New baby veiled, seems "challenged"

[phyber]

I purchased a young (perhaps 1-2 month old) male veiled Cham from the local pet store. The Cham was held for 5 days before sale as part of a quarantine process.

Granted, he's only been at my home for barely 48 hours...but he seems challenged mentally...he will frequently go to the bottom of the cage and just paw at the sides. There is nothing obvious he could be trying to climb, etc, he's just sitting there.

Also, he keeps his right eye closed quite a bit. There is no discharge from it, the eye itself (when open) looks identical to the other, which appears healthy. He just seems to be squinting, which hinders him looking for food. He will usually be found laying on a leaf near the basking bulb with it closed. I thought he was sleeping until I saw it was just one eye...but I might have just caused him to wake up.

He seems to have little white spots on his skin, as if it's from a shed...when I have held him, I have gently tried to see of it would brush off, however he's so light and small that it's hard for me to do and he moves. The skin doesn't seems to be coming off of that's what it is.

Finally, he seems to have zero appetite. I have only seen him eat two crickets and a few mealworms. Crickets will literally crawl under him and he doesn't seem to realize it. I know I have put 6 crickets at least in the cage, and there are none now so I know he's eating them...he just doesn't seem motivated at all to hunt for them.

I mist after the cage has dried, and unfortunately can't comment on poop quality/status...he hasn't gone yet.

The reason why I'm hoping you all can help is because this is the exact opposite of my female veiled Cham who is roughly 3-4 months old. She has never been shy about going after as much food as possible. Her attitude has been considerable for a Cham as well.

Should I be worried about its problems? How much should it be eating at this point?

Male cage:
Glass aquarium (in the process of building an all screen cage now)
60w bulb
Reptisun 5 UVB cfl

Female cage:
Reptibreeze medium
100w bulb
Reptisun 5 UVB cfl

 

[misshissingroaches]

I am sorry because this seems very confusing to me. could it be the watt difference in the bulbs? plz contact me if I have been somewhat helpful.

Sincerely,
Miss Hiss

 

[phyber]

I use a 60w bulb because of it temporarily being in an all glass aquarium. I felt as if I used a 100w it would get too hot inside.

 

[ashutt19]

It maybe he is just stressed. It normally take a few day for them to adjust. Just get that screen cage set up and let him have a few days to adjust. Keep offering some food and make sure to read the care sheets.

 

[phyber]

Hopefully the cage will be built by this weekend.

I have taped some paper the three sides of the tank to hopefully reduce the amount of stressors he can see.

At the store he was definately moving around quickly and showing coloration already.

Since I have personally seen him eat SOMETHING, should I assume it's all just stress?

This is my first journey into reptiles; I have a saltwater reef tank, so whenever I see something acting sickly I know to quarantine and treat immediately. My first reaction to the white spots on him was "oh no! He's got ICH!!!" Lol

 

[misshissingroaches]

if it is stress one time when I had praying mantid they were stressed because their tank was not "natural" (this may be because I had rainbow gravel) so I printed a natural landscape and stuck it to the sides. maybe this will work for yours. like a rainforest backround with other chams in it. try it and see how it works! (I would use color ink)

Sincerely,
Miss Hiss

 

[misshissingroaches]

although......he may have some mental issues from the pet stores possible irresponsible breeding.

Sincerely,
Miss Hiss

 

[Kath44]

I think he just needs time to settle in. Totally new surroundings etc to get used to.
Hope the screen cage is coming along, plenty of safe plants etc, somewhere to hide and leave him to it. Just feed and mist and leave him be for a while.
I've had my Cham over a month and it's really only in the last week he's appearing more comfortable with me and his surroundings.
Kath.

 

[Chiichan]

Honestly, from personal experience, my female veiled ate way more than my male did when we got them as babies. (They are about half a year apart) We bought them from the same petco store as well.

Since you've had him for a generally short period of time, I would think it would be a matter of him having to get used to his new home. Many members say that it can take anywhere from a couple days to a week before they settle it. As long as he's well hydrated, i'm sure it'll be fine. The eating will come eventually. I wouldn't worry too much.

And you did mention getting him a screen cage which is good. Male and females will always have their differences That's just a fact of life. Haha.

Anyway, doesn't sound like anything too bad. My situation with my veilds are pretty similar to yours. My boy also does the one eye close once in a while, no discharge either. He's about 6months now.

