Brothers Chameleon, please Help

L

lilaccavies

New Member
Hi everyone,

I am looking after my brothers Chameleon for a couple of weeks and he has stopped eating. He has not eaten in 4 days now and I am getting rather worried. I am feeding him medium locusts. He is in a tall tank. He is looking a bit thin now, I can feel his ribs. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I could do to get him to eat? Thank you :)
 
Is the chameleon and its cage still in the same place or did you have to move it to look after it? How old is the chameleon? What species is it? How long has your brother had it?

Are the locusts from a store or caught wild? Do you have access to silkworms or waxworms or crickets, etc. so that you could try a different insect?

Is it keeping its eyes open or shut? Moving around or sitting still? Sitting in the basking area or somewhere else?
 
kinyonga said:
Is the chameleon and its cage still in the same place or did you have to move it to look after it? How old is the chameleon? What species is it? How long has your brother had it?

Are the locusts from a store or caught wild? Do you have access to silkworms or waxworms or crickets, etc. so that you could try a different insect?

Is it keeping its eyes open or shut? Moving around or sitting still? Sitting in the basking area or somewhere else?
Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply. Its still in the same place. I am doing the same as they do. Unfortunately I don't know anything about the Chameleon other than it looks like its got two horns on its forehead and its a young one? I don't think they have had it long?
I don't know if the locusts are wild or not, they come from an online store called Live Foods http://www.livefoods.co.uk/index.php?cPath=94

I can have a look in a petshop tomorrow and see if I can get wax or silk worms.

Its eyes are open and he seems to want to get out of the cage? But today he was just stiing on the plant on the side of the tank.
 
You should mist him at least three times a day for a couple of minutes each misting session. Try some different kinds of bugs with him, it sounds like you have a jackson? water is important and most chams you can see their ribs... depending on postion.
 
lilaccavies said:
I don't know if its drinking although I am changing the water regularly. I have to hand mist it every day myself.
Click to expand...

When you say that you're CHANGING the water is there a water dish or a drip system? Most chams won't drink from a water dish and must have water dripping and/or mist them several times daily as SUMMONER12 suggested.

Also ... my chams will almost always eat silkworms or butterworms. I haven't tried waxworms yet! If you're able to post a couple pics of the cham and enclosure it may make it easier for people to give suggestions.

GOOD LUCK!!

Dyesub Dave. :D
 
Thanks for your advice. I will take a couple of pics tomorrow when I go over there again. He has a water dish and seems to have been fine all the while my Brother has had had him so far? :(
 
As many on this forum will attest to standing water in a cham enclosure is not a good idea. It's a breeding ground for bacteria and if the cham is drinking this water it can get sick.

Looking forward to seeing some pics!

Dyesub Dave. :D
 
I managed to get him to eat waxworm larvae today thank goodness. I gave him 3. Could he be bored with the same food (locusts)?
Does his skin look ok, I think he may have been shedding because he has some loose white dry skin? Thanks again

Does anyone know which type he is?

Here he is! :)
33x33CopyofDSCN6450.jpg


33x33CopyofDSCN6452.jpg


33x33CopyofDSCN6449.jpg
 
lilaccavies said:
Is there something wrong with a glass tank?...
Click to expand...
Howdy,

Over here in the U.S., there's a strong bias towards screen enclosures to derive the benefits of fresh air, simpler drainage methods, screen-based insect feeding, and unfiltered (by the glass) lighting. One potential benefit of glass (solid sides) is it's easier to maintain a much higher humidity level required for some species.

In your case, I'd think that your brother's setup has been working within tolerable limits. While some chameleons will eventually (hopefully before they die) figure out about drinking from a bowl, it's not considered proper. Drinking from misted/dripped water is considered more natural. Again, if your brother's chameleon has no trouble drinking clean water from the bowl then you'll need to continue to supply it that way and let your brother figure out what he wants to do in the long-run.

4 days without eating is not a huge problem with a chameleon. On it's own, that isn't enough time to cause the bones to show. It's also possible that he had eaten more than usual and was compensating...
 
To demonstrate drinking from misted water you can watch this video that Brad posted. The thread topic of this video is irrelevant to our topic, but the video is a perfect example of how a cham will drink.

Drinking
 
Thank you both! I am learning loads from all you guys!! :)
I may even like to have a Cham myelf at some point, I love em! :)

This Tank has mesh at the top to let in air. I will have a look around to see what kind of drip water feeders there are. That Cham drinking from the leaves is brilliant!
 
Last edited:
lilaccavies said:
This Tank has mesh at the top to let in air. I will have a look around to see what kind of drip water feeders there are.
Click to expand...

You can make one with a milk jug or juice carton. Clean it out, fill it with water and then poke a small hole in the side or bottom. Use the water dish you have to catch the water at the bottom of the cage. If you have a piece of screen or mesh you can place it over the bowl so that the cham won't drink the dirty water and crickets or other feeders don't fall in.
 
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