rescue female veiled

[italian chameleon]

Hi all,
I rescued a 9 m.o female veiled. with the help of a very good herp vet we got rid of internal parasites and mites . after almost 2 months the little girl gained 5 grams, eats and drinks fairly regularly but still closes her eyes during the day. not a lot like she used to do a month ago but she still does it.

The vet excluded any serious issue and said that she might have a slight eye irritation due to wrong husbandry in her former home (tiny glass tank with IR, compact UVB and.. a male veiled ). he only gave me some vitamins to put on the crickets but when I put a drop of the product on the cricket it dies in like 40 seconds and my cham doesn't eat it!
she is very shy, almost impossible to take pics.
her enclosure is ok she's still outside during the day and indoors at night!

I was thinking about quitting the vitamins and just gutload the crickets with pollen and spirulina but I have to speak to the vet about this. before talking to my vet or another one I wanted to know what you think about this!

second issue: she doesn't eat worms, no waxworms, no mealworms, no silkies , only crickets and grasshoppers! is there a way to "teach" her to eat worms???

p.s: she hides as soon as she spots me so there's no way I could hand/tong feed her or anything

 

[italian chameleon]

any ideas??

 

[kinyonga]

Does she have a place in her cage to lay eggs?
So you're giving her no calcium...just vitamins??

 

[italian chameleon]

Does she have a place in her cage to lay eggs?
So you're giving her no calcium...just vitamins??

yes she does but she's so small that even the vet doubts she has eggs!
and I'm only giving her plain calcium and no vitamins since she's still out in the sun during the day!
today she is shedding the skin on her right eye, I hope it's a sign that things are going better!
I'll try to take a picture and post it!

Thanks a lot for the reply btw!

 

[CLP]

Hi all,
I rescued a 9 m.o female veiled. with the help of a very good herp vet we got rid of internal parasites and mites . after almost 2 months the little girl gained 5 grams, eats and drinks fairly regularly but still closes her eyes during the day. not a lot like she used to do a month ago but she still does it.

The vet excluded any serious issue and said that she might have a slight eye irritation due to wrong husbandry in her former home (tiny glass tank with IR, compact UVB and.. a male veiled ). he only gave me some vitamins to put on the crickets but when I put a drop of the product on the cricket it dies in like 40 seconds and my cham doesn't eat it!
she is very shy, almost impossible to take pics.
her enclosure is ok she's still outside during the day and indoors at night!

I was thinking about quitting the vitamins and just gutload the crickets with pollen and spirulina but I have to speak to the vet about this. before talking to my vet or another one I wanted to know what you think about this!

second issue: she doesn't eat worms, no waxworms, no mealworms, no silkies , only crickets and grasshoppers! is there a way to "teach" her to eat worms???

p.s: she hides as soon as she spots me so there's no way I could hand/tong feed her or anything

I would not recommend quitting the vitamins completely. Although being out in the sun each day negates the need for D3, it does not cover all the other vitamins and minerals that chameleons need. As for your gutloading, pollen and spirulina are good, but you really want to add a lot more stuff to it. Check out sandrachameleons blog on gutloading for more info.

Finally, as for not eating worms, I suggest you keep offering them to her and she may eventually take them. She just might not be used to them. Once she is healthier, if she still won't eat the worms, you can try witholding food for a few days and see if hunger will get her to take one. Most chams love worms, so one she starts, she'll likely be more than happy to eat them. Good luck with her!

 

[sandrachameleon]

I would not recommend quitting the vitamins completely. Although being out in the sun each day negates the need for D3, it does not cover all the other vitamins and minerals that chameleons need. As for your gutloading, pollen and spirulina are good, but you really want to add a lot more stuff to it.

I agree. There is more to life than calcium and D3. Lots of minerals and vitamins are required, many of which can be had via gutloading. You can also get a vitamin powder supplement, just like with calcium, and use that on crickets a couple times a month. It will not kill them anymore than the calcium powder does

 

[italian chameleon]

thanks everyone for the advice! i'll keep you updated!
which kind of vitamin powder supplement would you recommend? do you know one that is low in vitamin A and D but rich in other good stuff?

 

[sandrachameleon]

thanks everyone for the advice! i'll keep you updated!
which kind of vitamin powder supplement would you recommend? do you know one that is low in vitamin A and D but rich in other good stuff?

There are lots of options.
I have used herptivite in the past with success. I am currently using Repashy Calcium Plus (about once a week, not daily as per the label)

 

[italian chameleon]

There are lots of options.
I have used herptivite in the past with success. I am currently using Repashy Calcium Plus (about once a week, not daily as per the label)

thanks! I think I'll go for the herptivite!

P.s I just saw her eating! she's so cute

 

[italian chameleon]

big update (finally with pics)

Hii!
my little girl is doing a lot better. I moved her indoors and she got used to having people around her! she used to hide as soon as she saw somebody, now she only hides when somebody open the cage and above all, only closes her eyes during mistings (which is ok, isnt it?) . she ate tebu worms (chilean something moth larvae) which are very rich in calcium for her little bones ! she also loves black soldier flies, i think she really enjoys catching those flies!
I also got another (huge) female to breed with my male but I have to wait until she lays her infertile clutch which I think it's on its way (just saw her in the laying bin )

So these were the latestest news, here are the pics!

9 m.o little female (giulia) shedding

2 y.o female (aka "the fatty") just being massive and colorful

3 y.o male (leslie aka "the raìs") still out in the sun

 

[dom1959]

nice veil on that male!
good work taking care of the little girl!

 

[italian chameleon]

nice veil on that male!
good work taking care of the little girl!

thanks man! I'll post a pic every month to see how much she improves (and to show off, obviously)

 

[junglefries]

Keep up with the right screening. yours is just perfect. especially the double screen. it will definitely help with their little feetsies.

 

[italian chameleon]

Keep up with the right screening. yours is just perfect. especially the double screen. it will definitely help with their little feetsies.

Yeah, unfortunately I understood that only when my male lost a nail !

 

[italian chameleon]

next question: if i want to put my females' vivs next to each other do I need something to prevent the girls from seeing each other a part for the plants they have in their cages? do I need like a plastic sheet or something? I'd like to avoid stuff like that cause it limits ventilation! what do you suggest??

 

[italian chameleon]

update: the big female is egg bound, she has bout 25 eggs and can't expel them. I left her to the vets today to get oxytocin treatment i hope everything goes well