New baby chameleon wont eat

[BClizzi]

He is about 3 weeks old and i just got him yesterday. He will not eat anything i give him. He is too afraid of anything to eat. What can i do? i have lots of dubias and mealworms (i know they are bad for them buy i have some for my leopard gecko and i would rather have him eat those than nothing at all) and i will be getting 500 small crickets Wednesday. Shipping from my cricket supplier has stopped untill tuesday. What should i do?

 

[vtcowgirl]

Go to a local pet store to get some small crickets.

 

[BClizzi]

okay. they are just so expensive here

 

[Crashbandit05]

I honestly wouldn't worry too much. He needs space, time, and privacy to adjust. You just bought him from the pet store, I imagine the change of scenery is quite stressful.

 

[BClizzi]

okay thank you. I just dont want him to starve. Im going to the pet store and getting crickets tonight. Thanks for the help.

 

[kelly_girl199]

He is about 3 weeks old and i just got him yesterday. He will not eat anything i give him. He is too afraid of anything to eat. What can i do? i have lots of dubias and mealworms (i know they are bad for them buy i have some for my leopard gecko and i would rather have him eat those than nothing at all) and i will be getting 500 small crickets Wednesday. Shipping from my cricket supplier has stopped untill tuesday. What should i do?

3 weeks is way too young to be buying them in my opinion. I've herd from other people not eating for a day or two is normal when going to a new home.

 

[BClizzi]

i dont know his exact age but the crickets are well smaller than the space in between his eyes.

 

[Andee]

I honestly wouldn't worry if he doesn't eat for a couple days. Usually around 3 weeks old they will eat within a couple days unless something is seriously wrong. As long as they are well hydrated a few days without food will be fine and is totally normal. However if he goes too long since he is so small, I would honestly be looking for an illness. Are you trying to cup feed him? What size is his enclosure? If the enclosure is too big and you aren't cup feeding he may be unable to find the prey. How much foliage do you have in the enclosure? That may play a big part on his comfort level.

 

[BClizzi]

i have been trying to cup feed him for just today. His cage is 15x15x30 inches. I have a ton of foliage. Ill lost a picture

 

[BClizzi]

 

[Andee]

In my opinion it is still relatively bare (for any chameleon) but especially for one his size.

 

[BClizzi]

it looks more bare in the photo. My phone wont let me upload a photo right now. Let me try in a couple of min

 

[BClizzi]

 

[BClizzi]

the basking spot is at about 88 89. Everywhere else is about 70

 

[Andee]

88-89 is too high in my opinion, especially for a baby of your size. It shouldn't go any higher than 85. And even with that picture it still looks far too open and you need more coverage.

 

[BClizzi]

ok i swapped bulbs and its now at about 83 84. I will move some from the bottom of the cage to the top and see what happens. I have put 30 crickets in there total and i cant find a single one. I didnt see him eat once. I think they are getting out because they are all over my carpet now im out of crickets...

 

[BClizzi]

that should be enough. Is that good?

 

[BClizzi]

i found a little poop at the bottom of his cage. does that mean he is eating?

 

[Andee]

I would assume so. At least a few ^^. When you upgrade him to a larger cage I would strongly suggest sticking to only natural chameleon safe plants. Veileds when they get older are known for eating plants a lot, and they often eat fake plants, which can cause serious problems to arise and cause surgery to be needed.

 

[BClizzi]

oh okay. There is a pothos in there as well as another plant i forgot the name was but is safe. thanks for the help? ill see if she eats