Bathroom Issues!!!

Guacamole331

New Member
Hello,

My chameleon (Guac) is about 9 months old. He has been a very healthy chameleon pooping about once every 2-3 days in the past few months as he enters "adulthood". Last week I noticed he hadn't pooped for a few days so I gave him a warm bath for 10 minutes on 9.24.2020 and it did the trick. He was eating the coconut substrate we had... Very large poop and he began to eat 3 super worms a day for 3 days after that. (We did replace the coconut for reptile carpet). Now he hasn't eaten for 2 days since the 28th other than a little grape today and hasn't pooped since the 24th. He is drinking as normal and is hydrated. Eyes are very lively, skin looks very clear, no plugged nostrils and is very active. I just changed his uvb buld after 5 months and noticed the heat lamp was not working right. Temps must have been in the low 70s for a few days... I replaced the heat lamp today and his basking spot is now around 90 degrees. He lives in a hybrid glass/screen tank. I gave him another bath this morning with no luck. He does seem interested in super worms but won't eat other than the grape which he did shoot his tongue out at. He just wrapped up a "bad" shed as it took several days. I dust his food once to twice a week with a calcium supplement when he was eating normal. He eats a little in the morning and night (I split) when he was eating regularly. We do live in Michigan and he spent quite a bit of time outside on our plant when it was nice and warm outside. Now it is much cooler and he hasn't been out. Should I worry about him going on 7 days without poop? Is this a temperature change issue?

Thank you.
 

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You said?."He was eating the coconut substrate we had"... Good thing you removed this because it might cause an impaction. As long as he's pooped a while after the last time he ate there shouldn't be an impaction.
you said..."We did replace the coconut for reptile carpet"... Looks nice but hard to keep bacteria free. Bare floor or bioactive would be better IMHO.

You said...."Now he hasn't eaten for 2 days since the 28th other than a little grape today and hasn't pooped since the 24th"...what did you offer him to eat?

You said..."He is drinking as normal and is hydrated".?...what color are his urates? Does he always produce urates and poop together? Are their times when he produces only urates?

You said.."Eyes are very lively, skin looks very clear, no plugged nostrils and is very active"...good!

You said..."I just changed his uvb buld after 5 months and noticed the heat lamp was not working right. Temps must have been in the low 70s for a few days... I replaced the heat lamp today and his basking spot is now around 90 degrees"...90 is a bit high IMHO. Is the UVB light the long linear 5.0 Repti sun light? What is the basking light?

You said..."He lives in a hybrid glass/screen tank"...not near a window?

You said..."I gave him another bath this morning with no luck"...I'm not a fan of baths usually.

You said..."He just wrapped up a "bad" shed as it took several days. I dust his food once to twice a week with a calcium supplement when he was eating normal"...the shedding, missed days of pooping, lack,of eating can all be related to incorrect supplementing. It's recommended that you dust thei insects at all feedings each week but one with a phos free calcium powder, lightly..and on the remaining day each week alternate between a phos free calcium/D3 powder lightly and a vitamin powder with a beta carotene (proformed) source of vitamin A. If needed a preformed source of vitamin A can be used once in a while but care needs to be taken with preformed sources of vitamin A and D3 from supplements....because they are fat straggle and can build up in the system and lead to health issues.

You said..."He eats a little in the morning and night (I split) when he was eating regularly"... I usually fed mine in the morning leaving a couple of crickets free in the cage for a snack later.

You said..."Should I worry about him going on 7 days without poop?" ...it can be a problem and you need to keep an eye on it.

You said..."Is this a temperature change issue?"...the lower temperatures could have been slowing down his digestion and thus his pooping.

What do you feed/gutload the insects with?

Hopefully if you look after the husbandry the pooping issue will clear up. If not post again on here.
 
You said?."He was eating the coconut substrate we had"... Good thing you removed this because it might cause an impaction. As long as he's pooped a while after the last time he ate there shouldn't be an impaction.
you said..."We did replace the coconut for reptile carpet"... Looks nice but hard to keep bacteria free. Bare floor or bioactive would be better IMHO.

You said...."Now he hasn't eaten for 2 days since the 28th other than a little grape today and hasn't pooped since the 24th"...what did you offer him to eat?

You said..."He is drinking as normal and is hydrated".?...what color are his urates? Does he always produce urates and poop together? Are their times when he produces only urates?

You said.."Eyes are very lively, skin looks very clear, no plugged nostrils and is very active"...good!

You said..."I just changed his uvb buld after 5 months and noticed the heat lamp was not working right. Temps must have been in the low 70s for a few days... I replaced the heat lamp today and his basking spot is now around 90 degrees"...90 is a bit high IMHO. Is the UVB light the long linear 5.0 Repti sun light? What is the basking light?

