Panther dark and closing eyes during day

[Kacey F]

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - male panther, 11 months old/born 3rd week in January, have had since November 27th/about a week and a half.
• Handling - About once a day for less than a minute or when moving him from high risk areas like ceiling of cage to avoid burns.
• Feeding - Mainly crickets, some superworms. Have tried hornworms, waxworms and mealworms but hornworn was too big and others didn't move after refrigeration. I put 5 crickets and a superworm in a cup every day after 1st misting. Crickets escape and he eats off cage walls and will eat worms from cup. All gutloaded with Bio Dude bug grub. I have found a few dead crickets in cage over the week.
• Supplements -All dusted with Repti Calcium w/o d3 daily, Rept-cal calcium w d3 twice a month. Don't have a multivitamin but would like suggestions.
• Watering - Mistking with single nozzle. Set for 4 times a day. 1st 700a for 3 min, 2nd 1030a for 4 min, 3rd 300p for 3 min 30 sec, 4th 600p 3 min 30 sec. He hunkers down for the first min then very slowly makes his way over to the dripping leaves and starts to drink. By then the mistking stops so I take a hand mister and continue spraying near his mouth/leaf until he stops drinking. He drinks for at least 2 to 3 minutes so he should be VERY well hydrated.
• Fecal Description - brownish green with mucosal outer covering that can extend up a small portion of the urates with brownish dots. Urates white with yellow tinge. Some cricket legs seen and very small piece of superworm exoskeleton seen in last bowel movement. I've only had a week so he hasn't been to vet for me and not sure if breeder tested for parasites.
• History - Shy and very chill, has never been aggressive but maybe a little evasive.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Reptibreeze xl 2x2x4 all screen.
• Lighting - Arcadia T5 22" 6% UVB d3 forest tube in fixture with small reflectors on each side, placed at very front of cage rested on screen. 12" hood lamp with 75 watt zoomed basking bulb w uva placed back right of cage but moved to center back to increase distance to over 6" from basking area, also rested on screen. Lights on at 7a off at 7p.
• Temperature - Currently 85 to 92 8" directly under basking bulb. Bottom of cage low 70s, middle of cage high 70s. I have 2 thermometer/hygrometers. One with dual probe in basking area and other has separate probes with temp mid cage and hygrometer probe mid cage in plant. Ambient room temp is 72 to 74 day and probably mid 60s to low 70s at night.
• Humidity - My house is nosebleed dry so I have a humidifier outside of cage a few feet away pointed to bottom of cage. Low to mid cage humidity usually around 55 to 60% and after misting can go up to 90% but for only a few minutes before dropping again. Upper basking area usually between 20 to 30% but after misting goes up to 60% for a few minutes. Also have evergreen reptile fogger attached to upper left side of cage that I use for an hour after lights out. Measured with Bio Dude temp/hygro at basking spot and zoomed temp/hygro mid cage. Have trash bags bottom 1/3 of cage on back and right side covering screen from outside to help humidity and keep walls/power outlets dry.
• Plants - 1 large Dracaena Song of Jamaica 2x2x3 center cage and 1 small of same plant front right. Was divided after repotting with organic soil and compost Covered with river rock. Several jungle vines and 1 6' fake vine with leaves from hobby lobby.
• Placement - Cage at back of living room 2 feet from doorway to kitchen. Do walk past often to get to kitchen. Air vent is about 6 feet away on different wall. Cage is placed on coffee table so at top is probably 6 foot from floor.
• Location - Blue Springs, Missouri. So weather fluctuates drastically day to day.

