Hi I have a male veiled chameleon he is approximately 1.10 years old and I have had him for 6 months ,he is in a mesh (metal screened) enclosure. I can't stop worrying about my chameleon he has all of a sudden stopped eating , he has always had a great appetite for crickets red pepper hoppers and the occasional wax worm. He hasn't eaten for 2 weeks now and the week before he only ate two hoppers ,, around this time when it started I did attempt to give him a medium sized locust but he was not pleased I think he may of attacked it as well when my back was turned so I removed it straight away,. He is drinking daily out of a pipet no problem,, I am not seeing any poo either ,an he is usually regular as clockwork, ,any advice would be great!
Any ideas , cannot stop worrying
- Thread starter jakeclc
- Start date
Yes this is the best pic I can get at the moment as he has been hiding in this crevice for a good 15 hours now ,he is moving his head but nothing else ,,I have just moved his basking light above the area where he is too try an warm him up a bit but nothing has happened as of yet ,, and I didn't Evan know you could test the poo I will look into that for future reference, but at the moment he hasn't pooed for at least 14 days so none too test ,,I am wondering whether I should try to force feed him maybe? The temp in his basking area is around 85-95 and ambient temp of anything between 65-75 , I am also finding it hard to maintain the ambient temp as it's winter ,at night I use a infra red basking bulb as I fear it gets a little to cold at night ,any ideas how to maintain the vivid temp or any heating I can use rather than the infra red bulb? Also he is coming to the end of shedding.
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kimbodini1
Member
Someone more knowledgeable than me will probably have a better idea of what is wrong with him than I would but two weeks seems like a long time to go without eating. I know they can go on hunger strikes and you can try feeding him something new to spark his interest to eat. If it were me I would take him to the vet right away.
You listed the basking temperature but is he sitting in the basking area long enough to warm up to digest his food...or is he constantly sitting low in the cage? Is he ever active or does he always sit in one spot? Are his eyes open or closed? What supplements do you use and how often for each (be specific) and what do you feed/gutload the insects with?
I would recommend not using a light at night.
I would recommend not using a light at night.
Hi yes he is usually very active always sits under his baking light for an hour or so and then he will climb about and return to the basking area ,,,my girlfriend has been watching him all day an he still hasn't moved so when I came home from work I forced him to move ,,he didn't like it much Then I put the basking light over him for 20 mins before returning it too it's original spot which he then followed ...
Supplements
Reticalcium ultrafiltration precipitated calcium carbonate supplement without d3-- every feeding 4-5 times a week
Nutrobal calcium balancer (it's contents are 200 MG calcium &150 IU D3 VITAMINS A E K B1 B2 B6 B12 C ,folic ,nicotinic, etc.) --- twice a month
And I haven't really got down to gut loading have u got some advice on it ? ,, I keep the crickets in a tank so that they last longer haa
Appreciate the help guys !
Supplements
Reticalcium ultrafiltration precipitated calcium carbonate supplement without d3-- every feeding 4-5 times a week
Nutrobal calcium balancer (it's contents are 200 MG calcium &150 IU D3 VITAMINS A E K B1 B2 B6 B12 C ,folic ,nicotinic, etc.) --- twice a month
And I haven't really got down to gut loading have u got some advice on it ? ,, I keep the crickets in a tank so that they last longer haa
Appreciate the help guys !
zlew
Member
He hasn't pooped for 14 days? That sounds like it could be impaction, when he gets blocked up. Are there any fake plants in the enclosure? Veiled Chameleons are known to eat the leaves off of their plants, so if you have fake ones, he could have eaten one and it messed up his digestive system. How cold is it getting at night? Chameleons can do fine with drops in temperatures at night down to 45 degrees Fahrenheit, and some people find it beneficial to have a substantial drop at night. The infrared bulb (red light, correct?) could be disrupting his sleep. I know it says on the box that it doesn't bother them, and that it's for nighttime, but chameleons have something called a parietal eye, which senses light and easily picks up the red, and it may be making him want to find a darker spot to rest during the day because he is not getting enough sleep at night. If your temps at night are lower than 40, get a ceramic heat emitter that gives off no light whatsoever for a source of heat at night. But he probably doesn't need nighttime heat.
Hi just seen this now ,, yes there are a couple fake plants in there but I am sure he hasn't ate any of them as it would be easily visible ,, most of my plants are live,,and yes it's red I've been thinking the light could be winding him up so I will defo purchase a ceramic heat emitter this week