You said..."He lives in a hybrid glass/screen tank"...not near a window?

You said..."I gave him another bath this morning with no luck"...I'm not a fan of baths usually.

You said..."He just wrapped up a "bad" shed as it took several days. I dust his food once to twice a week with a calcium supplement when he was eating normal"...the shedding, missed days of pooping, lack,of eating can all be related to incorrect supplementing. It's recommended that you dust thei insects at all feedings each week but one with a phos free calcium powder, lightly..and on the remaining day each week alternate between a phos free calcium/D3 powder lightly and a vitamin powder with a beta carotene (proformed) source of vitamin A. If needed a preformed source of vitamin A can be used once in a while but care needs to be taken with preformed sources of vitamin A and D3 from supplements....because they are fat straggle and can build up in the system and lead to health issues.

You said..."He eats a little in the morning and night (I split) when he was eating regularly"... I usually fed mine in the morning leaving a couple of crickets free in the cage for a snack later.

You said..."Should I worry about him going on 7 days without poop?" ...it can be a problem and you need to keep an eye on it.

You said..."Is this a temperature change issue?"...the lower temperatures could have been slowing down his digestion and thus his pooping.

What do you feed/gutload the insects with?

Hopefully if you look after the husbandry the pooping issue will clear up. If not post again on here.

Thank you for the feedback! I will answer your remaining questions in the morning. I am wondering if the issue is mainly with the temperature issue in the tank. I will add more context in the morning. Have you seen this issue if no pooping often? The exotic pet store near me said eating and pooping go hand and hand... No poop means no eating and pooping means eating... They weren't full of advice!...
 
You said?."He was eating the coconut substrate we had"... Good thing you removed this because it might cause an impaction. As long as he's pooped a while after the last time he ate there shouldn't be an impaction.
you said..."We did replace the coconut for reptile carpet"... Looks nice but hard to keep bacteria free. Bare floor or bioactive would be better IMHO.

You said...."Now he hasn't eaten for 2 days since the 28th other than a little grape today and hasn't pooped since the 24th"...what did you offer him to eat?

You said..."He is drinking as normal and is hydrated".?...what color are his urates? Does he always produce urates and poop together? Are their times when he produces only urates?

You said.."Eyes are very lively, skin looks very clear, no plugged nostrils and is very active"...good!

You said..."I just changed his uvb buld after 5 months and noticed the heat lamp was not working right. Temps must have been in the low 70s for a few days... I replaced the heat lamp today and his basking spot is now around 90 degrees"...90 is a bit high IMHO. Is the UVB light the long linear 5.0 Repti sun light? What is the basking light?

You said..."He lives in a hybrid glass/screen tank"...not near a window?

You said..."I gave him another bath this morning with no luck"...I'm not a fan of baths usually.

You said..."He just wrapped up a "bad" shed as it took several days. I dust his food once to twice a week with a calcium supplement when he was eating normal"...the shedding, missed days of pooping, lack,of eating can all be related to incorrect supplementing. It's recommended that you dust thei insects at all feedings each week but one with a phos free calcium powder, lightly..and on the remaining day each week alternate between a phos free calcium/D3 powder lightly and a vitamin powder with a beta carotene (proformed) source of vitamin A. If needed a preformed source of vitamin A can be used once in a while but care needs to be taken with preformed sources of vitamin A and D3 from supplements....because they are fat straggle and can build up in the system and lead to health issues.

You said..."He eats a little in the morning and night (I split) when he was eating regularly"... I usually fed mine in the morning leaving a couple of crickets free in the cage for a snack later.

You said..."Should I worry about him going on 7 days without poop?" ...it can be a problem and you need to keep an eye on it.

You said..."Is this a temperature change issue?"...the lower temperatures could have been slowing down his digestion and thus his pooping.

What do you feed/gutload the insects with?

Hopefully if you look after the husbandry the pooping issue will clear up. If not post again on here.

Hello,

Please see my responses in BOLD!

You said?."He was eating the coconut substrate we had"... Good thing you removed this because it might cause an impaction. As long as he's pooped a while after the last time he ate there shouldn't be an impaction.
you said..."We did replace the coconut for reptile carpet"... Looks nice but hard to keep bacteria free. Bare floor or bioactive would be better IMHO.

You said...."Now he hasn't eaten for 2 days since the 28th other than a little grape today and hasn't pooped since the 24th"...what did you offer him to eat? - I currently have crickets, super worms, mealworms and Dubia roaches. Offered all. I also offered leafy greens, carrot and grape.

