My Juvenile Cham Isn't Eating

PicoTheCham

PicoTheCham

Member
Hello!
My veiled cham who I believe is around 3-4 months old has not eaten at all today. I just started cup feeding him because I want to monitor his eating, but he hasn't eaten any of the crickets. I'm a bit worried about him, and from when I've seen him he looks brown. He seems happy and his poops have the white spot, which is a good thing as I read, but I do not want him to have problems when growing. Any tips on trying to get him to eat? I tried hand feeding the little guy but he just ran away from my hand with the cricket in it. What should I do?
 
It is not unusual for a chameleon to go without eating for a day or several. Slightly more unusual for you, though, given that he is so young. It would help for you to fill out our help form if you want more specific advice:

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.
 
Chameleon - Veiled, male (we think), 3-4 months (we think), about 3 days
Handling- I've held him once on the 2nd night. Doesn't really like being held.
Feeding- Live Crickets, freeze-dried crickets, just bought some carrots and sweet potatoes, so we'll see if he eats that, 5-8 live crickets per day 5 at 10:30AM, 3 at 3:30PM, and 2-3 freeze dried (per day) (doesnt really like those), the freeze dried are gutloaded with cricket food, and the live ones aren't really, we're working on this.
Supplements- Calcium+ by Ripashy, with his 5 morning crickets
Watering- I hand mist his cage about 4-6 times per day, and I have a "little dripper" going on almost all day, Yes, I see him go into the leaves the water drips on so I assume he is drinking.
Fecal- they are very dark brown with a big white spot, No.


Cage- Screen cage 16x16x30 ZooMed Reptibreeze
Lighting- 100 Watt basking light by exo terra, a 5 watt UVB light, don't know the brand, etc... I turn it on at 10:30AM and turn it off at 10:30PM
Temp- the highest basking spot is around 93F, the bottom about 80. Overnight lowest: 72F, I use a digital thermometer that has a moveable sensor.
Humidity- 45-50% during the day, I mist the cage a lot and that keeps up the humidity. If I see it under 45%, I mist the cage and that raises it. I just use a humidity gauge I bought at PetCo.
Plants - No, all fake plants
Placement- Yes, but they are all off, Air vent about 10 feet away, 5 feet up (from highest cage point), low traffic neighborhood. It is about 4 feet up from ground.
Location- Right outside Atlanta Georgia


Problem- Cham hasn't eaten much today. Only 1 cricket (just eaten)
 
Well first of all... Chameleons only eat live bugs (and some species eat plants). So that's why he "doesn't really" like the freeze-dried crickets. BTW what do you mean the freeze dried crickets are gutloaded? You know dead things can't eat right? ;) You'll want to throw those out ASAP, unless you have other reptiles that will eat them. They offer nothing to chameleons. Also, better to only feed in the morning. They need time to bask to fully digest food.

What are your plans for gutloading the live crickets? This isn't something that can really wait. They should be pre-gutloaded at every feeding with fresh produce, making sure to check that the veggies are chameleon safe first. Don't bother with the commercial junk like Fluker's products or bug burger. They are formulated with ingredients chameleons should not ingest.

You only have 1 of the 3 supplements you need to be using. Here's how to supplement correctly: (1) phosphorous-free calcium powder without vitamin D3 at every single feeding, (2) phosphorous-free calcium powder with vitamin D3 once every other week, and (3) a multivitamin once every other week as well.

Is the UVB light you're using a compact/coiled model or the long, linear kind? You want the linear model to keep your cham healthy.

Finally, pics of the chameleon and the enclosure would be helpful! I can already tell you that adding live plants would greatly improve his wellbeing (and up humidity)
 
Syreptyon said:
Well first of all... Chameleons only eat live bugs (and some species eat plants). So that's why he "doesn't really" like the freeze-dried crickets. BTW what do you mean the freeze dried crickets are gutloaded? You know dead things can't eat right? ;) You'll want to throw those out ASAP, unless you have other reptiles that will eat them. They offer nothing to chameleons. Also, better to only feed in the morning. They need time to bask to fully digest food.

