Panther Chameleon not eating!

[tervol86]

hey there i have a panther chameleon, i bought him about 2.5 weeks ago. im not sure of his age. hes got a great set up with everything he needs. he typically eats about 5 crickets a day, but two days ago i fed him his five crickets and i picked up some meal worms and gave him 6 or 7 of them too. the next day he didnt eat anything at all i dusted 5 crickets put him in his cage and he wouldnt touch them. and today i put 2 crickets in his cage un dusted and he hasnt touched them. when i came home from work there was a pretty large bowel movement in the water dish in the bottom of the enclosure. he looks fine hes just been sitting there basking for 2 days and not eating. id appreciate any sort of input im worried somethin is wrong...

 

[tervol86]

here is a picture of him.

 

[Hunterjumper]

i am a new cham owner but have done alot of research. a common thing i saw was not to have a water dish bc they do not recognize this as a water source he may not be drinking. Usually my cham drinks the water of the leaves an branches after i mist him and when the automatic mister goes off. I have also read not to feed them mealworms bc they are not great nutrition for them. He might not want to eat the crickets because hes holding out for the mealworms bc he likes the taste of them better. Like i said i am no expert and am new to chams but have read these things in my research an communicating with a breeder.

 

[carol5208]

What do you have a water dish for? Is that how you are providing water for your chameleon?

 

[tervol86]

hey there thanks for you help, i put the dish of water in the bottom under the heat lamp, its advice i got from someone they said it would creaet a little bit of humidity for him . i mist his cage very well about 4 or 5 times a day. i dont see him drink often tho . and also i tried giving him a meal worm today and he wouldnt even look at it.

 

[tervol86]

the water dish is not his source of water i put it on the botom of the enclosure under the heating lamp, i got this advice from someone saying it could create a bit of extra humidity. i spray the enclosure often about 4-5 times a day or more! covering the leaves and branches with alot of water.

 

[ChameleonsByVanGogh]

the water dish is a breeding ground for bacteria and if a loose cricket drinks from it and he eats it he could get sick..better out then in..dripper and mister. i have a young female who sometimes doesn't eat for a couple days then will pig out then sit in the basking spot...its what they do don't be alarmed yet if this goes on for a while begin to worry. from the looks of the pic YOUR DOING A GREAT JOB KEEP IT UP!

 

[tervol86]

thank you very much, i am going to remove the water dish. thank you for the info... i had no idea. would it be a good idea to feed him in the morning shortly after turning his lights on ? can i leave him with crickets in the enclosure while im gone at work>? im a first time cham owner they are a little tricky but ihave alot of fun taking care of him i love it and need to get all the right info to make sure he does well and stays happy. maybe i shoud set up a dripper for now until can get a mister.

 

[carol5208]

Set a dripper up if your not going to be home all day. Have it drip about every second or two onto a branch or vine. Yes, you can leave crickets loose while you are gone. You will want to remove them at night though.

 

[ChameleonsByVanGogh]

your at the right place for info!! and these members are good people and willing to help... its cool to leave crickets in the cage just not to many its will stress him out. i have a mister and a dripper. the mister i use to keep humidity up but the dripper is constant. but with a dripper you still need to soak the cage every day at least once...good luck..do your research read read read and we are all here for any questions

 

[tervol86]

Its great to see a bunch of people who care! Thanks a lot


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