Adult Female Veiled Not Eating?

[froggysan]

Over the last two or three weeks, my female Veiled, Artemis Prime, has stopped eating almost altogether.

There haven't been any changes to her enclosure, lighting, or temperatures. I've had her for close to a year now, and she was almost fully grown when I got her, so I'm guessing she's around 2 years of age.

Normally every two or three days I put in 3 to 4 super worms into her dish and as soon as she's sure I've backed away, she makes a b-line right for the dish and gobbles them on up like there's no tomorrow. But in the last couple of weeks, she's been letting them sit there for a few days some times, or I just end up removing them after they have clearly died.

She's also looking a little more boney than I remember -- her ribs always showed a bit depending on how she was resting, and if she was puffing up or not. But it seems a little more pronounced at the moment.


Here's a little list of details that might help.

• Adult Female Veiled Chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus)
• Approximately 2 years of age
• Full mesh enclosure that is 17" x 17" x 30" (Roughly 40 gallons)
• Daytime temperature gradient from 24C at the bottom to 35C in a basking spot.
• Nighttime temperature from 21C to 26C
• Feeding primarily superworms, dusted once a week with reptical vitamins and 2:0 calcium powder.
• Once every other day her enclosure gets misted for about 30 seconds from above allowing for drips to fall for the next hour or two slowly.

Any suggestions anyone? Ideas?

 

[coolmoon]

She could just be tired of supers. If that is the only thing you feed try giving her some crickets, silkworms or hornworms.

Personally, I would lower the basking temperature to 28 -29C. I would also mist every day.

 

[Syn]

Or dubia! Dubia is great.

 

[froggysan]

Could it really be that simple?

I'll pick up some large crickets tomorrow and toss them on in.


Cheers!

 

[lanceman]

you really need to add lots more water mist 2-3 times a day for 10min. Suplements look like they are lacking as well specialy if its only eating couple times a week.
What kind of lights do you use?

 

[froggysan]

Well, when I do mist, the whole enclosure is pretty much dripping wet. I use a large 2 gallon canister sprayer, so 30 seconds coats the whole tank easily. And I try to do that every day, but it turns to once every other day sometimes.


When she gets supplements, which is normally once a week -- sometimes twice -- the three or four superworms are coated with Reptical Vitamins and the Calcium 2:0 Powder. It's like chameleon shake-n-bake!


As for bulbs, she's got a Exo Terra Repti Glo 5.0 (UVB) which is on from 8AM to 9PM, A 100W Exo Terra Sun Glo Spot which is on from 11AM to 6PM. And a 75W Exo Terra Heat Glo Infrared which is on 24/7.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/

Captive chameleons require our attention at least a couple of times a day.
A dripper might help, still needs to be filled daily.
Could she be cycling eggs?
Does she have a place to dig and lay them?
A more varied diet is definitely in order.

-Brad

 

[froggysan]

Could she be cycling eggs?
Does she have a place to dig and lay them?

Ummm... Oh boy... Something tells me I missed a few things somewhere along the line. I didn't think females lay eggs unless they're mated with a male?

She lives alone -- she's never had any hot chameleon nookie...

 

[Brad Ramsey]

Ummm... Oh boy... Something tells me I missed a few things somewhere along the line. I didn't think females lay eggs unless they're mated with a male?

She lives alone -- she's never had any hot chameleon nookie...

Doesn't matter.
Please check the link I posted for you.

-Brad

 

[froggysan]

Brad,

I read through the sections on Breeding and Keeping Females in full, and it was said that 20 to 30 days after mating that she would be ready to lay, that she should then be placed in the 5 gallon bucket filled with 1/3rd with a sand/peat moss mixture that is moist.

But it didn't say anything about eggs coming without mating with a male. How would I know when she's ready to lay eggs if there hasn't been any nookie had?


So you're saying she still needs to lay eggs without mating? Do you think my Artemis is due for laying eggs? Do I HAVE to mate her?

 

[Brad Ramsey]

Veileds will cycle eggs without ever having met a male of the species.
Read the article on keeping a female.
I think most importantly your girl needs more water and some general husbandry troubleshooting.
A picture would be very helpful.
Providing a laying container in her enclosure is a good idea.

-Brad

 

[froggysan]

Well, I setup a drip system -- a ziploc container with a pinhole in the bottom today. And I tossed in a dozen large crickets.

She hunted those crickets down like the dirty cricking dogs that they are!



I'll take a picture of her enclosure when the lights come on tomorrow. And this weekend I'm going to go find myself a bucket, some sand, and some peat moss.

 

[coolmoon]

Thats great to hear. We wouldn't want to eat the same thing everyday either.

 

[froggysan]

You want to see picky eaters... Try Green Iguanas...

 

[froggysan]

As I mentioned, here's a pic of her enclosure. And her!

 

[chambabysitter1]

Misting for a long time is important for humidity.
The substrate will hold the moisture though and become moldy, nasty, and bacteria filled. Some people do substrate, but it seems it is more hassle than it is worth, and puts your chameleon at risk for impaction.

Seeing how they live in tree's and not the ground, it doesn't really need anything down there, might as well make it easy for you to whipe up and keep clean on a daily basis. I would hate picking poop and dead feeders from that, myself.

As for misting, you really should (actually must) mist for longer periods of time, multiple times a day. Most people have a drainage solution for their setup, search "drainage".

Your enclosure could use a live plant as well. These hold water droplets better, and help the humidity. Sheffleras, Hibiscus, and Pothos are popular, you can search for more details.

Is there a strip thermometer in there? Those things are notorious for being inaccurate by a whopping 10-20 degrees.

Good luck, I would read the kitty blog and get a better feel for the husbandry.
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/

 

[froggysan]

Well I think I have the humidity thing covered. In my animal room I have a ultrasonic humidifier that keeps the room's humidity at a base rate of around 50 - 60%. What sort of humidity should Veileds be at?


As for the strip thermometer, I don't really read that thing anymore. I have a digital thermometer with a probe that gives the the ambient temperature and I also have an IR Thermometer gun that will give me the surface temperature of any given area -- works really well for testing her basking spots.


I'll give the kitty blog another full read over this afternoon. As for the bark, I kind of like it, but I think I might put in some astro-turf style stuff in there soon. I just don't want it to be empty on the bottom.

 

[Hardwyre]

The "Have to Mate or female will egg-bind" belief has proven untrue, but a mated female has a significantly lower risk of egg-binding if she is mated.

Female Chameleons (if healthy) should have an average of 2 (to 3) clutches of eggs a year. Just like birds, they will become pregnant (called, "Gravid") whether mated or not.

There are signs when your chameleon is Gravid - changes in coloration, increased aggressive behavior, decreased appetite, etc... but I'm currently having a hard time telling on my own chameleon.

I read that one should watch for their chameleon to start digging in her substrate to assemble egg-laying chambers, but I've also read contradictory reports of people who have a chameleon for YEARS that just hold on to their clutch without showing any signs of needing accomidations. (usually these females don't turn out so good.)

When all else fails, though,

CALL THE VET.

 

[Filosofine]

I'm sorry to say, but I think she looks very dehydrated

Her skin folds and her "hat" (don't know what you call it in english?) is very sunken.

 

[Miss Lily]

This thread is over 2 years old!