Betty won’t eat

kinyonga said:
Typical...fluid and vitamins...

Did the vet do a fecal to determine if he had parasites or not? If so, only one fecal?

I'm not a fan of force feeding a chameleon if it's not truly sick if there's an alternative. If you can get it to eat on its own it's less stressful. I would try getting it to drink from a dripper and as the mouth is opening and shutting stick a cricket head first into its mouth so the teeth close on the cricket.
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You're welcome.

One clear fecal doesn't mean he's clear of parasites....the parasites have to be shedding eggs or they won't usually show up....So generally you need more than one test on different stool samples....usually done a couple of weeks apart.
 
Hi there. I am about to go into a meeting and can not do the husbandry form. But here are a few things I am seeing.

This is a Male veiled and he by no means looks thin... ( you need a new vet IMO if they can't tell gender at that age then they should not be near your cham) At this age they do not need more then 2-3 feeders 3 days a week.

In the picture it looks like your fogging during the day which should not be done as it is high risk for them developing a Respiratory infection.

They should not have heat at night at all unless temps are below 50.

Your UVB fixture looks like it is not running the right direction on the cage. Should be running from one side to the other with a branch below it at the correct distance. Also important for us to know if your using a T8 or a T5 and what the bulb strength is. This makes a very big difference.

Does your UVB fixture have a plastic piece covering the bulb?

What type of multivitamin are you using? Please post a picture.
 
Beman said:
Hi there. I am about to go into a meeting and can not do the husbandry form. But here are a few things I am seeing.

This is a Male veiled and he by no means looks thin... ( you need a new vet IMO if they can't tell gender at that age then they should not be near your cham) At this age they do not need more then 2-3 feeders 3 days a week.

In the picture it looks like your fogging during the day which should not be done as it is high risk for them developing a Respiratory infection.

They should not have heat at night at all unless temps are below 50.

Your UVB fixture looks like it is not running the right direction on the cage. Should be running from one side to the other with a branch below it at the correct distance. Also important for us to know if your using a T8 or a T5 and what the bulb strength is. This makes a very big difference.

Does your UVB fixture have a plastic piece covering the bulb?

What type of multivitamin are you using? Please post a picture.
Click to expand...
Thank you for your advice. I was fogging because he seemed dehydrated. I will stop. The bulb is a T5. I will change the direction. no plastic cover on the fixture . I do not know the brand because the previous owner sent it along. All I know is it’s a reptile vitamin. I will stop heating at night, too. I was just worried because he was so sick. He barely moved this morning, but he’s perked up a bit now. I really appreciate your time
 
The only thing jumping out at me from your husbandry is the geranium. I’m not sure if that’s safe for chameleons. @snitz427 may know.
Have you tried offering a superworm? Those are like chameleon crack. If you give a more specific location, @jannb may be able to recommend a good vet.
 
MissSkittles said:
The only thing jumping out at me from your husbandry is the geranium. I’m not sure if that’s safe for chameleons. @snitz427 may know.
Have you tried offering a superworm? Those are like chameleon crack. If you give a more specific location, @jannb may be able to recommend a good vet.
Click to expand...
I read they are safe, but I’m not sure what to believe at this point. 🤪. I have not done a super worm. I’ll have to see if I can find any. Thank you.
 
You said earlier you were using a humidifier because you couldn't afford a mister. You don't need to buy an automatic misting system, you can buy a cheap manual one you pump online for very cheap. You should be misting twice a day. You can use the humidifier for nighttime when he goes to sleep if needed.
 
Last edited:
Pirate lynn said:
Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
  • Veiled, male, 15 months, 7 months
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
  • Not often. He doesn’t see, to like handling
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
  • Dubias, crickets, and meal worms once in a while. Ged in the morning after he’s been basking at least an hour. Gut loading with fruits, veg, How many feeders are you feeding, and what exactly do you gutload with? He will only need to be eating 3 feeders, 3 days a week.
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
  • Plain D daily except on D3 and Vitamin days, which are twice a month each Which supplements do you use? Do you know the brand names? Not all supplements are created equal. There are multivitamins that do not have the right vitamin A, which can lead to issues like missing feeders when shooting at them and poor quality of eye sight.
  • 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 dropper plus I spray everything twice a day. I have only seen him drink once How long do you spray for? What do you use to mist? It is okay if they are not drinking in front of you (or even at all). They are shy drinkers and you may never see him drink. Likewise, if you use a fogger at night (I fog from 12-4 AM) then they will likely be hydrated enough to not need to drink. They can get hydrated from breathing in the humid air, but it needs to only be done during the coolest parts of the night.
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
  • Urine first, whitish, sometimes a bit yellow. Soft brown. Negative test for parasites If the urates are white, even if they have some yellow tinge to them, then the chameleon is hydrated.
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
  • He was being raised by a teen boy who had no idea about husbandry. We got him I’m good shape, but he has always seemed to have trouble hitting the food the first try or two. If the boy did not know about husbandry, I wouldn't trust the supplements he gave you. I would get your own phosphorus free calcium to use at every feeding, besides 2 a month. I would get Reptivite WITH D3 to use those two feeding. I use it on the 1st and 15th.

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
  • Screen cage, 18x36x36. I also have a homemade cage that’s 2ftx 2ftx 4ft
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?I can’t recall the brand UVB light he has. It’s a T50, I think. 18 inch tube. Incandescent, 75 watt for basking. 12 hrs on 12 off The brand and the strength all play an important role. If it is a zoomed, it will likely need to be replaced every 6 months. If it is Arcadia, it should last around a year. It is super helpful to have a Solar meter 6.5 to test your UV output. If you do not have one you will want your T5 (5.0 or 6%) bulb to be 9 inches from your basking branch. This is where it will be around 3.0 uv readings.
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
  • Winter has been hard for temp.
    55-60 overnight, so I added a ceramic bulb. basking is upper 70s, but he won’t sit there much anymore. I have a probe thermometer on the basking branch No heater at night, and basking should be low 80s. No need for it to get over 85F
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
  • Humidity thingy. It’s been lower during the winter, but around 50% You are looking to keep his enclosure at a humidity reading of 30-50%. Only at night, when his temps have dropped significantly (like 65) should you be fogging (using a humidifier). At this time his humidity can spike to 100%.
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
  • I have geranium,
  • 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?
  • no fans or vents, just me, so not much traffic. Top of cage is almost to ceiling. I have about 18 ins of space for lights etc.

  • Location - Where are you geographically located?
  • Northeast

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about. He won’t eat
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I have given feedback in the quoted message. My feedback is in bold.
 
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