Current Problem - When I 1st got him he was shy so it took a few days for him to start wandering around and eating. His uvb bulb came 2 days after I got him so I put that in and I thought temp was maybe too low so I changed from 75 watt incandescent to a 100 watt zoomed basking bulb all at the same time. He was very active after that but it did take a few hours for him to get up and going, like he wanted to sleep in a bit more. He began eating and pooping up a storm. I had noticed him closing one or both eyes randomly throughout the day. He does rub his eyes on surroundings after getting misted but only to get water off. It has progressed over the last few days to him closing both eyes more often but he does open them when approached or if cage is touched. He still eats, drinks and poops and looks healthy. He also still has the kung fu grip so he's not weak. Yesterday I changed the bulb back to the incandescent after seeing him get closer to the top where temps got up to 115 at the screen. That lasted only an hour when I saw him attached to the screentop directly under his bulb. I figured he was cold so I changed back to the 100 watt but he continued to get to the highest point possible and got really dark and would flatten out and switch sunning both sides of his body. I had my husband who is a plumber and has some really expensive and precise temperature devices measure the temp where he was and it was 110! I ran out and got a 75 watt basking bulb and that dropped it to 90 6" from the top but he continues trying to fry himself and stays really dark until I come over then he gets bright because he's upset at my presence. I also moved the lamp to the center of the cage where there is a greater distance from basking area to the top so he can't fry himself. He would sleep on and off throughout this whole fiasco. I called my breeder and we went over everything but couldn't figure it out so she suggested I try here. I also found out that his whole life he has been waking up at 1030a and bedtime at 10 or 11 at night. I had him on a 7a to 7p schedule. Could this cause his sleeping during the day and trying to pyro himself problems? Today I woke him at 10 and he woke right up and drank, I changed misting schedule to reflect new times. But now he's back in his basking spot all dark with one eye closed looking not so happy about not being able to fry himself. Any ideas on why this is happening? It's plenty hot in there.

p.s. I'm a nurse so I may over document and freak out. But he was really dark and looked like he was dying!
Pics-
1-normal colors a few days ago
2-cage
3-right now dark and eyes closed
4-today 1st waking up drinking
5-yesterday dark eyes closed trying to get to light
6-poop
7-yesterday trying to fry himself and mad at me
--------------

 

[Beman]

Did you ask the breeder if he was manually misted prior or if he had a misting system? In my experience this makes a huge difference when they are used to a manual but then get put on an automatic. They will stop cleaning their eyes.

Timing does make a difference as well. They grow very accustom to their schedules. So having an extreme change does cause them stress. Even with my boy when I switch up times for the different seasons he knows that something is off and reacts to it. I have to do it in slow increments of time and then he is perfectly fine.

Any change at this age is a big one for them. So even something as small as the misting or going from fake plants to real plants. Everything requires time for them to adjust.

Looking through your help form I do not see anything that jumps out at me. Now looking at the picture... Be careful about fogging into the cage during the day. You want it in the room but so it ups the ambient humidity not going into the cage where it ups the moisture level. Wet air and heat can lead to respiratory issues. Try to center the UVB light more so it is crossing the middle of the cage. Do not let him get that close to the bulb or he is at risk for a thermal burn. You can raise the fixture with something like this bracket that attaches. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007D1BUJY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s05?ie=UTF8&psc=1
The hottest he should be able to access is 90 degrees. I am guessing your using a heat gun to get your temps?

Reptivite without D3 is a good multivitamin. This is to be used 2 times a month on opposite weeks when you use the Calcium with D3.

Don't feed mealworms as they are high in chitin and not a quality feeder.

Have you taken a fecal sample into your vet to get it tested for parasites?

 

[Kaizen]

Did you ask the breeder if he was manually misted prior or if he had a misting system? In my experience this makes a huge difference when they are used to a manual but then get put on an automatic. They will stop cleaning their eyes.

Timing does make a difference as well. They grow very accustom to their schedules. So having an extreme change does cause them stress. Even with my boy when I switch up times for the different seasons he knows that something is off and reacts to it. I have to do it in slow increments of time and then he is perfectly fine.

Any change at this age is a big one for them. So even something as small as the misting or going from fake plants to real plants. Everything requires time for them to adjust.

Looking through your help form I do not see anything that jumps out at me. Now looking at the picture... Be careful about fogging into the cage during the day. You want it in the room but so it ups the ambient humidity not going into the cage where it ups the moisture level. Wet air and heat can lead to respiratory issues. Try to center the UVB light more so it is crossing the middle of the cage. Do not let him get that close to the bulb or he is at risk for a thermal burn. You can raise the fixture with something like this bracket that attaches. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007D1BUJY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s05?ie=UTF8&psc=1
The hottest he should be able to access is 90 degrees. I am guessing your using a heat gun to get your temps?

Reptivite without D3 is a good multivitamin. This is to be used 2 times a month on opposite weeks when you use the Calcium with D3.

Don't feed mealworms as they are high in chitin and not a quality feeder.

