New Wc mellers wont eat?!

Alejandro17

Alejandro17

New Member
I just got a Wc mellers two days ago, as soon as I got him I sprayed him for 5 min and he drank for the whole 5 min and I also put a feeder cup with crickets but has not ate yet. Should I be worried? Any suggestions Thanks
 
Hi and congrats on your new melleri. Have you ever had melleris before? How old is he? How long has he been in captivity? What kind of cage is he in? Where is it located? We need more info.

It is not uncommon for any cham to not eat for a couple of days after relocating them, let alone if they are w/c. Has he been treated for parasites at all? W/c all have them and he needs to have a fecal done within the next couple of weeks. Give him a little time to settle down before you do it. Right now give him some space and quiet. Let him get use to his surroundings. There is a great article on acclimating a melleri somewhere. let me see if i can find it for you. Also on this forum, if you go to the bottom, there is a special group for owners of melleris.

And melleris LOVE to drink. 5 min is not enough, especially for a w/c one. Mine get watered for 20 min at a time. They love the water. Also with wc ones i usually add 1/2 water and 1/2 electrolytes to make sure he doesn't get dehydrated. It works wonders on w/c. If he is a newly caught one, i would also shower him at least 1 x every other day as well for the next week. Some of them go through heck coming in. Good luck and if i can help you any more don't hesitate to pm me.

Debby
 
I wouldn't worry yet. Most chams need a few days to get use to their new environment. Just make sure he gets plenty of water and privacy right now.
 
most important thing is to make sure he is drinking

I suggest you take a sample of his feces to get a fecal check-up
he might have parasites & he will need to be treated soon
 
I freaked out each time I got my chams because they didn't eat for a while. I think they both took 2+ days to eat, but it's a good sign he's drinking! They are just stressed and have to get used to their new home.
 
I just tried using the links and found out they didn't work. I'm sorry. The only other way i know to tell you is go on to the chameleon journals and do an article search, and about the 3rd group down you'll see specific kinds mentioned and that's where you will find those articles. Sorry again they didnt' work.
 
You might want to try some flying feeders like silkworm moths, wild caught moths, blue bottle flies, or house flies. Also try some crickets free ranged on the screen instead of in a cup. As you can imagine a wild caught animal doesn't know what a feeding cup is.

See ya,

Todd
 
mellers

I'm not sure how long he/she has been in captivty for, but I have two wc mellers in a enclosure 3 1/2 x 6 hard plastic screen that I made them they have a 5.0 bulb and a 100w heat lamp. I got some reptaid from chameleons Nw for. Thats anti parasitic medicine. I wanted to know if that should help them? Thanks everyone
 
If I were you I'd just take him to a vet. There could be many many reasons he is not eating, stress being the most likely. But heavy parasitic infection and not liking being kept with another cham could be reasons too. Is the one that is not eating light colored most of the time or a darker green with blackish spots alot? As long as he is drinking heavily I would not worry about the not eating for another few days. However being a wild caught I would take him to the vet asap as there are all kinds of problems that can be concealed by a fairly healthy looking wild caught animal. Also once you actually treat them with an anti-parasitic medication you will need to either get all new plants and bleach everything in the cage with a 1:10 water solution or else you risk a never ending circle of reinfection by the same parasites over and over which can eventually kill a chameleon. Good luck, hopefully he will eat soon.
 
OldSkoolxReasons said:
If I were you I'd just take him to a vet. There could be many many reasons he is not eating, stress being the most likely. But heavy parasitic infection and not liking being kept with another cham could be reasons too. Is the one that is not eating light colored most of the time or a darker green with blackish spots alot? As long as he is drinking heavily I would not worry about the not eating for another few days. However being a wild caught I would take him to the vet asap as there are all kinds of problems that can be concealed by a fairly healthy looking wild caught animal. Also once you actually treat them with an anti-parasitic medication you will need to either get all new plants and bleach everything in the cage with a 1:10 water solution or else you risk a never ending circle of reinfection by the same parasites over and over which can eventually kill a chameleon. Good luck, hopefully he will eat soon.
Click to expand...

I'm going to have to disagree with taking him to a vet. Melleri are very sensitive to certain medications and there are not many experience vets that specialize in Melleri. You're better off sending a pm to an experience melleri forum member like Fluxlizard or Chams1. I do agree that taking a fresh poop sample to a vet to have it checked for parasites is a must. If positive for parasites then there are certain meds to be used. Right now the most important thing is absolutely NO STRESS and WATER, WATER, WATER. I would even cover his cage and only leave lights on about 8 hrs so he can rest.
 
Alejandro17 said:
I'm not sure how long he/she has been in captivty for, but I have two wc mellers in a enclosure 3 1/2 x 6 hard plastic screen that I made them they have a 5.0 bulb and a 100w heat lamp. I got some reptaid from chameleons Nw for. Thats anti parasitic medicine. I wanted to know if that should help them? Thanks everyone
Click to expand...


100 w heat lamp is way too much. Melleri burn easily and prefer cooler temps, max 85 degrees. Reptaid is good but if you have to stress him out to give it to him, it's best just to be patient. Some nice big juicy hornworm would do wonders for him right now and you could even inject the reptaid into them.
 
We'll if the cham doesn't eat the entire first week and is still showing no interest in food I personally would take him to the vet. yes it may be a bit premature as of yet but I like to have all new animals vet checked and tested(CB or not) in the first two weeks I have them. That way is they are CB I can explain the problems to the seller, or if they are wild caught they can be treated.
 
OldSkoolxReasons said:
We'll if the cham doesn't eat the entire first week and is still showing no interest in food I personally would take him to the vet. yes it may be a bit premature as of yet but I like to have all new animals vet checked and tested(CB or not) in the first two weeks I have them. That way is they are CB I can explain the problems to the seller, or if they are wild caught they can be treated.
Click to expand...

Granted if you have a qualified vet you can take him to. We have seen many times on this forum of people having bad experiences with inexperience vets. Even though a chameleon is classified as a reptile, they are very unique and different. The cham owner must have alot of knowledge going into a vet's office so they know if the vet is qualified or not. I'm speaking from personal experience. Again, melleri are very sensitive to certain meds and if their kidneys, liver, etc are already bad, the wrong medication will just do them in.
 
Are you saying you are keeping (2) WC Melleri in one cage? Answering the following will help other melleri keepers see what's going on and help tweak anything that may be off.


Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information, you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.


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.


Pictures are helpful
 
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