My Chameleon is not eating anymore?

[Ashton777]

I have had my graceful chameleon for a little over 3 months now and for the 2.5 months she was eating great, i would feed her over 8 crickets a day. Now she wont even eat any crickets, they only thing that she will eat that i have tried is super worms, but the only way i can get her to eat that is to use the tongs and 1/10 chance to put it on the side mesh so it can climb and then she will eat it. Also if i can get her to eat a super worm it is maybe 1 or 2 a day if im lucky. As well i took her to the vet which i dont know how much i trust, and he said there was a lump under her stomach and he gave me antibiotics and something for her to go poo. Can anyone please help me i am worried about her

 

[carol5208]

Well first of all alot of chameleons will prefer supers over crickets once they have been offered them. Are you sure your Chameleon is not carrying eggs? Their appetite will decrease or diminish altogether when they are gravid.Was she not eating when you took her to the vet? What did he say the lump was? She is not pooping either????

 

[Ashton777]

Well the guy told me that she was a girl but i have been looking on the web and now i am not to sure if she is a girl or a boy, and i thought she could have some eggs too since she hasnt laid them yet and shes about a year and a half old. Yah i took her in because she was not eating and they said there is a lump under her stomach, maybe from digesting something or to what i thought maybe eggs. and she just took a poo and it was REALLY liquidly but still had some solid mater in there. maybe since she has done that she might be feeling better? please any help would be very much appreciated.

 

[carol5208]

could you post some pics for us to see?

 

[Ashton777]

I personally can not see or feel a lump or anything under her. I am trying to find a good website that delivers more exotic food for her to Canada like things that fly or maybe grasshoppers

 

[carol5208]

why did the vet put her on antibiotics? Can you post a few pics of her?

 

[Ashton777]

I dont know! thats why i question it too. he said because if she digested something to pass it through. so i have to grab my poor baby and attempt to get her mouth open without being rough, i did it yesterday and the day before but i cant get her to open it now, but i was trying to put calcium drops into her mouth cause she has not been getting any calcium. she will look good 3/5 of the day id say but sometimes shes sits there kinda black/darker with her mouth open, i know they do that when they are hot or scared so im not sure why she would be doing it. i am looking at a website right now to see if i can get some hornworms/silkworms/grasshoppers and maybe some fruit flies or something

 

[carol5208]

what are your cage temps at the basking spot and just the overall cage? It may be too hot if she is gaping or there could be something else going on.

 

[Ashton777]

The temps change from when i mist and if the air conditioning is on, like 74-85 max if i havnt misted for the day or something. Im pretty sure its a 55g tank and i got lots of stuff for her to climb on and fake plants. She is not gaping lots of the time but sometimes she is :S i dont know what i can feed her, i looked at a bunch of website to try and find stuff but its all the same.. i think this guy i know breeds roaches, should i try that?

 

[Swayne8998]

why did the vet put her on antibiotics?

Well every once and a while, everyone has to be "sick." It's the way business goes. It sucks, but it's true I'm afraid

 

[carol5208]

when you say tank, do you mean like a fish tank or a terrarium? Roaches are good. Silkworms are good. Before you go buying a bunch of feeders though I think we gotta figure out if there is something else going on with your chameleon causing her not to eat. It may have nothing to do with her not liking the choice of food. Was she tested for parasites? Runny poop can be a sign of parasites and can also effect appetite.

 

[Ashton777]

its a mesh terrarium thats id say 3 feet high by a foot and a half both ways, no i dont think she was. and she had the runny poo cause they gave her a lactose or something so she could poo in a day or 2 to maybe get something out of her. Im looking at her now and she is really nice green and stuff but i know there is something going on

 

[carol5208]

oh ok, I thought if you had her in a fish tank that would not be a good thing! If she keeps gaping then there is somthing wrong. You say her temps are not that hot though so maybe a respiratory infection??That could effect her appetite also. Not saying that is what it is, but maybe a possibility why she keeps holding her mouth open.

 

[Ashton777]

Yeah maybe that could be it, the only problem is i dont have a lot of cash to take her to the vet a bunch of times for something i dont know what it is and rack a huge bill up. But wouldnt they be able to tell when i took her there in the first place?

 

[Elizadolots]

Ashton, as Carol has suggested, pictures would be very, very helpful. I do not know how to post them from a phone, but if you can get them to your computer, click the POST REPLY button. That reply box will have a lot more tools. Click the paperclip, follow the prompts to upload pictures (I think you can upload 4).

Pictures will answer so many questions.

I will say that when chameleons hit adulthood their eating slows down. It sounds like that might be at least part of the issue you are dealing with.

I will also say that chameleons can go a long time without eating. So, please do not think your chameleon is starving if she/he doesn't eat for 2 or 3 days.

 

[sandrachameleon]

Was /is she constipated? is that what the meds are for?
If they are dehydrated or constipated, their appetite can decrease. Its not uncommon for them to prefer fatty superworms over crickets (though its a bad habit to allow).


some canadian bug vendors:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/171-where-buy-feeders-online.html

 

[carol5208]

Well every once and a while, everyone has to be "sick." It's the way business goes. It sucks, but it's true I'm afraid

I know the chameleon is "sick" that is obvious. I wanted to know what the diagnosis was that antibiotics were prescribed.

 

[Ashton777]

The antibiotic is called baytril suspension, and I will take some pics but honestly I dont think you will be able to tell anything from them. I just ordered myself a zoo med fogger and a bigger cricket pen so I can keep them alive easier .
.

 

[Swayne8998]

I know the chameleon is "sick" that is obvious. I wanted to know what the diagnosis was that antibiotics were prescribed.

....

Not exactly what I meant...

 

[Swayne8998]

Hm. Are you sure she's not pregnant? One of the reasons she probably stopped eating was because she was bored of her food, but I see you're getting some new feeders. I really don't know what to say... As carol5208 said the runny stools may be parasites, also possible that she's not digesting something right.