Wont Eat

[YoshiChameleon]

beforehand i apologize for bad typing, i am in a very panicked state right now.

my dear yoshi wont eat properly, hes been like this for 2ish days now.
all he ate yesterday was 2 or 3 crickets and some papaya
today he only ate a small bit of papaya.

i just had him out of his cahge for the last time today, and i put crickets and worms up to his mouth but he just shakes his head and closes his eyes.

i am vrey scared for him, i put him back in his cage cause he was getting a little chilly.

he is usually very stoic and lashes out with his mouth open whenevr i get near him, but not just when i was trying to feed him now.

if it helps to solve the problem at all:
- veiled cham
- he is still only a few months old (may)
- i leave for school everyday and i spray/feeed before, come back and feed him/spray him more after school but im gone for a while
- he is very healthy, aside from dehydration marks

please help

 

[Decadancin]

A couple days of no food is no big deal, but if you are able to post a few pictures and fill out this...https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/ we can see if there is anything evident that may look a bit off. Especially I portent would be what types of feeders you are feeding and if anything else is going on. Sometimes if they are about to died or just did their appetite will not be as strong for a few days.

 

[YoshiChameleon]

A couple days of no food is no big deal, but if you are able to post a few pictures and fill out this...https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/ we can see if there is anything evident that may look a bit off. Especially I portent would be what types of feeders you are feeding and if anything else is going on. Sometimes if they are about to died or just did their appetite will not be as strong for a few days.

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care? Veild, male, hatched in may 2016 and ive had him for about three months
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? i handle him about 5 times a week
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? crickets/mealworms/papaya and blueberries usually 12 crickets a day with 3-4 worms
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? repticalcium, one with d3 one without
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? i have a dish and a syringe if he worn drink, and i spray down his cage very often
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? brown and white, not runny, never been tested
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you. bought from a local pet store, biggest and healthiest of the brood

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? screen
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? 75W exo terra basking bulb and a 26W exo terra reptile UVB turns on at 630 in the morning and off around 930 at night
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? i have a thermometer dosent go down much at night because my house is warm so its around 60-70
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? hydrometer, hydro drops to about 40 - 50 at night
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? silk fikus, fikus, bonsai fikus, umbrella tree and plastic fikus
• Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? located in my room, we live close to a highway but its more of an ambient sound, no vents
• Location - Where are you geographically located? british colombia, canada, dry okanogan but it gets very cold in the winter

first pic was taken a week ago, i know its not too good but its all i have right now- the next one was taken yesterday and hes sleeping in his favorite plant

 

[YoshiChameleon]

A couple days of no food is no big deal, but if you are able to post a few pictures and fill out this...https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/ we can see if there is anything evident that may look a bit off. Especially I portent would be what types of feeders you are feeding and if anything else is going on. Sometimes if they are about to died or just did their appetite will not be as strong for a few days.

also, i buy my crickets from petland and i am pretty sure they are supplied bu exoterra

 

[Andee]

You are feeding very few feeders he might be bored honestly, a minimum of six types of feeders is what I recommend, also 2 days is no problem for a chameleon that size. Honestly he could safely go 1-2 weeks

 

[YoshiChameleon]

You are feeding very few feeders he might be bored honestly, a minimum of six types of feeders is what I recommend, also 2 days is no problem for a chameleon that size. Honestly he could safely go 1-2 weeks

6 different types of food?
1-2 weeks without food?
really? that makes me feel better, although deep down i still feel concerned

 

[Andee]

If he starts showing signs other than not eating than I would worry but otherwise I would just try a new type of feeder. He looks perfectly healthy in my opinion, and if what you say about his hatch date is correct then he is rather well developed for his age. Try ordering some silkworms or hornworms, or try ordering some flies to pupate they all usually break hunger strikes easily.

