Not eating

[gage25]

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - Male veiled chameleon 7 months old. Been in my care a little over a month.
• Handling - 1-2 times a week, will walk onto my hands.
• Feeding - At first I was feeding 8-10 large crickets a day then I went and got him a horned worm and he won't eat anything but those so I've been feeding him a medium horned worm every other day. I've tried Dubai roaches as well and he won't eat them. I gut load with carrots and romaine lettuce.
• Supplements - Repticalcium no d3 every feeding accept when he gets his vitamins or calcium with D3. Every Other Saturday I dust with calcium with D3 (Zoo med Reptivite) and the Saturday in between I dust with rep cal herptivite multi vitamins.
• Watering - I have a large dripper dripping onto his leaves all day and I mist 2-3 times a day I don't see him drink but his urge is mostly white with a little yellow.
• Fecal Description - Recently his poop has been small and runny rate is mostly white with a little yellow. When he was eating his crickets his poop was much larger and more solid. never 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 - Screen cage 18x18x3
• Lighting - basing bulb 65 watt blue bulb uvb I have a 1 foot long zoo med fixture with a t5 5.0 reptisun bulb
• Temperature - basking spot is 85 cage floor is 70 the bottom of the cage has a dial thermometer and basing spot is measured with the zoo med probe the cage came with. lowest temp at night is 60
• Humidity - humidity is at 70 percent he has a lot of fake pants and the green mats at the bottom to hold moisture.
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
• Placement - cage is by the front door top of the cage is a little over 5 feet off the ground
• Location - boise Idaho

Current Problem - He stopped eating crickets ever since I fed him a horned worm and I've tried Dubai roaches he's never eaten one and still won't eat them. So now I'm feeding him a medium sized horned worm every other day. Also I'm wondering why he isn't a bright green when I go into pet stores and they are always so bright and mine is dark but lightens up when I hold him.

 

[ERKleRose]

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - Male veiled chameleon 7 months old. Been in my care a little over a month.
• Handling - 1-2 times a week, will walk onto my hands.
• Feeding - At first I was feeding 8-10 large crickets a day then I went and got him a horned worm and he won't eat anything but those so I've been feeding him a medium horned worm every other day. I've tried Dubai roaches as well and he won't eat them. I gut load with carrots and romaine lettuce.
• Supplements - Repticalcium no d3 every feeding accept when he gets his vitamins or calcium with D3. Every Other Saturday I dust with calcium with D3 (Zoo med Reptivite) and the Saturday in between I dust with rep cal herptivite multi vitamins.
• Watering - I have a large dripper dripping onto his leaves all day and I mist 2-3 times a day I don't see him drink but his urge is mostly white with a little yellow.
• Fecal Description - Recently his poop has been small and runny rate is mostly white with a little yellow. When he was eating his crickets his poop was much larger and more solid. never 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 - Screen cage 18x18x3
• Lighting - basing bulb 65 watt blue bulb uvb I have a 1 foot long zoo med fixture with a t5 5.0 reptisun bulb
• Temperature - basking spot is 85 cage floor is 70 the bottom of the cage has a dial thermometer and basing spot is measured with the zoo med probe the cage came with. lowest temp at night is 60
• Humidity - humidity is at 70 percent he has a lot of fake pants and the green mats at the bottom to hold moisture.
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
• Placement - cage is by the front door top of the cage is a little over 5 feet off the ground
• Location - boise Idaho

Current Problem - He stopped eating crickets ever since I fed him a horned worm and I've tried Dubai roaches he's never eaten one and still won't eat them. So now I'm feeding him a medium sized horned worm every other day. Also I'm wondering why he isn't a bright green when I go into pet stores and they are always so bright and mine is dark but lightens up when I hold him.

He’s picky and on a hunger strike for hornworms, the hornworms are what’s making his poop runny, they’re hydrating him even more. Don’t feed him for a couple of days and/or try other types of feeders. BSFL and flies, other types of roaches, silkworms, butterworms, etc are all good. Maybe add a commercial gutload in with what you already have. Isn’t Reptivite also a multivitamin? How long do you mist for? Get rid of the blue bulb and get a white light heat incandescent bulb from the hardware store, they’re cheaper and last longer. I might be wrong, but the basking spot seems a bit low. The veiled care sheet here has all of the proper info on basking temps, etc. Is it drafty/lots of foot traffic by the front door? Do you have a drainage system? He’ll need a bigger cage soon. Add some more branches and vines, mostly horizontal everywhere and a little more plant cover over some of the branches/vines. Sorry for the abrupt responses, just want to give you some quick info!

 

[mae_day]

Just to add onto some of the other info you've gotten-- carrots are okay (they're sort of a tier 2) but they shouldn't be the bulk of your feeders' diet. Romaine is little more than water. Try getting collard greens and/or mustard greens (tier 1 gutload along with papaya, watercress, alfalfa, etc.). As a bonus, collards and mustard greens are very cheap (even organic ones. In my area they're less than $2 a bunch). I agree about adding a commercially available dry gutload, too. Cricket Crack is what I use and I know some other keepers have had success with it.

