Unsure of new chameleons behaviour??

Harriet

Harriet

New Member
Hi Guys was wondering if anyone would be able to help me here. I have a vield chameleon called Jeremy. I believe he is about 4 months old (this is judging by what the pet store have told me) And I have had him for a month now.
I just wanted some help as to some of his recent behaviour as I am unsure if it is normal or something to watch out for. I will give a brief run through of what I have experienced since I've had him.
Week one: Seemed to settle in well, was eating frequently, drinking frequently. Was getting used to interaction from me such as spraying, feeding and movement around him.

Week two: Much the same as first week. Seemed fine and healthy.

Week three: When shooting his tongue to catch a cricket he picked up some bark with it which he swallowed ( Pet store advised us to use this, since reading posts on here I now realise how dangerous substrates can be and have removed all of it ) My boyfriend saw him then cough it back up and what looked like him chewing and then swallow it again. He seemed distressed for the day and didn't eat. We read that it could help to mist more frequently to raise humidity to help lubricate his insides and help him digest. Over the next few days we kept a close eye on him and kept up with the frequent misting. My boyfriend checked his poo and found small little bits of bark each day so we believe he has passed it through.

Week four: Isn't eating as frequently, possibly about one or two crickets a day. Is drinking frequently still but doesn't seem to suck on leaves, will only shoot his tongue at moving drips. He seems to be laying on his vine, isn't supporting his self just laying on his tummy. We cant distinguish if he is just chilling out and is relaxed or if that is something to be concerned about? Other than that seems quite a happy chap.

I know I may be worrying about nothing here but felt a post on here may help as I know a lot of you guys are a more knowledgeable and experienced with chameleon care than myself.
Thank you.
Harriet.
 
Harriet said:
Hi Guys was wondering if anyone would be able to help me here. I have a vield chameleon called Jeremy. I believe he is about 4 months old (this is judging by what the pet store have told me) And I have had him for a month now.
I just wanted some help as to some of his recent behaviour as I am unsure if it is normal or something to watch out for. I will give a brief run through of what I have experienced since I've had him.
Week one: Seemed to settle in well, was eating frequently, drinking frequently. Was getting used to interaction from me such as spraying, feeding and movement around him.

Week two: Much the same as first week. Seemed fine and healthy.

Week three: When shooting his tongue to catch a cricket he picked up some bark with it which he swallowed ( Pet store advised us to use this, since reading posts on here I now realise how dangerous substrates can be and have removed all of it ) My boyfriend saw him then cough it back up and what looked like him chewing and then swallow it again. He seemed distressed for the day and didn't eat. We read that it could help to mist more frequently to raise humidity to help lubricate his insides and help him digest. Over the next few days we kept a close eye on him and kept up with the frequent misting. My boyfriend checked his poo and found small little bits of bark each day so we believe he has passed it through.

Week four: Isn't eating as frequently, possibly about one or two crickets a day. Is drinking frequently still but doesn't seem to suck on leaves, will only shoot his tongue at moving drips. He seems to be laying on his vine, isn't supporting his self just laying on his tummy. We cant distinguish if he is just chilling out and is relaxed or if that is something to be concerned about? Other than that seems quite a happy chap.

I know I may be worrying about nothing here but felt a post on here may help as I know a lot of you guys are a more knowledgeable and experienced with chameleon care than myself.
Thank you.
Harriet.
Click to expand...

post some pics, they can tell us alot just from body position, coloring, and bodily features..
 
2011-11-11 21.04.29.jpg

2011-11-11 21.04.55.jpg

Just took these 5mins ago.
 
Yes he is still pooping although today he seemed to try yet not be able to. It has also been smaller in size recently. The piece of bark was about 7x7mm.
 
Any help would be really appreciated please. We rang the vet yesterday as we are really concerned that he is not eating enough. He has gone from 10 to 15 crickets a day to 1 or 2 and the past day we have not seen him eat a thing. He used to really enjoy hunting for food when he had the bark in his viv but since we removed it he doesn't seem to be interested at all. He moves as if he is going to hunt for the food but when he gets close he just ignores it and walks away. He is still drinking but will only drink by shooting his tongue at moving drips so this results in him hitting the side of the viv which we are worried might damage his tongue. He is also still pooping and looks healthy but we don't want to ignore that there could be a potential health problem.