Have you taken a fecal sample into your vet to get it tested for parasites?

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - male panther, 11 months old/born 3rd week in January, have had since November 27th/about a week and a half.
• Handling - About once a day for less than a minute or when moving him from high risk areas like ceiling of cage to avoid burns. when he’s been in your care for less than a couple weeks, he’ll probably do some cage walking, just put your basking light higher up, and don’t handle him
• Feeding - Mainly crickets, some superworms. Have tried hornworms, waxworms and mealworms but hornworn was too big and others didn't move after refrigeration. I put 5 crickets and a superworm in a cup every day after 1st misting. Crickets escape and he eats off cage walls and will eat worms from cup. All gutloaded with Bio Dude bug grub. I have found a few dead crickets in cage over the week. I don’t think any hornworm would be too big for a full grown panther: they’re just giant water bags.
• Supplements -All dusted with Repti Calcium w/o d3 daily, Rept-cal calcium w d3 twice a month. Don't have a multivitamin but would like suggestions. so in my limited experience, some people have panther success with using just repashy calcium plus LoD at every feeding. If you want to go the orthodox route, several twice monthly multivitamins include reptivite and herptivite.
• Watering - Mistking with single nozzle. Set for 4 times a day. 1st 700a for 3 min, 2nd 1030a for 4 min, 3rd 300p for 3 min 30 sec, 4th 600p 3 min 30 sec. He hunkers down for the first min then very slowly makes his way over to the dripping leaves and starts to drink. By then the mistking stops so I take a hand mister and continue spraying near his mouth/leaf until he stops drinking. He drinks for at least 2 to 3 minutes so he should be VERY well hydrated.Not pushing anything here, but some people are misting/keeping humidity levels high at night, with a really good misting session just before lights on to cover everything in dew
• Fecal Description - brownish green with mucosal outer covering that can extend up a small portion of the urates with brownish dots. Urates white with yellow tinge. Some cricket legs seen and very small piece of superworm exoskeleton seen in last bowel movement. I've only had a week so he hasn't been to vet for me and not sure if breeder tested for parasites.undigested and discoloured poop is often thought to indicate some digestive problem, including parasites. I’ve seen similar poops in mine on occasion, especially if I feed them after 3pm. This in chams that tested no parasites, so don’t fret. Feeding later during the day is thought not to give the Cham sufficient time to digest.
• History - Shy and very chill, has never been aggressive but maybe a little evasive.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Reptibreeze xl 2x2x4 all screen.
• Lighting - Arcadia T5 22" 6% UVB d3 forest tube in fixture with small reflectors on each side, placed at very front of cage. consider placing it center cage? rested on screen. 12" hood lamp with 75 watt that’s a hot bulb. zoomed basking bulb w uva placed back right of cage but moved to center back to increase distance to over 6" from basking area, also rested on screen. Lights on at 7a off at 7p.
• Temperature - Currently 85 to 92 8" directly under basking bulb. probably on the high side. Until he is settled in, there’s nothing wrong with a basking temp between 80 and 85 Bottom of cage low 70s, middle of cage high 70s. I have 2 thermometer/hygrometers. One with dual probe in basking area and other has separate probes with temp mid cage and hygrometer probe mid cage in plant. Ambient room temp is 72 to 74 day and probably mid 60s to low 70s at night.
• Humidity - My house is nosebleed dry so I have a humidifier outside of cage a few feet away pointed to bottom of cage. Low to mid cage humidity usually around 55 to 60% and after misting can go up to 90% but for only a few minutes before dropping again. Upper basking area usually between 20 to 30% but after misting goes up to 60% for a few minutes. Also have evergreen reptile fogger attached to upper left side of cage that I use for an hour after lights out. Measured with Bio Dude temp/hygro at basking spot and zoomed temp/hygro mid cage. Have trash bags bottom 1/3 of cage on back and right side covering screen from outside to help humidity and keep walls/power outlets dry. Fogging more at night is often advocated.
• Plants - 1 large Dracaena Song of Jamaica 2x2x3 center cage and 1 small of same plant front right. Was divided after repotting with organic soil and compost Covered with river rock. Several jungle vines and 1 6' fake vine with leaves from hobby lobby.
• Placement - Cage at back of living room 2 feet from doorway to kitchen. Do walk past often to get to kitchen. Air vent is about 6 feet away on different wall. Cage is placed on coffee table so at top is probably 6 foot from floor.
• Location - Blue Springs, Missouri. So weather fluctuates drastically day to day.