You said..."He is drinking as normal and is hydrated".?...what color are his urates? Does he always produce urates and poop together? Are their times when he produces only urates? - He has urates (almost always white. Sometimes a very very light yellow tint) and poop together every time. However, I have not seen either since 9.24.2020.

You said.."Eyes are very lively, skin looks very clear, no plugged nostrils and is very active"...good!

You said..."I just changed his uvb buld after 5 months and noticed the heat lamp was not working right. Temps must have been in the low 70s for a few days... I replaced the heat lamp today and his basking spot is now around 90 degrees"...90 is a bit high IMHO. Is the UVB light the long linear 5.0 Repti sun light? What is the basking light? - UVB bulb is a Thrive tropical 13 watt. Heat lamp bulb is 60 watt.

You said..."He lives in a hybrid glass/screen tank"...not near a window? - He was near a window. I did just move him to the middle of the room.

You said..."I gave him another bath this morning with no luck"...I'm not a fan of baths usually. - How else can I induce him to poop?

You said..."He just wrapped up a "bad" shed as it took several days. I dust his food once to twice a week with a calcium supplement when he was eating normal"...the shedding, missed days of pooping, lack,of eating can all be related to incorrect supplementing. It's recommended that you dust thei insects at all feedings each week but one with a phos free calcium powder, lightly..and on the remaining day each week alternate between a phos free calcium/D3 powder lightly and a vitamin powder with a beta carotene (proformed) source of vitamin A. If needed a preformed source of vitamin A can be used once in a while but care needs to be taken with preformed sources of vitamin A and D3 from supplements....because they are fat straggle and can build up in the system and lead to health issues. - I only have used Reptocal with calcium and D3 (dusted 2x weekly). I did just order calcium without D3. He does eat leafy greens and carrots normaly so I do not supplement with vitamins.

You said..."He eats a little in the morning and night (I split) when he was eating regularly"... I usually fed mine in the morning leaving a couple of crickets free in the cage for a snack later. - When he was eating normal, it was 5 crickets or 2-3 super worms in the morning 9-10am and then the same in the afternoon around 6-7pm.

You said..."Should I worry about him going on 7 days without poop?" ...it can be a problem and you need to keep an eye on it. - How long should I wait before contacting the vet? Do you see this issue frequently??

You said..."Is this a temperature change issue?"...the lower temperatures could have been slowing down his digestion and thus his pooping. - I will be honest, he did spent some time outside his tank during the day when it was in the low 70s. This was because the heat lamp was broken and the new was not delivered yet. He is now sitting in the basking area about half of the day before moving to the other side on his own.

What do you feed/gutload the insects with? - I use leafy greens and carrots.

Question: How can I get him to eat again as it has been 2 full days now? He did begin to eat again after he pooped last time...


Hopefully if you look after the husbandry the pooping issue will clear up. If not post again on here.
 
Hello,

Please see my responses in BOLD!

You said?."He was eating the coconut substrate we had"... Good thing you removed this because it might cause an impaction. As long as he's pooped a while after the last time he ate there shouldn't be an impaction.
you said..."We did replace the coconut for reptile carpet"... Looks nice but hard to keep bacteria free. Bare floor or bioactive would be better IMHO.

You said...."Now he hasn't eaten for 2 days since the 28th other than a little grape today and hasn't pooped since the 24th"...what did you offer him to eat? - I currently have crickets, super worms, mealworms and Dubia roaches. Offered all. I also offered leafy greens, carrot and grape. I would drop the mealworms.

You said..."He is drinking as normal and is hydrated".?...what color are his urates? Does he always produce urates and poop together? Are their times when he produces only urates? - He has urates (almost always white. Sometimes a very very light yellow tint) and poop together every time. However, I have not seen either since 9.24.2020. White urates (even with a slight bit of orange) indicate hydration is sufficient. If there is both poop and urates there should be no impaction.

You said.."Eyes are very lively, skin looks very clear, no plugged nostrils and is very active"...good!

You said..."I just changed his uvb buld after 5 months and noticed the heat lamp was not working right. Temps must have been in the low 70s for a few days... I replaced the heat lamp today and his basking spot is now around 90 degrees"...90 is a bit high IMHO. Is the UVB light the long linear 5.0 Repti sun light? What is the basking light? - UVB bulb is a Thrive tropical 13 watt. Heat lamp bulb is 60 watt.
The most often recommended UVB light is the one I asked if you had. The spiral bulbs, etc don't likely oroduce enough UVB (at least not where it's needed.)

You said..."He lives in a hybrid glass/screen tank"...not near a window? - He was near a window. I did just move him to the middle of the room. Glad you've moved it away from the window because you live in a climate that is cold in winter.