The vet we spoke to didn't seem concerned that he had ate the piece of bark and said he will pass it through and didn't seem to feel it was necessary for us to bring him in. I know that chameleons can be a little temperamental at times but he's even refusing to eat wax worms which he really seemed to like.
Any ideas on why he has gone off food and what we can do to get our little man to eat??
 
please fill out the form listed above.

a single peace of bark should not pose a threat. if you want peace of mind on his next feeders inject them with some mineral oil or smear some on the back of the feeders.

have you seen any feces?
 
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Male, Veiled, believed to be 4months old (from what pet store has told us) We have had him a month.
Handling - Never, we have tried but he seems a little nervous and we don't want to force him. We are trying to let him settle in and get used to us.
Feeding - Crickets, gut loaded with carrots, apples and oranges. Ocasional wax worms
Supplements - Nutrobal, its described as a calcium balancer and muti vitamin. We was dusting crickets every day but he formed salt crystals on his nostrils (read this can be from too much calcium) so we eased off for a while.
Watering - Mist viv 3 times daily 3-5mins a time. He drinks as soon as we mist.
Fecal Description - Poops every day its blackish in colour tiny bit runny. The urate is white and quite runny and makes up about a quarter of the poop. Never been tested for parasites.
History - Seemed to be happy to hunt and eat when we had bark in the viv but now since we have changed to repti carpet he seems put off.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - 3ft high by 2ft wide by 1.75 deep. Wooded viv with glass sliding doors and good ventilation points at top.
Lighting - 5.0 uvb, 150daylight bulb connect to dimming thermostat. Has on average 14hours of daylight but 12hours of viv lighting.
Temperature - Basking spot is around 85 lower parts of viv 70. Have a exoterra thermometer.
Humidity - Humidity sits on average of 70 but can increase to around 85 when sprayed. Maintain humid with spraying.
Plants - No plants.
Placement - We know this could be better although living in a one bedroom flat we have minimal space and he is in our living room but we aim to keep traffic at a minum. He sits 1ft from floor level.
Location - U.k south east.

Current Problem - As described in first post.
 
I think temperatures are a little lower and he have a little burn in top of his head let wait for the profesional to speak.
 
brooklynelizabeth said:
He looks a little nimble, how many crickets is he being offered daily?
Click to expand...

He was eating around 10 to 15 but now only around 2. He's even turning town wax worms which he usually loves. It really does seem to be since we removed the bark he wont hunt. We watched him closely yesterday and he avoided touching the repti carpet all day. When he got close to it he would seem to panic and was ending up in all sorts of positions to try and avoid it. I know many of you say to avoid substrates altogether but I think if this is his reaction to the carpet then what will be the reaction to bare floor, surely not a good one?
 
banshee1 said:
I think temperatures are a little lower and he have a little burn in top of his head let wait for the profesional to speak.
Click to expand...

Lower the temperatures? And yes I have noticed that little black mark on the top of his head although I dont think it can be a burn as there is no way he can get that close to his lights as we have only buit his plants and vines up to a certain level to avoid him climbing too high when he is young. We thought it was possibly a bruise?
 
Hello, welcome to the forum :) Your temps are fine. Could you post a close up of the mark? It does look like a burn from here, maybe from the pet shop though. I can't see much you are doing wrong (vitamins and gutloading might need looking at, I'm not sure if nutrobal has d3 in it?)
Don't worry about his tongue hitting the sides, that won't hurt him.
I really can't be sure, but from what you say it does sound like he's a little traumatised, if so he'll get over it, just give him time. Maybe try taking out the carpet and having a bare floor, he might just not like the carpet. as long as you have enough small branches for him, and leaves for him to hide in. He will usually stay off the floor anyway.....
Here's a few links that might help you though - https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/75-feeder-nutrition-gutloading.html gutloading

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/chameleonsinmyhouse/395-veiled-chameleon-care-sheet.html complete basic caresheet

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/74-feeders.html feeder variety is always best.

Maybe a new kind of feeder will make him more enthusiastic again? Sorry I can't think of anything else......
 