Current Problem - When I 1st got him he was shy so it took a few days for him to start wandering around and eating. His uvb bulb came 2 days after I got him so I put that in and I thought temp was maybe too low so I changed from 75 watt incandescent to a 100 watt zoomed basking bulb all at the same time. He was very active after that but it did take a few hours for him to get up and going, like he wanted to sleep in a bit more. He began eating and pooping up a storm. I had noticed him closing one or both eyes randomly throughout the day. He does rub his eyes on surroundings after getting misted but only to get water off. It has progressed over the last few days to him closing both eyes more often but he does open them when approached or if cage is touched. This is reason enough to go to the vet. In anticipation, get a fecal sample to save time. He still eats, drinks and poops and looks healthy. He also still has the kung fu grip so he's not weak. Yesterday I changed the bulb back to the incandescent after seeing him get closer to the top where temps got up to 115 at the screen. That lasted only an hour when I saw him attached to the screentop directly under his bulb. I figured he was cold so I changed back to the 100 watt but he continued to get to the highest point possible and got really dark and would flatten out and switch sunning both sides of his body. I had my husband who is a plumber and has some really expensive and precise temperature devices measure the temp where he was and it was 110! I ran out and got a 75 watt basking bulb and that dropped it to 90 6" from the top but he continues trying to fry himself and stays really dark until I come over then he gets bright because he's upset at my presence. I’m not giving medical advise here, so please make a vet appointment, but when we get sick, we often use warm blankets to alleviate the heat energy demands on the body...chameleons too?

 

[Kacey F]

His breeder did manual and I do both mistking and manual. I don't work so I watch him like a hawk to make sure he's drinking and eating. He still cleans his eyes when misted. He closes his eye and it bubbles up and I can see the inside lid move across.
I use heat probes to measure temp, one is a dual heat/humidity and the other is separate temp and humidity placed in various areas of the cage. My husbands was a Fluke true rms clamp meter with a probe.
I do move the humidifier stream in front of but not aimed in the cage during the day but now I'll just point it away for a while. I'll also move the uvb and get a bracket for the heat lamp and see if this helps. I haven't found a herp vet yet so I haven't taken in his poo yet.
Are superworms ok? And how long should it take for him to adjust? I moved his times back to what the breeder had. Also this just happened- pic attached. I'm guessing sperm plug?

 

[Kacey F]

Thanks! Finding vet now.

 

[Kaizen]

His breeder did manual and I do both mistking and manual. I don't work so I watch him like a hawk to make sure he's drinking and eating. He still cleans his eyes when misted. He closes his eye and it bubbles up and I can see the inside lid move across.
I use heat probes to measure temp, one is a dual heat/humidity and the other is separate temp and humidity placed in various areas of the cage. My husbands was a Fluke true rms clamp meter with a probe.
I do move the humidifier stream in front of but not aimed in the cage during the day but now I'll just point it away for a while. I'll also move the uvb and get a bracket for the heat lamp and see if this helps. I haven't found a herp vet yet so I haven't taken in his poo yet.
Are superworms ok? super worms get a ton of bad press, but as occasional treats—no more than ~10% of diet, I don’t think they’re a problem. And how long should it take for him to adjust? Every Cham is different; it’ll take longer if you micromanage. I moved his times back to what the breeder had. Also this just happened- pic attached. I'm guessing sperm plug?View attachment 253116
Can’t tell if it’s a sperm plug or just a urate drip.

