I have a new veiled chameleon. From pet smart. I got him fri night. They already fed him that day. I don't think he is eating. The crickets I think are hiding behind the foam back thing, I tried this morning and tonight to Fred him meal worms and he just stared at it. Is it just stress and he will do better in a couple days? I'm just worried. He is prob about 4 mo old. Any advice?
New chameleon not eating
- Thread starter dotster00
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Lathis
Chameleon Enthusiast
Yes, this is very, very common. Take out the crickets and give your little guy a while to get settled in to his new territory. In a day or two, if everything is good, he should start eating. Make sure he has plenty of water - lots of misting and a dripper. No water bowl. Are you feeding your crickets before you give them to your chameleon? This is called "gutloading", and it's very important to your chameleon's health.
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Chiichan
Member
Are you trying to hand feed him?? If he is new, he might need more time to get used to his new home. When I got my chams from petco I would put several crickets in their cage, count how many you put in to keep track. I would also put like 5 small mealworms in a small ceramic feeding bowl and just check to see if any are missing when I get home from work. On days that I was home, I had to watch from a distance so I wouldn't startle them. I noticed they were very shy when they were little and any quick or sudden movements just made them want to run and hide.
I noticed my female definetly ate more worms than my male did.
Assuming your husbandry is all up to par, then he may just need more privacy. Be sure that he is well hydrated though, esp if he is not eating.
I noticed my female definetly ate more worms than my male did.
Assuming your husbandry is all up to par, then he may just need more privacy. Be sure that he is well hydrated though, esp if he is not eating.
Lathis
Chameleon Enthusiast
My cham ate the very first day and then went on a 9 day hunger strike. I was really freaking out when he decided that everything was fine and started chowing down like a champ. It seemed to take him about 3 full weeks to really get settled. I found that giving him a thick plant he could hide in when he felt nervous was very helpful.
ChameleonMom
New Member
The very best thing you can do right now is just leave him alone to get over the stress of a new home. This can take anywhere from a day or two to 3 weeks! Give him space, provide food and water and then leave him alone.
I promise he'll come around!
I promise he'll come around!
Lathis
Chameleon Enthusiast
The very best thing you can do right now is just leave him alone to get over the stress of a new home. This can take anywhere from a day or two to 3 weeks! Give him space, provide food and water and then leave him alone.
I promise he'll come around!
Yes. Try to resist the urge to "check on" him every 5 minutes, too