You said..."I gave him another bath this morning with no luck"...I'm not a fan of baths usually. - How else can I induce him to poop?
Proper husbandry should correct it (as long as it's not an impaction or due to not eating.)
You said..."He just wrapped up a "bad" shed as it took several days. I dust his food once to twice a week with a calcium supplement when he was eating normal"...the shedding, missed days of pooping, lack,of eating can all be related to incorrect supplementing. It's recommended that you dust thei insects at all feedings each week but one with a phos free calcium powder, lightly..and on the remaining day each week alternate between a phos free calcium/D3 powder lightly and a vitamin powder with a beta carotene (proformed) source of vitamin A. If needed a preformed source of vitamin A can be used once in a while but care needs to be taken with preformed sources of vitamin A and D3 from supplements....because they are fat straggle and can build up in the system and lead to health issues. - I only have used Reptocal with calcium and D3 (dusted 2x weekly). I did just order calcium without D3. He does eat leafy greens and carrots normaly so I do not supplement with vitamins. It's important not to use the powders with D3 or prEformed vitamin A often....both are fat soluble and can build up in the system and lead to health issues.

D3 in supplements I would use lightly twice a month just as "insurance" that the chameleon gets some and the rest of the D3 should be produced from the chameleons exposure to that UVB.

Vitamin A, when beta carotene (prOformed) from greens, veggies, etc or in vitamin powder is safe but prEformed, as I said can build up...so I recommend using a vitamin powder with a beta carotene source twice a month lightly to make sure the chameleon gets enough vitamins. The prEformed can they be controlled and only used when necessary.


You said..."He eats a little in the morning and night (I split) when he was eating regularly"... I usually fed mine in the morning leaving a couple of crickets free in the cage for a snack later. - When he was eating normal, it was 5 crickets or 2-3 super worms in the morning 9-10am and then the same in the afternoon around 6-7pm.

You said..."Should I worry about him going on 7 days without poop?" ...it can be a problem and you need to keep an eye on it. - How long should I wait before contacting the vet? Do you see this issue frequently?? I would correct the temperature and other husbandry and then give it a couple of days at least before consulting a vet. You can also give your chameleon a thin slice of pear which might help him poop.

You said..."Is this a temperature change issue?"...the lower temperatures could have been slowing down his digestion and thus his pooping. - I will be honest, he did spent some time outside his tank during the day when it was in the low 70s. This was because the heat lamp was broken and the new was not delivered yet. He is now sitting in the basking area about half of the day before moving to the other side on his own. For daytime heat/basking, all you need to use is a regular incandescent household bulb....which I would expect you might have at home already?

What do you feed/gutload the insects with? - I use leafy greens and carrots. You can include things like kale, collards, endive, squash, zucchini, sweet potatoes, sweet red peppers, and a very small amount of Apple, pear, papaya, etc.

Question: How can I get him to eat again as it has been 2 full days now? He did begin to eat again after he pooped last time...
Hopefully the temperature change and husbandry corrections will encourage eating again. If it doesn't please post again.


Hopefully if you look after the husbandry the pooping issue will clear up. If not post again on here.
 
I just want to ask a question on this for @kinyonga Is the thrive tropical the coil bulb that screws in to a dome lamp? Or is it a long linear bulb that runs the width of the enclosure?


Hello,

Thanks for your message. It is the coil bulb that screws into the dome lamp.

Thanks,
Tommy
 

I wanted to provide a quick update! Guac did go to after 8 days... I gave him a bath and shower. Very small poop but his urate was very long. I would say half was orange and the other half was white. I am wondering if maybe the orange part of the urate was blocking him? Weird it was orange because he drinks daily... There was no coconut substrate in this poop so he definitely got it out of his system. I am working on feeding now with the new calcium without D3.

Thanks for all of your comments and suggestions. I am sure that played part in helping him.

Thank you,
Tommy
 
The urate might be a little more orange because of the length of time it's been inside the chameleon. Hopefully the next time the chameleon goes it will be feces and urate together...the way it should be and the urate will be more white.
 
I wanted to provide a quick update! Guac did go to after 8 days... I gave him a bath and shower. Very small poop but his urate was very long. I would say half was orange and the other half was white. I am wondering if maybe the orange part of the urate was blocking him? Weird it was orange because he drinks daily... There was no coconut substrate in this poop so he definitely got it out of his system. I am working on feeding now with the new calcium without D3.

Thanks for all of your comments and suggestions. I am sure that played part in helping him.

Thank you,
Tommy
While I’m glad that Guac pooped, baths and showers are not recommended for chams. The biggest problem after stress, is that what feels like pleasantly lukewarm to us can be scalding to a cham. I honestly was shocked when I checked the temp of cold water coming from the faucet...much warmer than I expected.
 
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