 

[Beman]

His breeder did manual and I do both mistking and manual. I don't work so I watch him like a hawk to make sure he's drinking and eating. He still cleans his eyes when misted. He closes his eye and it bubbles up and I can see the inside lid move across.
I use heat probes to measure temp, one is a dual heat/humidity and the other is separate temp and humidity placed in various areas of the cage. My husbands was a Fluke true rms clamp meter with a probe.
I do move the humidifier stream in front of but not aimed in the cage during the day but now I'll just point it away for a while. I'll also move the uvb and get a bracket for the heat lamp and see if this helps. I haven't found a herp vet yet so I haven't taken in his poo yet.
Are superworms ok? And how long should it take for him to adjust? I moved his times back to what the breeder had. Also this just happened- pic attached. I'm guessing sperm plug?View attachment 253116

The closing of the eyes can be a stress response, illness, not cleaning them properly and more. So identifying the issue is important. But like I said when you get them and they are older they are used to their schedules. So the more you can create what he had and make slow changes the better especially if it is stress. Do not handle him until he starts to acclimate to his new environment. I can change a plant out and it will throw Beman off for a week. They are very sensitive to their surroundings.
Part of a Urate or sperm plug... hard to tell.
Here is some additional resources for you. I love all of these podcasts but this one will help you understand fogging into the cage and misting. https://www.chameleonbreeder.com/podcast/ep-89-naturalistic-hydration-for-chameleons/
Here is his care sheet. https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/panther/
And a feeder and gutload image.
Let us know if you have other questions.

 

[kinyonga]

There are no lights on in the cage at night are there?

 

[Kacey F]

There are no lights on in the cage at night are there?

Nope. I turn all lights off and he gets only a tiny bit of ambient light from outside.

 

[Kacey F]

Update. He just laid this poop and it has a pretty big air bubble and you can see the weird brown dotting on the urate. The black pieces are just dirt from the bottom of the cage when I picked it up. Afterward he started moving around and looking better. I reduced basking lamp to a 50 watt and kept it on the screen but made sure it does not get over 90 at any point. Also moved the uvb strip to the middle. He's pretty upset from all the commotion so that's counterproductive but hopefully this works.

 

[Beman]

Update. He just laid this poop and it has a pretty big air bubble and you can see the weird brown dotting on the urate. The black pieces are just dirt from the bottom of the cage when I picked it up. Afterward he started moving around and looking better. I reduced basking lamp to a 50 watt and kept it on the screen but made sure it does not get over 90 at any point. Also moved the uvb strip to the middle. He's pretty upset from all the commotion so that's counterproductive but hopefully this works.View attachment 253128View attachment 253129View attachment 253130

So I would do a fecal... Call around to vets. See if any have reptile experience but better if they have chameleon experience. See if you can just bring in the fecal for a parasite test. Most will let you do this without seeing the cham if you explain that you do not want to stress the cham until needed.

 

[Kacey F]

Did you ask the breeder if he was manually misted prior or if he had a misting system? In my experience this makes a huge difference when they are used to a manual but then get put on an automatic. They will stop cleaning their eyes.

Timing does make a difference as well. They grow very accustom to their schedules. So having an extreme change does cause them stress. Even with my boy when I switch up times for the different seasons he knows that something is off and reacts to it. I have to do it in slow increments of time and then he is perfectly fine.

Any change at this age is a big one for them. So even something as small as the misting or going from fake plants to real plants. Everything requires time for them to adjust.

Looking through your help form I do not see anything that jumps out at me. Now looking at the picture... Be careful about fogging into the cage during the day. You want it in the room but so it ups the ambient humidity not going into the cage where it ups the moisture level. Wet air and heat can lead to respiratory issues. Try to center the UVB light more so it is crossing the middle of the cage. Do not let him get that close to the bulb or he is at risk for a thermal burn. You can raise the fixture with something like this bracket that attaches. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007D1BUJY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s05?ie=UTF8&psc=1
The hottest he should be able to access is 90 degrees. I am guessing your using a heat gun to get your temps?

Reptivite without D3 is a good multivitamin. This is to be used 2 times a month on opposite weeks when you use the Calcium with D3.

Don't feed mealworms as they are high in chitin and not a quality feeder.

Have you taken a fecal sample into your vet to get it tested for parasites?

Fecal test came out negative from the vet. He's starting to move around more but still takes short naps during the day. But now he has stopped eating. This is his most recent poo which is pale colored and I'm guessing the urates are the orange spotty stuff. I have a mistking that goes off for 3mins 4 times a day as well as hand misting when he comes to the screen every morning for at least 5 minutes. I literally wait for him to open his mouth and shoot water in there. I'm trying to wait it out to see if he comes out of this because he is more active but I'm afraid to wait too long.

