Issue with eating

[amandademanda]

I have a female panthar chameleon. She was born the beginning of June, and has been in my care for a couple months now. She was doing great, and was very friendly. She was eating, and drinking as normal. She would even come up to me to let me pull her out to handle her for a little. I have kept her in a quiet environment. She has now for about the past week been fighting about eating. I have tried everything. She loved crickets the best, and would eat several a day. Lately it has gotten to the point where she isnt eating, and is now losing her blueish color. She is almost a soft pink/white. I don't quite know what to do, or is there is something that would help her out. I just wanted to see what people's opinions were on what a good idea would be. She is still drinking a lot of water, and moving around just fine. I just don't understand why she isn't eating. Thanks, Amanda

 

[Pilotman800]

There could be many reasons as to why he/she isn't eating. She could be gravid, she could be sick of crickets, she could be stressed or sick, etc.... Fill out this form please. It'll help us understand your situation better.

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.


Pictures are helpful

 

[amandademanda]

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - She is a Ambilobes Panther Chameleon, and she has been in my care for about 2 months.
Handling - I handle her a about twice a week. She loves to come out, and just be able to have attention. She actually comes to me when I put my hand in her cage.
Feeding - I feed her about 5 crickets every morning. I usually gut-load my crickets with vitamins, along with their food and water.
Supplements - I use Rep-Ca Phosphorus-free Calcium with VIT.D3, and Rep-Cal Herptivate with beta carotene Multiviatamins.
Watering - I have a Hubba mist misting system, and it goes every 3 hours for 30 seconds. That is what screameleons had told me to set it too. I also use a dripper for extra water, and watch her drink water all the time.
Fecal Description - Droppings are dark brown with white and yellow, soft consistency. I haven't had her tested for parasites, but I hope she was checked and healthy for Screameleons to sell her to me.
History - Screameleons told me that she was very healthy, and had a great personality. She loved attention, but to make sure that I didn't handle her for a couple weeks to make sure she wouldn't get to stressed out.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - She is in a Aluminum screen cage, and they gave me the medium size for her cage.
Lighting - The lighting she has is a UVB 5.0 bulb, and she also has a UVA day bulb that they gave to me with the UVB to keep her warm and happy. Lights turn on at 8:30, and shut off at 8.
Temperature - I have a digital thermomiter that tells me what the temp is at all times. It sits lower in the cage, and the lowest it gets in there is 75 degrees at night. Current Temp is 78.
Humidity - Humity stays around 50, and the mister helps keep the lvl where it needs to stay. I have a humidity gage in there to make sure I watch the levels.
Placement - The cage is located on a higher up desk where it isnt near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas. The top of the cage is about a little higher then half the rooms height.
Location - I live near Portland, OR.

Current Problem - My female isn't eating right now, and I am concerned on why she isnt eating. She is now turning a light pink/white color. She is still moving around just fine, and still likes me to hold her. I am just worried that something may be wrong.

 

[kinyonga]

You said the cage temperature is 78F...perhaps she's not warm enough in the cage?
Also, do you have a place in the cage where she can dig to lay eggs if needed. They can produce eggs without having been mated. She might be old enough by now.

IMHO your supplementing needs some attention as does the gutloading/feeding of the insects.

Here's some information I hope will help you with things like supplements, gutloading, etc....
Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption.

Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light. The most often recommended UVB light is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light. Some of the compacts, spirals and tube lights have caused health issues, but so far there have been no bad reports against this one.

A wide variety of insects (crickets, locusts, silkworms, superworms, tomato worms, phoenix worms, butter worms, once in a while waxworms, etc.) that have been well fed and gutloaded should be fed to it.

Since many of the feeder insects we use in captivity have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects just before you feed them to the chameleon at most feedings with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it. (I use Rep-cal phosphorus-free calcium).

If you also dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it. (I use Rep-cal phos.-free calcium/D3).

Dusting twice a month as well with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while. (I use herptivite which has beta carotene.)

Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs. I gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms, etc. with an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)

Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.
Please note that various supplements have various amounts of D3 and vitamin A and so some can be given more often than others. The idea still is not to overdo the fat soluble vitamins like D3 and prEformed vitamin A.

Here are some good sites for you to read too...
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200406080...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://web.archive.org/web/200601140...ww.adcham.com/
If you can't access the sites above that have the word "archive" in you can do it through the WayBackMachine.

 

[amandademanda]

Thank you, and I will look a little deeper into it. I was just worried that she may be sick. I did just take her out, and she was doing just fine. As soon as I took her out she did get her regular colors back. I wonder if she is just wanting more attention. I havent put something in there for her to lay eggs in yet. I will definently do that ASAP. I'm going to try a couple different things to feed her, and will make sure that I can see what happens over the next few days.

 

[kinyonga]

Can you post a photo of her please?

 

[amandademanda]

Can you post a photo of her please?

Sorry it took me so long to reply. I have been trying to take care of the three chameleons I have, my three year old son, and working at Costco. She has been doing a lot better now that I have been handling her a little more then usual. She finally ate for me, and loves my son even more then she did before. I have attached a picture, so hopefully it works.

 

[jr andrade]

Yeah its not likely that at 5 months old she is gravid.. She may have been sick and got rid of it herself. The pale color indicates parasites usually..

Very glad to hear she is doing well.

 

[amandademanda]

I'm glad she is doing better. It was really starting to worry me that she was looking so down. She keeps wanting out to be able to just hang all over my son. She is definentally doing better though. I was just starting to worry that she wasn't eating no matter what I tried to give her. The other male and female I have don't care what I give them to eat. They just always eat whatever since they seem to act like they are starving 24/7. They seem to always be happy, and outgoing though.