you feeding him by the way?
 
Red light has been removed for a few days now. He's currently eating dusted superworms, wax worms, butterworms. Yesterday, we changed out his 60w blue daylight bulb to a 100w plus he has the reptisun 5.0 uvb bulb.. he seemed to start acting much more active and eating more after that change was made. The temp is about 83-85 in the basking area. He is eating roughly 10 worms a day now and his colors were brighter yesterday... I think we are finally figuring out what makes Illy happy! Thank you so much to everyone for your help!! Will keep everyone posted!!
 
I would even say get off the mealworms completely. They have a very hard shell and they have trouble digesting them. Impaction can happen and it can be a big no no. I would toss the mealworms and switch to super worms for an alternative. Still, treat super worms as a snack, not an everyday feeder. They're very high in fat (so are waxworks). Crickets, Dubias, Silkworms, Hornworms (as treats, too many can cause diarrhea due to their high water content) are great feeders.
 
This is what I come home to today (see pictures).... I don't know if he's just full/lazy/relaxing or not okay.... When I walk up to his cage he opens his eyes and starts to get up and act normal... His food dish is empty so he's eating, we have lighting and love plants and humidity fine... I don't understand.... Any help is appreciated. Please read the rest of the thread for all other info on him.
 
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