Oustalet Chameleon - Feeding habits.

[sbristow]

I have a large 18month old CB male Oustalet Chameleon. I have owned him now since the summer. He is very large and up to 6 weeks ago very hungry. He is now off of his food, he may have one or two wax worms, but the bigger gut loading bugs he avoids. He drinks from a drip system and takes water from the hand so hydration isn't a problem. His vivarium is kept at around 30 degree c with a drop at night to around 22 degree c and he has plenty of space to climb and hide. He is very hand tame and comes our frequently. He is showing no outward sign of poor health. This is not my first Chameleon to go without food voluntary but it is for this duration. If any one can offer an insight to this I would really appreciate it. I attach a few photos of him and his vivarium.

 

[jpowell86]

IMHO, I believe that the duration seems so much longer that other chameleons simply because this species is so large. I have had identical experiences with my Melleri. I think they plateau at certain ages and aren't as in need of sustenance...this allows them to be picky and turn their nose up at certain feeders. Example - I have had Macumba(one of my Melleri) for years. He is a wonderful eater. Every once in a while though, he will do this and go almost a week without wanting a thing. The first time this happened I was at the vet freaking out. She was unable to find anything wrong. Now I'm sure if I offered him something scrumptious like wax worms, he would have taken it....but I choose to wait it out so he doesn't become a picky nightmare. If your Oustie isn't showing any signs of poor health and no drastic changes have occurred for him of late, then I would just be patient a little longer. He's looks awesome by the way!! Big boy.

 

[MissLissa]

6 weeks seems like a long time even for a large species of cham. Have you taken a stool sample to your vet for a parasite check?

 

[jpowell86]

Well I'm glad I checked back on this post. My apologies, I completely misread that. It equated in my head as 6 days to a week. Disregard the patience theory, I would definitely have him checked out by a vet. 6 weeks is a terribly long time to go without food. Do you have substrate or any objects in the cage that could have been ingested and caused impaction?

 

[sbristow]

Thank you all for your time in responding, I think I need to explain better. He was feeding gregariously six weeks ago, any type of locust, big or small. It isn't that he hasn't fed, it's that his diet now has almost stopped in comparison. He will take a waxwork but isn't interested in any other food. He is still healthy and extremely strong (His grip is capable of drawing blood on open skin) My previous Panthers did go off food from time to time and I wasn't unduly worried, this being a different species I do not have previous experience.
The next time he goes to the toilet I will have the stools analysed, however it isn't often at the moment due to the lack of food.
I don't believe there is anything in his vivarium that he could have ingested, and he does take the occasional wax worm. It's all a mystery. If he's not feeding by mid week I'll get him checked out.

 

[MissLissa]

That's likely a good idea. Even five or six waxworms likely isn't enough caloric intake for a cham of this size. The vet might recommend an xray to check for blockage, and I'd urge you to agree- just in case. Is he passing any urates (white poops)? Do you shower him? If he is having gut problems or parasite problems the extra hydration can't hurt. I would definitely stop handling him as much as possible. Even pleasant interactions with humans are a bit stressful on them, even when it's voluntary, and reducing his stress is a good idea until you have a handle on what's going on.

What are the dimensions to that cage? It honestly looks pretty small to me, when compared to his size. Male chameleons need tons of space, which may explain why he wants to come out all the time, if he is feeling cramped. But then, my animals have gigantic enclosures- I won't keep a cham in anything less than 3x their length long, 2x their length deep, and minimum 5 feet high (preferably 6), so my idea of a "proper size enclosure" is probably deeply skewed I would think he could do with some more foliage, though- his basking area is pretty bare and I don't really see any areas where he could 100% hide himself from view, without being on the bottom of his cage. Just my two cents

 

[sbristow]

I will definitely agree to an Xray as you suggest, I'm hoping it isn't a blockage but you can never be too sure.

His Vivarium is 5 feet high and from the time that he arrived he has been in it & he has fed without any problem. I have introduced more hiding places for him since the photo was taken, he seems more than happy to move between various parts of his vivarium. I think the showering you suggest is a great idea, I have seen it posted on other collectors fact sheets but have yet to pursue that option. He does get a very good spraying twice per week, but the shower is a good option.

He passes very white urates, hence the reason why I wasn't to concerned with hydration. He also eats fruit beetle grubs periodically that I coat in calcium powder & during the summer months he's taken to a very large outside enclosure.

I'll send over a picture of his newly laid out Viv with additional hiding spaces very soon. In the interim, thank you very much for your help & I will take on board all your helpful advice.

 

[vegaslawchick]

Ive noticed when my chameleons are shedding they don't eat much.

 

[sbristow]

I have taken Nero to the vets and he is in fine condition. They requested I return him if he continues not to feed. The advice they gave was to increase the heat in his vivarium by 10 degrees C and add an additional hour to his day. His current photo period is 12 hours. He maybe settling in a 'winter' pattern whereby he may drastically reduce his food. Apparently this happens to other lizards to include Bearded Dragons. I am hopeful. He did have a very very big shed at around the same time he gave up eating so that do correlate with your post Vegaslawchick. Thanks one and all for all your advice... Stewart..