Chameleon Dilemma..Rango jr..

[phylicia]

My chameleon was just 6 months he looks the picture of health..good color, he hunts..he is very active..that the dilemma I see him looking for food all over cage when the crickets are there on cage beside him above him below him all around..but dont see him eating them??? I have been watching him for days now I dont see him eating and of course hes not releasing his fecal matter..All his lighting is good temp 90° at top by basking lite 80° in middle of cage with humiditybetween 60°- 75° all the time..mister every hour 15 seconds
Have real ficus tree.schefelera tree pothos in his cage with plenty of vines and branches to walk all over up down across etc He used to be a great eater from 3-5 months..when I got the big cage started giving him medium crickets but they were too big for him, I though..so now from5 1/2 months to now 6 months hes not eating and of course i see no fecal from him..I give him calcium and viramins 3x A week plus gutloaded crickets..has anyone had this problem?? plwase let me know..Monday seems so far away till i get him to vet..

 

[Zubi]

He might just be bored with crickets. Do you offer him any other feeders? it sounds like a food strike to me

 

[cricketkilla]

He might just be bored with crickets. Do you offer him any other feeders? it sounds like a food strike to me

I agree. Is he a ch from chams northwest?

 

[phylicia]

Chameleon dilemma..Rango Jr

Thanks for answering so quickly..yes I always give him a variety of large mealy worms and wax worms

 

[phylicia]

Chameleon dilemma..Rango Jr

I bought him from AmazingBlues out here in Californis..great Company they always answer when I text them..they said he could be going through a maturing state but its not good that hes not eating told me to cover back of cage because I have mirror there and see what happens and of course a Vet..

 

[Lovereps]

I bought him from AmazingBlues out here in Californis..great Company they always answer when I text them..they said he could be going through a maturing state but its not good that hes not eating told me to cover back of cage because I have mirror there and see what happens and of course a Vet..

Sound advice on both the mirror and the vet!

 

[ChameleonMom]

Definitely cover the mirror! He could be stressed out thinking he is sharing his home and food with brother from another Mother! Chams are solitary animals and even a reflection of himself can cause stress!

 

[cricketkilla]

Thanks for answering so quickly..yes I always give him a variety of large mealy worms and wax worms

I think you should try to vary his diet more than that. To many waxworms can lead to mouth rot, at least what I've been told. The shell of mealworms are also difficult to digest. You should try some various soft bodies like silkworms, hornworms, butterworms, or Phoenix worms. Dubia are also a good choice, a lot of people agree that there shouldn't be a so called staple food and no one item should make up more than 20% of the diet. Just food for thought

 

[carol5208]

I think you should try to vary his diet more than that. To many waxworms can lead to mouth rot, at least what I've been told. The shell of mealworms are also difficult to digest. You should try some various soft bodies like silkworms, hornworms, butterworms, or Phoenix worms. Dubia are also a good choice, a lot of people agree that there shouldn't be a so called staple food and no one item should make up more than 20% of the diet. Just food for thought

I have never heard that about waxworms that they cause mouth rot. were you told that by someone on the forum?.

 

[carol5208]

you said large meal worms, as in supers?? Will he still eat those or is he refusing to eat all prey?

 

[ataraxia]

you said large meal worms, as in supers?? Will he still eat those or is he refusing to eat all prey?

O'my..Ill wait the answer to comment further.

When was his last stool?

What types of supplements are you using exactly and which ones are being used 3 times a week?

Edit: are you taking all your feeder out daily?

Note: Your at 6 months of care. The Uvb lights need changed if you havent already

 

[phylicia]

Rango jr ..not eating

I havent given him many wax worms at all..but thanks for that information I am so thankful for everyone being helpful amd will try anything..I am so worried about him not eating..I talked to vet yesterday and without any fecal matter he would have to give some tests..So this morning i had him come to me he is pretty froendly..held him in my hand opened his jaw very tenderly and fed him a mealy worm small one..did that 3x very carefully..put him out side for a couple of hours in the sun(live in So. CA)..PUT HIM BACK IN HIS INSIDE CAGE AMD HE JUST RELEASED HIS FECAL MATTER 2X ON A schefelera leaf..I collected it in an airtight container added a drop of water like Vet said and will bring it to Vet first thing in morning...I have covered all the mirror from sight of his cage..
Keep all suggestions coming..there is nothing I wouldnt try to keep my guy healthy..the picture Im adding on this was taken today..Hes 6months and still looks good though he really hasnt grown this past month..thank you all so much

 

[phylicia]

For ataraxia

He only ate small mealy worms and small medium crickets he never wanted the big ones..i have given him crickets and mealy worms mostly and he would practically eat them from my hand..i would put them on the schefelera leaf they would be gone in a second

 

[phylicia]

For ataraxia

The feeders stay in there because hes not eating them..the last stool i seen from him was atleast 2 weeks ago..until this morning when i forced fed him successfully...he released his feal matter which i will take to Vet tomorrow ..finally..but he hasnt ate at all anything

 

[GabeCastro]

I noticed you said wax worms...

