Baby Chameleon Not Eating

Hunter_lee

New Member
Hello everyone, I am new to being a Chameleon parent. And I got my Juvenile Veiled Chameleon 9 days ago from a pet smart. I did a lot of research before purchasing my female chameleon, but there are so many contradicting opinions out there. The pet smart did not give me any information about the chameleon and so I had asked a lot of questions from what I had read online. And all of the things he told me were completely inaccurate after doing more research. I read that Juvenile Chameleons should be eating 6-10 crickets a day. And when I first got my chameleon she wasn't eating much only about 2 crickets a day, but hasn't eaten anything for the past three days and i'm very concerned. I was using a solid white cup because she is so small and the cage is so big, but now looking through the forms I created a longer egg carton piece so she can see the food better. she sleeps a lot and isn't very active so I'm wondering if that's a sign of anything or just a chameleon thing.I looked for signs of dehydration, but im not seeing anything but her eyes are looking a little sunken, but I spray her cage very frequently throughout the day. I called the pet smart to ask how to go about feeding her and helping her eat and they said meal worms. She hasn't touched them either. If you guys have any ideas on what I can do to try and get her to eat I would absolutely appreciate anything.
 

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Hi and welcome! Sorry to have to be the bearer of bad news but sleeping a lot and sunken eyes are not a good sign at all. I would be very concerned for her health. If petsmart has a health guarantee you may want to get your money back. If not she will prob need to see a vet. If you want to keep her and try to get her healthy fill out the health form below. Just copy and paste and be very detailed. Husbandry for chameleons is EXTREMELY important. We can try to help in anyway we can.

Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.


Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
  • 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?
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?
Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

--------------

Please Note:
  1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
  2. Photos can be very helpful.
 
Most of the chain pet stores have 0 Cham knowledge and try to push them as fast as they can before they die.
 
Hi and welcome! Sorry to have to be the bearer of bad news but sleeping a lot and sunken eyes are not a good sign at all. I would be very concerned for her health. If petsmart has a health guarantee you may want to get your money back. If not she will prob need to see a vet. If you want to keep her and try to get her healthy fill out the health form below. Just copy and paste and be very detailed. Husbandry for chameleons is EXTREMELY important. We can try to help in anyway we can.

Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.


Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
  • 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?
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?
Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

--------------

Please Note:
  1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
  2. Photos can be very helpful.
Sadly I think I will be bringing her back to pet smart tomorrow. Im worried that I can’t take care of her properly and I want to make sure she gets better. Thank you for the information!
 
Unfortunately she won't get better at one of those petstores. Maby a reptile store could help if you have one near.
 
Sadly I think I will be bringing her back to pet smart tomorrow. Im worried that I can’t take care of her properly and I want to make sure she gets better. Thank you for the information!
If you take her back most likely she will die anyway. If you have a guarantee then I would keep her and do your best to get her eating right up to the last day of the guarantee. At least you doing something to help her, they will do nothing...
 
If you take her back most likely she will die anyway. If you have a guarantee then I would keep her and do your best to get her eating right up to the last day of the guarantee. At least you doing something to help her, they will do nothing...
I do have a couple more days left so I’m going to try and get her better I really didn’t want to bring her back so thank you for that info. I keep spraying her cage to keep her hydrated and I used a plastic syringe to give her water which she drake a lot of and I’m going to keep doing that. I’ll keep you guys posted.
 
Unfortunately she won't get better at one of those petstores. Maby a reptile store could help if you have one near.
I don’t really care for getting the money back I’m going to just try my best to get her hydrated and eating again. I read that dehydration makes them have a low appetite so I’m hoping I can get her better. I would hate to take her back because I know they won’t be much help.
 
At that size they should be bottomless pits.
That’s what I was reading about how they should be eating constantly, but she hasn’t been eating anything really. Definitely the size of the crickets could be effecting it I will go out tomorrow when store are open and look for much much smaller crickets!
 
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