 

[mae_day]

To quote from the food and nutrition section of the resources tab:

"Best - These gutloading ingredients are best because they are highest in calcium, low in phosphorus, oxalates and goitrogens. They should be the primary components of your gutload: mustard greens, turnip greens, dandelion leaves, collard greens, escarole lettuce, papaya, watercress and alfalfa.


Good - These gutloading ingredients are good because they are moderately high in calcium and other vitamins/minerals. They should be used in addition to those from the previous category: sweet potato, carrots, oranges, mango, butternut squash, kale, apples, beet greens, blackberries, bok choy and green beans."

and

"Avoid These Ingredients

Avoid these gutloading ingredients because they are low in calcium, high in phosphorus, goitrogens or oxalates: potatoes, cabbage, iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce, spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, corn, grains, beans, oats, bread, cereal, meat, eggs, dog food, cat food, fish food, canned or dead insects, vertebrates."

Here's a link to the entire page. Food & Nutrition. Be sure to brush up on this as well as the Veiled care sheet.

 

[Brodybreaux25]

... visual aid I stole... may be a conflict or two to what we usually reccomend but that just gives us a good reason to discuss them...

 

[NickTide]

I second the BSF. They are great feeders and great for a picky eater. Flying insects are a natural food for chams.

 

[gage25]

He’s picky and on a hunger strike for hornworms, the hornworms are what’s making his poop runny, they’re hydrating him even more. Don’t feed him for a couple of days and/or try other types of feeders. BSFL and flies, other types of roaches, silkworms, butterworms, etc are all good. Maybe add a commercial gutload in with what you already have. Isn’t Reptivite also a multivitamin? How long do you mist for? Get rid of the blue bulb and get a white light heat incandescent bulb from the hardware store, they’re cheaper and last longer. I might be wrong, but the basking spot seems a bit low. The veiled care sheet here has all of the proper info on basking temps, etc. Is it drafty/lots of foot traffic by the front door? Do you have a drainage system? He’ll need a bigger cage soon. Add some more branches and vines, mostly horizontal everywhere and a little more plant cover over some of the branches/vines. Sorry for the abrupt responses, just want to give you some quick info!

Alright I won't feed him for a couple days then try something else. What commercial gut load do you recommend? The reptivite says reptile vitamins with D3 I was using it for the D3 should I use something else? I mist until all his leaves and branches are dripping water 2-3 times a day. Ill get rid of the blue light and try and bump his Baskin temp to around 90? the dripper just drips into a bowl and I empty it daily. how big of a cage should I look into getting him?
Thank you!

 

[gage25]

To quote from the food and nutrition section of the resources tab:

"Best - These gutloading ingredients are best because they are highest in calcium, low in phosphorus, oxalates and goitrogens. They should be the primary components of your gutload: mustard greens, turnip greens, dandelion leaves, collard greens, escarole lettuce, papaya, watercress and alfalfa.


Good - These gutloading ingredients are good because they are moderately high in calcium and other vitamins/minerals. They should be used in addition to those from the previous category: sweet potato, carrots, oranges, mango, butternut squash, kale, apples, beet greens, blackberries, bok choy and green beans."

and

"Avoid These Ingredients

Avoid these gutloading ingredients because they are low in calcium, high in phosphorus, goitrogens or oxalates: potatoes, cabbage, iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce, spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, corn, grains, beans, oats, bread, cereal, meat, eggs, dog food, cat food, fish food, canned or dead insects, vertebrates."

Here's a link to the entire page. Food & Nutrition. Be sure to brush up on this as well as the Veiled care sheet.

Thank you!

 

[ERKleRose]

Alright I won't feed him for a couple days then try something else. What commercial gut load do you recommend? The reptivite says reptile vitamins with D3 I was using it for the D3 should I use something else? I mist until all his leaves and branches are dripping water 2-3 times a day. Ill get rid of the blue light and try and bump his Baskin temp to around 90? the dripper just drips into a bowl and I empty it daily. how big of a cage should I look into getting him?
Thank you!

Sorry, basking spot is fine, I’ve got dyslexia and read something else. Cricket Crack or Pangea is great, along with Mazuri and Repashy. You can use the Reptivite as your vitamin and D3, lose the other multivitamin in your supplement schedule. Get rid of the water bowl and create a drainage system. Adult male veileds need a minimum of 2’ by 2’ by 4’ tall. DIYCages.com , Dragon Strand Cages, and building your own custom cage are all great options if you’re looking for something bigger than that, top of the line, or something custom. I’m currently building two 4’ by 30” by 5’ tall screen cages with an 18” deep bioactive substrate bin and custom backgrounds