Stopped Eating - Seems Lethargic

Jkivvii

New Member
Your Chameleon - Male baby veiled. 2 weeks.

Handling - Every other day, more recently after he's just climbing on the screen (sometimes upside down) flushed with brown & black pigments (not the usual green)

Feeding - Ordered 1000 2-3 day old crickets, ran out (most died) a few days ago. Replaced with flightless fruit flies (I've seen him eat a few of these). Some days he'll go to town, some days won't eat (especially from his feeding bowl) and starts climbing all over cage (the cage climbing is happening every day now). I leave feeders for it every day. Gut-loading with cricket power food, any type of greens & fruits are available: grapes, apples, pears so far (I haven't gone out to do my own grocery shopping. I live with my folks)

Supplements - Rep-Cal phosphorus free calcium with vit d3 & Rep-Cal herptivite with beta carotene multivitamins. Dust them pretty often (maybe 5 days a week) I'm probably over-doing it, but it helps keep the feeders from getting out of plastic containers.

Watering - I mist 4 or 5 times a day. Been pretty dry over here in Los Angeles, I keep a room humidifier running most of the day, but plants (golden pothos) dries up pretty quick still. I'll spray the whole pothos (my chameleon really dislikes it and adjusts position to the side (almost upside down) on the stem it's perched on. I've seen it drink once or twice. I noticed water will get clogged in its right eye until it dries up.

Fecal Description - I've been finding droppings here & there. Just now he pooped after I misted him, one side white other side black. Never tested for parasites, bought captive bred from backwaterreptiles.com
History - I think I'm over-doing it? I changed its habitat to a plastic container inside of his screen cage, so he can hunt easier (this was working for a while). Now he's rejecting everything.

Cage Type - Screen cage Zoo-Med reptibreeze size large (i know its way too big, but I wasn't expecting a baby when I ordered him).

Lighting - Zoo-Med reptisun 5.0 UVB & 75 watt infrared basking lamp + 100 watt incandescent lamp (in dual deep dish combo). I get a lot of natural sunlight in my room, but I keep windows closed to maintain humidity, i would say i keep the lights on when its awake to when he goes to sleep. I must admit though that the pothos/basking areas are set up about 12 inches below the lamps.

Temperature - Basking area 78 right now.. it goes from around 75-90 (temperature has been fluctuating these past two weeks where I live. Floor is at 73 right now.. usually 65-80. Overnight temp, ~80 on top, ~60 on bottom. I have a Zoo-Med analog thermometer/hydrometer combo on top & ambient weather digital thermometer/hydrometer on the bottom.

Humidity - Humidity levels stay around ~60 after cage is completely dry. Hydrometers measure them (mentioned above)

Plants - I have a golden pothos in the cage at the moment, picked up a dracaena & i'm not sure how I'm going to incorporate it in the cage.

Placement - Cage is located by a window (I live on the second story, wind gets chilly/dry at times so I keep it closed. My cool mist humidifier is set up maybe 4 ft away from it on top of a high shelf, not blowing directly at cage. I'm usually right in front of it on my computer. cage bottom is 22 inches off floor and cage top is 38 inches from ceiling

Location - Los Angeles, CA

Current Problem - Stopped eating, doesn't drink so much anymore. I know the cage is clearly too large for a baby, so I switched it into a plastic container inside the cage with live food. I can tell it just wants out, but it's just going to crawl all over the cage. Last night he slept upside down on top of cage, but was his usual green color.

I gotta head out to school soon, letting him out to roam & just leaving the fruit flies roam free in cage today. Thanks :)
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It's going to climb on the screen for the next 10+ months, easily. Get used to it ;) Also, you need more consistent basking temps. I would say anything over 82-83 will probably be too hot for a guy that small, 90 would be roasting him. Keep in mind that UVB only reaches about 12 inches or so when keeping a baby in a larger cage like that.
 
Where is the plastic container you are keeping it in? I don't see it in the cage. you surely cannot mean you are keeping it in that little plastic thing with the green lid? First let me see what you are keeping him in to comment on the habitat. What was wrong with him climbing all around the cage? That is what they do. Also do not use calcium with d3 5 times a week. Use that one a couple of times a month and use a calcium with no d3 at all your feedings. The multivitamin can be used twice monthly also.
 
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