Let us know in a few days if anything has changed. Good luck

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

It maybe he is just stressed. It normally take a few day for them to adjust. Just get that screen cage set up and let him have a few days to adjust. Keep offering some food and make sure to read the care sheets.

Excellent advice at this stage. Sometimes they will be trying to escape their cage because they do not feel safe. The addition of more foliage and branches is often enough to make them feel protected and if they don't feel vulnerable they don't try to get to a new place to hide. So I'd recommend the addition of foliage, or you can post a picture of your cage and we can offer suggestions for improvement or help identify something that may be causing problems.

I am sorry because this seems very confusing to me. could it be the watt difference in the bulbs? plz contact me if I have been somewhat helpful.

Sincerely,
Miss Hiss

If you are confused please learn more before trying to answer questions. The wattage of the bulbs affect heat. The larger wattage bulbs are hotter. A chameleon may go to the bottom if it is too hot as they are trying to find a cooler area, however if temperature are normal then this is not a factor.

if it is stress one time when I had praying mantid they were stressed because their tank was not "natural" (this may be because I had rainbow gravel) so I printed a natural landscape and stuck it to the sides. maybe this will work for yours. like a rainforest backround with other chams in it. try it and see how it works! (I would use color ink)

Chameleons are very stressed by the sight of other chameleons, even of their own species or their mate. So that would not be wise...

although......he may have some mental issues from the pet stores possible irresponsible breeding.

This is really not a factor that we see in reptiles except for exceedingly rare cases, usually as a result of poor care when tanger causing stunting.

 

[chameleonowner32]

I use a 60w bulb because of it temporarily being in an all glass aquarium. I felt as if I used a 100w it would get too hot inside.

You should not have a 60watt heat bulb on a 2 month old veiled. You dont need one unless your normal temps are in the 60s during the day.

 

[chameleonowner32]

if it is stress one time when I had praying mantid they were stressed because their tank was not "natural" (this may be because I had rainbow gravel) so I printed a natural landscape and stuck it to the sides. maybe this will work for yours. like a rainforest backround with other chams in it. try it and see how it works! (I would use color ink)

Sincerely,
Miss Hiss

No, you dont put a colored background with other chams on it. That will make it way worse, chams are territorial. Plz dont missinform people if your not sure on the subject.

 

[Psychobunny]

I purchased a young (perhaps 1-2 month old) male veiled Cham from the local pet store. The Cham was held for 5 days before sale as part of a quarantine process.

Granted, he's only been at my home for barely 48 hours...but he seems challenged mentally...he will frequently go to the bottom of the cage and just paw at the sides. There is nothing obvious he could be trying to climb, etc, he's just sitting there.

Also, he keeps his right eye closed quite a bit. There is no discharge from it, the eye itself (when open) looks identical to the other, which appears healthy. He just seems to be squinting, which hinders him looking for food. He will usually be found laying on a leaf near the basking bulb with it closed. I thought he was sleeping until I saw it was just one eye...but I might have just caused him to wake up.

He seems to have little white spots on his skin, as if it's from a shed...when I have held him, I have gently tried to see of it would brush off, however he's so light and small that it's hard for me to do and he moves. The skin doesn't seems to be coming off of that's what it is.

Finally, he seems to have zero appetite. I have only seen him eat two crickets and a few mealworms. Crickets will literally crawl under him and he doesn't seem to realize it. I know I have put 6 crickets at least in the cage, and there are none now so I know he's eating them...he just doesn't seem motivated at all to hunt for them.

I mist after the cage has dried, and unfortunately can't comment on poop quality/status...he hasn't gone yet.

The reason why I'm hoping you all can help is because this is the exact opposite of my female veiled Cham who is roughly 3-4 months old. She has never been shy about going after as much food as possible. Her attitude has been considerable for a Cham as well.

Should I be worried about its problems? How much should it be eating at this point?

Male cage:
Glass aquarium (in the process of building an all screen cage now)
60w bulb
Reptisun 5 UVB cfl

Female cage:
Reptibreeze medium
100w bulb
Reptisun 5 UVB cfl

You need to get him out of that aquarium right away, even if you have to buy a small screen Reptibreez while the other cage is being made.
A 60W incan. bulb directly over a glass aquarium is going to cook your cham
It sounds like he is desperately trying to escape because he doesn't like it in there
Also, as already mentioned, chameleons need time to settle into new surroundings, they don't like change.
So when you move him again, he will likely be stressed all over again until he feels secure.
Provide lots of vines, branches, places where he can hide, and leave him alone (except at feeding time) until your presents no longer frightens him.