 

[Kacey F]

Fecal test came out negative from the vet. He's starting to move around more but still takes short naps during the day. But now he has stopped eating. This is his most recent poo which is pale colored and I'm guessing the urates are the orange spotty stuff. I have a mistking that goes off for 3mins 4 times a day as well as hand misting when he comes to the screen every morning for at least 5 minutes. I literally wait for him to open his mouth and shoot water in there. I'm trying to wait it out to see if he comes out of this because he is more active but I'm afraid to wait too long.

 

[Syreptyon]

Fecal test came out negative from the vet. He's starting to move around more but still takes short naps during the day. But now he has stopped eating. This is his most recent poo which is pale colored and I'm guessing the urates are the orange spotty stuff. I have a mistking that goes off for 3mins 4 times a day as well as hand misting when he comes to the screen every morning for at least 5 minutes. I literally wait for him to open his mouth and shoot water in there. I'm trying to wait it out to see if he comes out of this because he is more active but I'm afraid to wait too long.

You have to be extremely extremely careful about spraying water directly in a chameleon's mouth. Their anatomy is different than humans in that the opening to the respiratory tract is actually much more forward than ours. It is VERY easy to force your chameleon to aspirate water into their lungs by doing this, which can give your cham a respiratory infection before you know it

 

[Gingero]

That's a funky looking poop. Glad the fecal came back clean. Misting that frequently usually isn't recommended. Typically fewer, longer sessions help the cham be able to have time to realize what is going on and start drinking and give the enclosure time to dry out. If hydration is a concern, try squishy worms like a hornworm that is the right size. It's okay to refrigerate wax worms, but sometimes they will pupate before you can feed them off. That's no biggie. Hang onto them and they'll hatch into wax moths. Could also try adding a dripper.

 

[Kacey F]

You have to be extremely extremely careful about spraying water directly in a chameleon's mouth. Their anatomy is different than humans in that the opening to the respiratory tract is actually much more forward than ours. It is VERY easy to force your chameleon to aspirate water into their lungs by doing this, which can give your cham a respiratory infection before you know it

I definitely don't want him to get a respiratory infection! Normally it's just at his tongue but he's really weird. He starts drinking off a leaf and I spray the leaf, then he lifts his head and just sticks out his tongue like he expects me to bring the water to him. There was a white streak on the leaf where I picked up the poo so I'm so confused! How do I hydrate him without getting water close to his mouth? He also seems to love to be sprayed on his body. He'll sit in front of the mister like a car wash. I think this is how his breeder sprayed him.

 

[Syreptyon]

I definitely don't want him to get a respiratory infection! Normally it's just at his tongue but he's really weird. He starts drinking off a leaf and I spray the leaf, then he lifts his head and just sticks out his tongue like he expects me to bring the water to him. There was a white streak on the leaf where I picked up the poo so I'm so confused! How do I hydrate him without getting water close to his mouth? He also seems to love to be sprayed on his body. He'll sit in front of the mister like a car wash. I think this is how his breeder sprayed him.

One good way you can approach this when he comes to you is to just lightly hold down the spray bottle trigger such that instead of spraying, it just produces droplets. Then you can let him lap up the drops on his own without risking any unwanted inhalation of water

 

[Kacey F]

Also the last time I saw him eat was Monday. His last normal poop was Sunday. Then one pale poop Wednesday & this one now. I've tried crickets, hornworms, and superworms but he just looks at them and not in a hungry way.

 

[Kacey F]

One good way you can approach this when he comes to you is to just lightly hold down the spray bottle trigger such that instead of spraying, it just produces droplets. Then you can let him lap up the drops on his own without risking any unwanted inhalation of water

As soon as I open the cage he heads for the back of the cage and completely stops drinking. I guess I can just try droplets on the screen and see if he'll drink off of there.

 

[Syreptyon]

Also the last time I saw him eat was Monday. His last normal poop was Sunday. Then one pale poop Wednesday & this one now. I've tried crickets, hornworms, and superworms but he just looks at them and not in a hungry way.

At his age and at this time of year, I don't think that is too unusual for him to be eating less. Chams will go on hunger strikes sometimes for no obvious reason. Luckily, they can go a couple weeks without eating. It often just takes time to get them hungry enough to eat again. Or you can try introducing a new prey item he hasn't had before. That can sometimes trigger their reflex to eat