I was giving Jasper waxworms as a treat and my vet told me to not feed them to him again. They're just fatty and can cause similar symtoms as a sinus infection. I guess the fat gets stored somewhere in their mouth and can cause eyes to swell. (this is what my vet said). So he prescribed me some eye drops. Also waxworms cause the infamous "food strikes".

Also, Jasper was positive for pinworms & coccidia. Pinworms can cause a loss of appetite and coccidia aswell. He looks 100% healthy too which is why i was so shocked. It started out from him not eating and his feces was a bit on the smelly side. Also he would only poop about once a week.

If your cham isn't eating ANYTHING then i suggest you get a fecal asap. Jasper was doing the same thing, i pretty much fed him anything you could think of and he wouldn't go for it. A fecal won't hurt, you'll get all your worries out the way and if he does come up with something then you can treat it early. just make sure when you see your chams poop, that it doesn't smell. There shouldn't be any type of smell to the feces. Jaspers poop was on the smelly side. If it is, most likely he has parasites.

Let us know how your cham goes, hopefully he starts to eat! And if he doesn't have any parasites i'd recommend this herbal stuff called Reptiaid. Read up on it, i bought some and only used it for 3 days so i can't tell you much. My vet told me to take it off Jasper since i'm giving him stronger meds.

http://www.amazon.com/Reptaid-Healt...=UTF8&qid=1349651967&sr=8-1&keywords=reptiaid

And to get your cham to poop, sometimes they have a hard time digesting their food. 2 ways that worked for me...Freeranging my cham outiside in a small tree/plant on a bright sunny warm day. And putting him on a plant inside the shower. Make sure the water is not too hot and aim it at the wall so the water drops splash everywhere. This builds up the humidity really high and warm mist. Should allow him to atleast drink water, poop, or he may run towards you to get away

 

[phylicia]

Gabe Castro

Thank you for all your info..and taking interest..I did give him wax worms a few weeks ago...interesting?..The Reptiaid sounds good will purchase it. I tenderly opened his mouth this morning and fed him 3 mealy worms hoping I could get his stool..had no more choices at this point becausewith out stool its hard to diagnose his problem. Finally he let out 2 big stools 3 hours later which I put in airtight container for Vet tomorrow. I put in 2 silk worms and he wants nothing to do with them. Went to other side of cage???Either hes spoiled or sick..hopefully spoiled..Will fill you in on his progress..thank you again.Phylicia

 

[phylicia]

Gabe Castro

Thank you for all your info..and taking interest..I did give him wax worms a few weeks ago...interesting?..The Reptiaid sounds good will purchase it. I tenderly opened his mouth this morning and fed him 3 mealy worms hoping I could get his stool..had no more choices at this point becausewith out stool its hard to diagnose his problem. Finally he let out 2 big stools 3 hours later which I put in airtight container for Vet tomorrow. I put in 2 silk worms and he wants nothing to do with them. Went to other side of cage???Either hes spoiled or sick..hopefully spoiled..Will fill you in on his progress..thank you again.Phylicia

 

[phylicia]

Gabe Castro

Thank you for all your info..and taking interest..I did give him wax worms a few weeks ago...interesting?..The Reptiaid sounds good will purchase it. I tenderly opened his mouth this morning and fed him 3 mealy worms hoping I could get his stool..had no more choices at this point becausewith out stool its hard to diagnose his problem. Finally he let out 2 big stools 3 hours later which I put in airtight container for Vet tomorrow. I put in 2 silk worms and he wants nothing to do with them. Went to other side of cage???Either hes spoiled or sick..hopefully spoiled..Will fill you in on his progress..thank you again.Phylicia

 

[phylicia]

Chameleon dilemma..Rango Jr

To Carol5208..
He doesnt eat any prey..I just put in 2 large silk worms amd hs acting defensive and wont eat them..I managed to open his mouth and get down 3 small mealy worms today..he finally made 2 stools that I can nring to Vet to be tested..thank you for being interested..will keep updating this forum as I get some answers..

 

[GabeCastro]

Thank you for all your info..and taking interest..I did give him wax worms a few weeks ago...interesting?..The Reptiaid sounds good will purchase it. I tenderly opened his mouth this morning and fed him 3 mealy worms hoping I could get his stool..had no more choices at this point becausewith out stool its hard to diagnose his problem. Finally he let out 2 big stools 3 hours later which I put in airtight container for Vet tomorrow. I put in 2 silk worms and he wants nothing to do with them. Went to other side of cage???Either hes spoiled or sick..hopefully spoiled..Will fill you in on his progress..thank you again.Phylicia

Yup no problem. Glad you did the smartest thing you could possibly do with owning a chameleon, a fecal test i really encourage them to be done atleast 2-3 times a year just to be sure your cham stays healthy. I thought Jasper was fine until my fecal results. So good luck with your chameleon and be sure to update up when you get the results! I hope your little guy is ok!