What are your plans for gutloading the live crickets? This isn't something that can really wait. They should be pre-gutloaded at every feeding with fresh produce, making sure to check that the veggies are chameleon safe first. Don't bother with the commercial junk like Fluker's products or bug burger. They are formulated with ingredients chameleons should not ingest.

You only have 1 of the 3 supplements you need to be using. Here's how to supplement correctly: (1) phosphorous-free calcium powder without vitamin D3 at every single feeding, (2) phosphorous-free calcium powder with vitamin D3 once every other week, and (3) a multivitamin once every other week as well.

Is the UVB light you're using a compact/coiled model or the long, linear kind? You want the linear model to keep your cham healthy.

Finally, pics of the chameleon and the enclosure would be helpful! I can already tell you that adding live plants would greatly improve his wellbeing (and up humidity)
Click to expand...
Ok! The freeze-dried crickets said they're gutloaded before freezedried to sustain the nutrients they have, but since he's not eating them i'll start giving him the live ones more. They're also flukers so it's probably junk anyways. ;) I plan to gutload the crickets with carrots and sweet potatoes, which I will try for tomorrow's feed. Thought we had them at home but we didn't which is why we bought them today! The calcium+ stuff I watched a video on which is calcium with trace amounts of the multivitamins and D3, video here: , just skip to 3:30. It is the compact model, I have it in a double dome thing with the basking bulb. I will add in some live plants and do some research on healthy ones when I go to buy more live crickets, etc.. tomorrow! Also the linear bulb. I was also thinking about trying some other insects like fruit flies or superworms. Thoughts on those? Do I/what should i gutload them with? Pictures below! He is a bit camera shy though, so he may look dark/brown in some photos.
 

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Syreptyon said:
Well first of all... Chameleons only eat live bugs (and some species eat plants). So that's why he "doesn't really" like the freeze-dried crickets. BTW what do you mean the freeze dried crickets are gutloaded? You know dead things can't eat right? ;) You'll want to throw those out ASAP, unless you have other reptiles that will eat them. They offer nothing to chameleons. Also, better to only feed in the morning. They need time to bask to fully digest food.

What are your plans for gutloading the live crickets? This isn't something that can really wait. They should be pre-gutloaded at every feeding with fresh produce, making sure to check that the veggies are chameleon safe first. Don't bother with the commercial junk like Fluker's products or bug burger. They are formulated with ingredients chameleons should not ingest.

You only have 1 of the 3 supplements you need to be using. Here's how to supplement correctly: (1) phosphorous-free calcium powder without vitamin D3 at every single feeding, (2) phosphorous-free calcium powder with vitamin D3 once every other week, and (3) a multivitamin once every other week as well.

Is the UVB light you're using a compact/coiled model or the long, linear kind? You want the linear model to keep your cham healthy.

Finally, pics of the chameleon and the enclosure would be helpful! I can already tell you that adding live plants would greatly improve his wellbeing (and up humidity)
Click to expand...
also an edit- There are still 4 live crickets in a feeding dish in his terrarium along with some carots for the crickets to eat to "gutload" them for now! He hasnt eaten any of them and it's been an hour... Hm... (I think I'm going to dump them into his habitat now to roam free)
 
One thing you might need to do in the future is get a bigger enclosure. 16x16x30 isnt enough for an adult male veiled. 18x18x36 is more suitable. Try smaller crickets like 1/4”. My chameleon didnt eat for 10 days and i thought she was sick. Turns out, she just wanted smaller feeders!:ROFLMAO:
 
Tiosk said:
One thing you might need to do in the future is get a bigger enclosure. 16x16x30 isnt enough for an adult male veiled. 18x18x36 is more suitable. Try smaller crickets like 1/4”. My chameleon didnt eat for 10 days and i thought she was sick. Turns out, she just wanted smaller feeders!:ROFLMAO:
Click to expand...
 
Yes, I plan on getting a larger inclosure when he/she gets full-grown. I want to get the reptibreeze XL which is 24x24x48 or the L which is 18x18x36! But as a juvenile I heard its better for them to have a smaller enclosure when young!
 
Update: Pico has eaten all the crickets when I let them roam free! I guess he/she just doesnt like dish feeding! I guess I'm sticking to letting the crickets roam around... hopefully they don't escape!
 
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