 

[YoshiChameleon]

If he starts showing signs other than not eating than I would worry but otherwise I would just try a new type of feeder. He looks perfectly healthy in my opinion, and if what you say about his hatch date is correct then he is rather well developed for his age. Try ordering some silkworms or hornworms, or try ordering some flies to pupate they all usually break hunger strikes easily.

thank you for your help, can i get back to you if other food-related problems arise?
if and when i do get a new type of food, i can tell you if it works or not.
thanks

 

[Andee]

Of course, you can either update all of us, or if you want to ask me something specifically I answer my private messages multiple times a day

 

[Andee]

You should probably start supplementing with a vitamin supplements with preformed vitamin a too, d3 two times a month and the multivitamin two times a month

 

[Decadancin]

I agree with the above. A few more types of feeders would be a good idea. Also, I noticed you said

i have a dish and a syringe if he worn drink, and i spray down his cage very often

Do you mean a water bowl in the enclosure? Generally this is a waste because most chameleons will not drink from a bowl. You say you mist often, so there should be plenty of water droplets for drinking. Also, a syringe??? Are you forcing him to drink water? You do not need to do this. Even if you never see your chameleon drinking you can tell he is hydrated by the white urate as well as his appearance (no sunken eyes, etc.)

 

[YoshiChameleon]

I agree with the above. A few more types of feeders would be a good idea. Also, I noticed you said

Do you mean a water bowl in the enclosure? Generally this is a waste because most chameleons will not drink from a bowl. You say you mist often, so there should be plenty of water droplets for drinking. Also, a syringe??? Are you forcing him to drink water? You do not need to do this. Even if you never see your chameleon drinking you can tell he is hydrated by the white urate as well as his appearance (no sunken eyes, etc.)

i have a shallow dish in his cage but he never drinks out of it, mostly just put his fruit in there.
and with the syringe, its just a plastic syringe that would be for medicine- not sharp or pointy. ill hold it up to his mouth and he will willingly drink sometimes, but if he doesn't want to i dont force it on him.

 

[Lizzie The Chameleon]

i have a shallow dish in his cage but he never drinks out of it, mostly just put his fruit in there.
and with the syringe, its just a plastic syringe that would be for medicine- not sharp or pointy. ill hold it up to his mouth and he will willingly drink sometimes, but if he doesn't want to i dont force it on him.

I would take out the water dish as it is a breeding ground for bacteria unless cleaned well every day

 

[YoshiChameleon]

I would take out the water dish as it is a breeding ground for bacteria unless cleaned well every day

thats some very helpful information, thank you! ill do so when i get home

 

[Lizzie The Chameleon]

thats some very helpful information, thank you! ill do so when i get home

Your welcome

 

[YoshiChameleon]

Of course, you can either update all of us, or if you want to ask me something specifically I answer my private messages multiple times a day

So, I ended up getting him some wax worms and he happily ate those but now he wont eat crickets or meal worms. Is it bad if I only give him wax worms until he isnt tired of crickets/meal worms? He still has his blueberries and papaya, but i have thought of giving him some sort of greens like kale or spinach (if they can eat that, can they?)

 

[Theveiled]

So, I ended up getting him some wax worms and he happily ate those but now he wont eat crickets or meal worms. Is it bad if I only give him wax worms until he isnt tired of crickets/meal worms? He still has his blueberries and papaya, but i have thought of giving him some sort of greens like kale or spinach (if they can eat that, can they?)

I would not feed spinach as I have heard it can prevent calcium absorption (can someone tell me if this is correct?) Kale is ok though

 

[Decadancin]

I believe the issue with too much spinach and kale is that they can be high in oxylates if consumed too often. They are OK in moderation.

 

[Nursemaia]

I believe the issue with too much spinach and kale is that they can be high in oxylates if consumed too often. They are OK in moderation.

They are high in oxylates but they are extremely high in calcium so the benefits generally outweigh the minor risk of kidney stone formation that the oxylates pose.

 

[Ronandex317]

So, I ended up getting him some wax worms and he happily ate those but now he wont eat crickets or meal worms. Is it bad if I only give him wax worms until he isnt tired of crickets/meal worms? He still has his blueberries and papaya, but i have thought of giving him some sort of greens like kale or spinach (if they can eat that, can they?)

I would try to add something else in (such as super worms or calci worms) as wax worms are high in fat. But the fruit is a great addition. Still trying to get my Cham to even look at fruit. Kale is my next move