But right now, your main concern is to get him a proper cage.

How are you monitoring the temps?

 

[phyber]

Thank you all for your help on this!!! I will head to the local shop to see what reptibreeze cages are in stock and get him in something else.

The temps in my home stay in the mid 60's day/night. I opted to add the 60w bulb (in place of 100w) in hopes of keeping him in a more "tropical" temperature. More often than not, he is seen at the highest branch, directly under the heat lamp.

I am monitoring the temps with a temp/humdity digital gauge. All has been in the comfortable zone as defined by care sheets.

I fed him 4 crickets yesterday afternoon and this morning there was just one left in the tank, so I know he has eaten three, I just don't see the sense of urgency to eat like my female has.

There are branches and fake plants in both enclosures now...I hope to have something more natural and aesthetically pleasing to the eye (real plants/vines) soon...I just need to figure out the logistics of it.

 

[phyber]

QUICK UPDATE

After everyone's much appreciated replies, I went and purchased a large Reptibreeze and various branches/vines and set him up in it that night. For the past two days, he has at least seemed happier, and has been gobbling up food (although still not in front of us like our female). He is in the middle of a huge shed and looks like a piece of popcorn at the moment.

His behavior is matching the females more so now, so hopefully the stress is going down.

I am gut loading the crickets with Flukers mix, as well as dusting crix/mealworms with calcium (w/o d3) every other day or so. I mist the chams about twice a day or so, but they never drink. as soon as the spray bottle comes out they start hiding...hate the water.

Hopefully it all was indeed stress from re-homing so many times, so quickly.

Thanks again all. I'll make another post if needed.

 

[Chiichan]

QUICK UPDATE

After everyone's much appreciated replies, I went and purchased a large Reptibreeze and various branches/vines and set him up in it that night. For the past two days, he has at least seemed happier, and has been gobbling up food (although still not in front of us like our female). He is in the middle of a huge shed and looks like a piece of popcorn at the moment.

His behavior is matching the females more so now, so hopefully the stress is going down.

I am gut loading the crickets with Flukers mix, as well as dusting crix/mealworms with calcium (w/o d3) every other day or so. I mist the chams about twice a day or so, but they never drink. as soon as the spray bottle comes out they start hiding...hate the water.

Hopefully it all was indeed stress from re-homing so many times, so quickly.

Thanks again all. I'll make another post if needed.

That's great news! It's good to hear things have changed for the better.

In regards to your gutload for the crickets im sure someone will chime in on that. Ive seen a lot of responses that those gutloads arent the greatest. I kept hearing about "cricket crack" or something?? There are others as well, its a home made gutload that I hear is great to use. Or you can make your own.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/394-dry-gutload-recipe-january-2010.html

Good luck and Many pleasant changes to come.

 

[Mijah139]

Just a thought here, but if there isnt a suitable vertical heat gradient in the enclosure, he could be going to the bottom in an attempt to cool down. Make sure That the temp is lower at the bottom of the cage (according to caresheets) so he can cool off if need be.

 

[phyber]

Thanks for that advice!

Yes, as for the temp gradient, he was only in a 10 gallon tank, so I'm sure he wasn't happy. My intent was to keep him in the tank for a week until I was able to build a large enclosure. This, as it seems, wasn't the best idea for the cham, so the purchase of the reptibreeze will do for now. At least it'll have something to be in during the summer when i take him out on the porch.

I figured the Flukers mix wasn't as high quality as possible...i will look into more custom foods for the crix. My main concerns were to just get the chams eating period...that would at least make their owner a bit less stressed

 

[kplatvoet]

I'm glad he's doing better -
You can get "bug burger" at a pet store or order "cricket crack" on line ((they are ready mades that are better than flukers as far as quality) and add some fresh vegetables/fruit - to start for your gut load and you'll see more improvements- pretty soon you'll be growing silk worms -
When you look at sandrachameleon's blogs on gut loading they can be a bit intimidating at first but it's good to read it over - some stuff is better than others and you most likely already have vegs or fruit that you can add.