Chameleon hasn't pooped in a while...

Mlipinski

Member
Buzz hasn't pooped in about three weeks or so..eats normally and is still active and alert. I was out of town for about 12 days and looked for fecal matter in his cage but still haven't seen anything. Temperature in enclosure is fine and his fog machine goes off every hour or so humidity is good as well, please help as I am starting to worry now. I fed him three crickets when I came home from vacation on Wednesday and then none yesterday because am now sacred to feed him.
 
Buzz hasn't pooped in about three weeks or so..eats normally and is still active and alert. I was out of town for about 12 days and looked for fecal matter in his cage but still haven't seen anything. Temperature in enclosure is fine and his fog machine goes off every hour or so humidity is good as well, please help as I am starting to worry now. I fed him three crickets when I came home from vacation on Wednesday and then none yesterday because am now sacred to feed him.
I’ll tag a couple of the experts to help you out with the pooping issue. Do you have your fogger on during the day? If so, I recommend you stop and just use it at night when it’s cold. Using a fogger during the day when the temps are can cause upper respiratory infections in chams. @Beman @MissSkittles
 
I’ll tag a couple of the experts to help you out with the pooping issue. Do you have your fogger on during the day? If so, I recommend you stop and just use it at night when it’s cold. Using a fogger during the day when the temps are can cause upper respiratory infections in chams. @Beman @MissSkittles
Thank you so much and yes I have the fogger on during the day its on a timer with his lights. He's two years old now and hasn't had any problems at all until now.
 
Hi. Can you post some current pics of your chameleon and his entire enclosure please?
His crown is still peeling but he has been acting normal.
 

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His crown is still peeling but he has been acting normal.
I see you have fake plants in your enclosure. Veileds are known for eating the leaves off of fake plants. The cause of the lake of poop could be an impaction caused by the fake plants. I would remove those ASAP. He also looks a bit chunky judging by the puffed casque and chubby cheeks. I would definitely cut his food back slightly and steer away from the fatty feeder’s such as waxworms/mealworms/superworms.
 
I see you have fake plants in your enclosure. Veileds are known for eating the leaves off of fake plants. The cause of the lake of poop could be an impaction caused by the fake plants. I would remove those ASAP. He also looks a bit chunky judging by the puffed casque and chubby cheeks. I would definitely cut his food back slightly and steer away from the fatty feeder’s such as waxworms/mealworms/superworms.
Thank you I didn't feed him yesterday or today..should I still be feeding him a couple crickets a day? Hasn't had any worms in a while because I noticed him getting chunky. Also he's never eaten or tried to eat any of the leaves before. I tried giving him real leaves in the past and he just got upset with me...do you think fruits are a good choice?
 
Yes to this ^^^! Our veileds love to nibble their plants and aren’t able to tell the difference between fake or real. It only takes one nibble to cause a bowel obstruction. I’d also add more branches and vines to give him lots of ‘roads’ to travel and patrol his enclosure. That would give him some exercise to work off his feeders. Everything else looks good though to my eyes. Not pooping for so very long though is a concern not to be taken lightly. I’m going to suggest a vet visit where they can do x rays to make sure he’s not blocked up. He’s a good looking fella btw. :)
 
Thank you I didn't feed him yesterday or today..should I still be feeding him a couple crickets a day? Hasn't had any worms in a while because I noticed him getting chunky. Also he's never eaten or tried to eat any of the leaves before. I tried giving him real leaves in the past and he just got upset with me...do you think fruits are a good choice?
It’s said that chameleons don’t have the digestive systems to process vegetable/plant matter. Don’t ask how/why they eat their plants…that’s not yet figured out. I would try giving him some juicy hornworms. A little extra fluids may help him to poo.
 
Thank you I didn't feed him yesterday or today..should I still be feeding him a couple crickets a day? Hasn't had any worms in a while because I noticed him getting chunky. Also he's never eaten or tried to eat any of the leaves before. I tried giving him real leaves in the past and he just got upset with me...do you think fruits are a good choice?
I would start slowly introducing real plants into the enclosure and removing the fake plants one by one. I would introduce dubias into his diet along with the crickets. I’d continue to feed him on his normal schedule and monitor him as well as book a vet visit as not pooping is a significant concern.
 
Yes to this ^^^! Our veileds love to nibble their plants and aren’t able to tell the difference between fake or real. It only takes one nibble to cause a bowel obstruction. I’d also add more branches and vines to give him lots of ‘roads’ to travel and patrol his enclosure. That would give him some exercise to work off his feeders. Everything else looks good though to my eyes. Not pooping for so very long though is a concern not to be taken lightly. I’m going to suggest a vet visit where they can do x rays to make sure he’s not blocked up. He’s a good looking fella btw. :)
Thank you so much I was considering getting a plant for the living room as well so he can get out and walk around a bit if you have any suggestions? It's been a cold winter and apartment living with a three year old makes it tough to keep real plants in an enclosure thank you again.
 
Pothos is perhaps the best and easiest plant to put in. They grow super fast and without needing a special plant light and the vines provide some additional climbing opportunities (if they get thick enough). Usually Lowe’s and Home Depot have some beautiful pothos. This will help with adding plants. Do keep in mind that many do need additional grow lights. https://chameleonacademy.com/plants/
 
Pothos is perhaps the best and easiest plant to put in. They grow super fast and without needing a special plant light and the vines provide some additional climbing opportunities (if they get thick enough). Usually Lowe’s and Home Depot have some beautiful pothos. This will help with adding plants. Do keep in mind that many do need additional grow lights. https://chameleonacademy.com/plants/
One more question I read online that a warm bath/soak could possibly help him go poop? Do you think that's true?
 
One more question I read online that a warm bath/soak could possibly help him go poop? Do you think that's true?
No, not at all. It will cause him stress, which will cause his body to tighten up and hold on to the poo. Baths are good for bearded dragons to poo, but not chams.
 
No, not at all. It will cause him stress, which will cause his body to tighten up and hold on to the poo. Baths are good for bearded dragons to poo, but not chams.
Thanks again. Yeah when I read that it didn't sound right to me so I had to ask. I plan to go to the store tomorrow and look at plants and some new branches for exercise as well as taking him "on a walk". Thank you again for the advice.
 
Just my two cents as most of what I see has been covered. The moss needs to go as well. This is another major impaction risk. I would pull that and all fake plants out now, replace with all live plants. Because when you reduce a veiled with food they are going to go after plant matter. He is overweight. Should be put on a diet of 3 feeders 3 days a week only. I would put many more flukers vines or branches in there.

If you are using the T5HO uvb fixture with the 5.0 or 6% bulb you want a vine/branch 8-9 inches below it for the correct UVI level.
 
Just my two cents as most of what I see has been covered. The moss needs to go as well. This is another major impaction risk. I would pull that and all fake plants out now, replace with all live plants. Because when you reduce a veiled with food they are going to go after plant matter. He is overweight. Should be put on a diet of 3 feeders 3 days a week only. I would put many more flukers vines or branches in there.

If you are using the T5HO uvb fixture with the 5.0 or 6% bulb you want a vine/branch 8-9 inches below it for the correct UVI level.
Thanks for the tips I am going to care for him all day and hope he goes to the bathroom at some point.
 
I sprayed his enclosure countless times. Gave him water orally through the spray bottle and gave him a warm spray bath and HE POOPED TODAY!
In the future just avoid warm water sprays... room temp is what is recommended as what may feel like warm water to us can be too hot for them. Happy to hear he passed a fecal. Might want to put a dripper on the cage during the day so he has access to additional hydration.
 
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