New veiled not eating

[Lindseyj66]

I just bought a new female veiled last night, shes about 2 & a half-3 inches big, seemed healthy, strong grip.

But when i get home i see her move and you can see her ribs. she hasn't eaten, but has drank but she seems to lean to the side when holding onto branches sometimes like she cant support herself.

I have crickets in a cup, started them in the bottom of the cage but she never went near the bottom so i moved the cup and attached it to a wall halfway to the top, she walks past it but doesn't show interest in it. so i was going to try to let the crickets loose in the bottom but she never goes down there.

any ideas? she is also showing stress colors and pacing. I am very nervous for my little buddy any help is welcome i realize vet care might be most immediate thing but i underage and my father doesn't think reptiles need a vet

 

[carol5208]

Many chameleons will not eat for days when they first get in their new environment. Give her time and space. Don't panic yet!! Also, as far as the ribs go, sometimes you can see them when they move and that is ok. Post a pic of her if you can and we will check her out for you to make sure she looks healthy. let the crickets go at the top and make sure they are not too big for her. Also, she may leaning to hide, as they will do that.

 

[Lindseyj66]

Pictures

Ok i think these are the right photos, not great quality, its hard to get photos of her unlike most chameleons shes almost never still

 

[midcoastchameleon]

Some chameleons need a adjustment time frame when coming home before eating. I would really focus on ensuring she is drinking, for that is a very important part of a homecoming. As for eating, continue to offer her feeders. Pick a spot in the enclosure and leave the feeder bowl, hanger, bucket/etc in the same spot. She will have no issues finding the feeders when she is hungry enough or feels comfortable enough to start feeding. Make sure to also get a laying bin in with her as she will need to be used to it for future needs.

 

[Lindseyj66]

I was told by the seller that it was a male so imagine my surprise when i got home and saw no tarsal spurs, and then i had my dad look even though he didnt know what he was really looking for and was like i dont see them either.. so im not quite prepared for a female, is it normal to have an egg laying bucket prepared this early just so she knows what it and where it is??

 

[midcoastchameleon]

I was told by the seller that it was a male so imagine my surprise when i got home and saw no tarsal spurs, and then i had my dad look even though he didnt know what he was really looking for and was like i dont see them either.. so im not quite prepared for a female, is it normal to have an egg laying bucket prepared this early just so she knows what it and where it is??

When it comes to a laying bin, dont feel you have to rush out immediately and have it all set up within the next 24 hours, but in the next week or so, definitely offer her one. Females can be unpredictable sometimes, and since the breeder you purchased her from was mistaken about the sex, there is no telling what else he was mistaken about as far as age etc.. This forum has a great instructional guide for layin bin newbies. You can also visit JannB's blogs for reference. In a nut shell, its best to be safe, rather then sorry.

 

[Lindseyj66]

Thank you both very much, one more question, my chameleon is only about 3 inches, maybe a little smaller and my enclosure is 2 foot by 2 foot by 4 foot because i was expecting to get an older bigger cham but got a baby, even though she moves around it fine, she doesn't just sit in one corner freaking out like a lot of tiny ones do should i get something smaller until she gets bigger?? i lost my debit card, and i usually buy things online so it would take a long time for me to be able to get it for her, would i have enough time?

 

[ReptileLove18]

i see you have 2 threads with the same question going!!
as for the enclosure size, as long as you have lots of ways for her to get around the enclosure, that will be fine. they have no boundaries in the wild and they are fine make sure you have the feeding cup next to a branch where she can find it and hopefully once she is adjusted she will starting eating. as others have said dont panic yet its very normal for them to need time to get settled in before they start eating normally.

 

[optimusmaximos]

When my little guy first arrived it was only one day before he was eating fro m my hands. It is such an strange thing to have the tongue snatch food like that. I hope you have sucess with your little one soon.

 

[Lindseyj66]

i see you have 2 threads with the same question going!!
as for the enclosure size, as long as you have lots of ways for her to get around the enclosure, that will be fine. they have no boundaries in the wild and they are fine make sure you have the feeding cup next to a branch where she can find it and hopefully once she is adjusted she will starting eating. as others have said dont panic yet its very normal for them to need time to get settled in before they start eating normally.

Yes i figured if i asked the enclosure question on the enclosure page id get a faster response instead of trying to ask a lot of questions and having some over looked on accident as some people tend to focus more on some things than others when it comes to chams