Last edited by a moderator:
DavidBuchan said:
Hello, welcome to the forum :) Your temps are fine. Could you post a close up of the mark? It does look like a burn from here, maybe from the pet shop though. I can't see much you are doing wrong (vitamins and gutloading might need looking at, I'm not sure if nutrobal has d3 in it?)
Don't worry about his tongue hitting the sides, that won't hurt him.
I really can't be sure, but from what you say it does sound like he's a little traumatised, if so he'll get over it, just give him time. Maybe try taking out the carpet and having a bare floor, he might just not like the carpet. as long as you have enough small branches for him, and leaves for him to hide in. He will usually stay off the floor anyway.....
Here's a few links that might help you though - https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/75-feeder-nutrition-gutloading.html gutloading

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/chameleonsinmyhouse/395-veiled-chameleon-care-sheet.html complete basic caresheet

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/74-feeders.html feeder variety is always best.

Maybe a new kind of feeder will make him more enthusiastic again? Sorry I can't think of anything else......
Click to expand...


Thanks for your reply. Its good to know we are doing things right for him. The Nutrobal does contain d3 but if you have any suggestions of a good supplement to use? Also we was wondering what fruit and veg is safe to feed him? Not gutload but just for him to eat raw?

Here is a close up of the mark on his head, sorry the pic isnt the best quality but I think you can make it out.

Also another thing we have noticed when he goes to do a poop his bum looks red? Almost as if a little bit of red flesh is out and then when he is finnished it disappears. Just wondered if that was normal??
 

Attachments

  • 2011-11-15 10.33.38.jpg
    2011-11-15 10.33.38.jpg
    109.7 KB · Views: 158
Veiled chameleons can be given the same greens and veggies listed below in the gutload as well as a bit of fruit (apple, pear, melon, berries, etc.).

Here's some information I hope will help you with things like supplements, gutloading, etc....
Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption.

Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light. The most often recommended UVB light is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light. Some of the compacts, spirals and tube lights have caused health issues, but so far there have been no bad reports against this one.

A wide variety of insects (crickets, locusts, silkworms, superworms, tomato worms, phoenix worms, butter worms, once in a while waxworms, etc.) that have been well fed and gutloaded should be fed to it.

Since many of the feeder insects we use in captivity have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects just before you feed them to the chameleon at most feedings with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it. (I use Rep-cal phosphorus-free calcium).

If you also dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it. (I use Rep-cal phos.-free calcium/D3).

Dusting twice a month as well with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while. (I use herptivite which has beta carotene.)

Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs. I gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms, etc. with an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)

Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.
Please note that various supplements have various amounts of D3 and vitamin A and so some can be given more often than others. The idea still is not to overdo the fat soluble vitamins like D3 and prEformed vitamin A.

Here are some good sites for you to read too...
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200406080...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://web.archive.org/web/200601140...ww.adcham.com/
If you can't access the sites above that have the word "archive" in you can do it through the WayBackMachine.
 
Dusting twice a month as well with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while. (I use herptivite which has beta carotene.)


Hmm sounds like Nutrobal is not good as a daily supplement as it sounds to be more like your description of one only to be used twice a month (above)
We will definitely be changing this and varying our gut loading routine.
Thanks for your helpful advice.
 
Thanks for all your helpful input guys. We will be changing the supplement and gutloading routine.

He still isnt eating though :( Doesnt hunt at all like he used to and still only eating about 2 crikets a day. He is looking very skinny.
His poop today was pretty runny and the urate was detached from it.
Also I posted earlier that when he poops his bum looks very red and almost like a small piece of flesh is out but then disappeared when he had finished.
And I posted a pic of the dark mark on his head any idea's?
Any feedback guys is much appreciated. Thanks for your help so far.
 
We have now changed his supplement to just calcium with no d3 for daily use and will use the nutrobal every two weeks. We have also started to feed him locust which he seems to prefer and he has been eating more in the past few days.
We have removed the Repti carpet as well and now just have the floor bare.

A few things still seem a little bit of a worry to us though. His poops are runny. Seems to take a long time to go to the toilet.
After eating he will sit up really straight and tall and move his tongue around in his throat and open and close his mouth a lot.
We were also wondering when he will shed? We have had him 5weeks and no signs yet?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

sofiluan13
Lethargic Yemen Chameleon
Replies
15
Views
513
MissSkittles
MissSkittles
coastalvibesmama
Chameleon sleeping during the day!
Replies
19
Views
552
Everyday Dad
E
B
Veiled Chameleon Closed Eye and rubbing on branches
Replies
8
Views
361
MissSkittles
MissSkittles
elizaann2
Internal Infection
2
Replies
26
Views
717
elizaann2
elizaann2
Stazkilly
Resting head
Replies
1
Views
252
Beman
Beman
Back
Top Bottom