Hi All! I am a first time chameleon owner. My veiled male is about 1 year old. He used to eat non stop but for the past few weeks he's been slow about it. Is this normal? I used to throw 2 dozen crickets in his tank and he'd eat them within 24 hours. Now he takes about 2 weeks to eat them. (I was surprised they lived that long.) I am buying gut loaded ones. I also feed him meal worms. I dust everything and spray his tank often. (I'm looking into getting a drip to help with this.) My main concern is his eating habits. He is bright green and appears healthy.....thoughts?
Chameleon isn't eating much
- Thread starter GonzosMom
- Start date
carol5208
Chameleon Enthusiast
Please fill out the ask for help form in the health clinic. We need more info to better help you. Pictures of your cage and your chameleon would be helpful also. BTW, gutloaded crickets from the pet store usually means potatoes. That is not a very healthy gutload. Go to Sandrachameleons page on how to gutolad properly. Also, are you saying you are leaving crickets in the cage for two weeks? Even if you were gutloading them properly, by two weeks they would have pooped out everything they would have eaten. I am surprised they are alive too, but maybe they eating some plants in the cage if you have live ones? Also, are you sure they have not bitten your chameleon by now if you are leaving them in the cage like that? What type of "tank" are you talking about?
Lovereps
Avid Member
No, that's not normal.
There can be a few things causing the problem and if you copy and paste the questions from herehttps://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/ and then add all the answers, we can help you figure out what's wrong before it gets any worse.
You can also post pictures of him if you'd like.
HOW TO HELP form completed....pictures loaded
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Veiled male chameleon. I've had him for 1 year and he is approx 1 year old. Positive he is a male.
Handling - Everyday to every other day
Feeding - He eats meal worms and crickets. He used to eat about 8 meal worms a day and could eat a dozen crickets a day. I feed him everyday but sometimes if I am away on weekends I will leave some extra food for him. I was not feeding the crickets anything additional that what the pet store does but now realize I should have been. So I'm keeping the crickets in a keeper with lettuce, carrots, tomato, potato....whatever I have. I vary it.
Supplements - I dust feeders with ReptiCalcium every other feeding.
Watering - I use a spray bottle and spray several times a day. Looking into a drip. I see him drink the droplets off the leaves in his cage but only from a close distance.
Fecal Description - He has never been tested for parasites to my knowledge. His fecal dropping can be white or brown. Seems like he produces both equally.
History - I got him as a juvenile from a pet store that specializes in reptiles. He has always been a great eater and grew very quickly. In April he began shedding constantly and sometimes had trouble fully shedding in places. A friend told me he needed more moisture to help with that. Once we took care of that problem he shed the last of it and hasn't shed since May. It is not August. Also in May he moved back home with me from my office. His conditions inside his cage were the same but he began hiding in the bottom more and looking brown. Once I moved him back to my office this month he came back out, turned bright green again and seems happier. He did have a fall in June onto a hard floor. I was very worried he was hurt but seemed ok. I just haven't seen him shoot his tongue since about early June...before the fall. Also...I noticed just recently a swollen joint on his front leg. See picture.
Cage Info:
Cage Type - Glass cage with screen top. 18" X 18" X 26" approx. Lights sit on top but do not completely cover the screen. Floor of the cage is reptibark. (I have never seen him try to eat it.) He has a long piece of drift wood that goes diagonal for climbing, fake vine from pet store and another large piece of clean branch with different climbing paths. He has fake leaves, an umbrella plant and a schefflera (sp?) He seemed to brighten up after I added the live plants in July.
Lighting - he has a UVB light for the day and a UVB nightlight.
Temperature - Temp stays around 84 degrees at the top of the cage. Night temp low is about 77. I have a thermometer from zoomed.
Humidity - Will have to check to be sure.
Plants - umbrella plant and schefflera
Placement - Cage sits up on a shelf about 4 feet off the floor. Lots of natural light in the room. It is not next to a window. There is an air vent close by but does not blow into his cage.
Location - Florida
Current Problem - Lump or swelling on his elbow. Decrease in eating and have not seen him shoot his tongue in awhile.
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Veiled male chameleon. I've had him for 1 year and he is approx 1 year old. Positive he is a male.
Handling - Everyday to every other day
Feeding - He eats meal worms and crickets. He used to eat about 8 meal worms a day and could eat a dozen crickets a day. I feed him everyday but sometimes if I am away on weekends I will leave some extra food for him. I was not feeding the crickets anything additional that what the pet store does but now realize I should have been. So I'm keeping the crickets in a keeper with lettuce, carrots, tomato, potato....whatever I have. I vary it.
Supplements - I dust feeders with ReptiCalcium every other feeding.
Watering - I use a spray bottle and spray several times a day. Looking into a drip. I see him drink the droplets off the leaves in his cage but only from a close distance.
Fecal Description - He has never been tested for parasites to my knowledge. His fecal dropping can be white or brown. Seems like he produces both equally.
History - I got him as a juvenile from a pet store that specializes in reptiles. He has always been a great eater and grew very quickly. In April he began shedding constantly and sometimes had trouble fully shedding in places. A friend told me he needed more moisture to help with that. Once we took care of that problem he shed the last of it and hasn't shed since May. It is not August. Also in May he moved back home with me from my office. His conditions inside his cage were the same but he began hiding in the bottom more and looking brown. Once I moved him back to my office this month he came back out, turned bright green again and seems happier. He did have a fall in June onto a hard floor. I was very worried he was hurt but seemed ok. I just haven't seen him shoot his tongue since about early June...before the fall. Also...I noticed just recently a swollen joint on his front leg. See picture.
Cage Info:
Cage Type - Glass cage with screen top. 18" X 18" X 26" approx. Lights sit on top but do not completely cover the screen. Floor of the cage is reptibark. (I have never seen him try to eat it.) He has a long piece of drift wood that goes diagonal for climbing, fake vine from pet store and another large piece of clean branch with different climbing paths. He has fake leaves, an umbrella plant and a schefflera (sp?) He seemed to brighten up after I added the live plants in July.
Lighting - he has a UVB light for the day and a UVB nightlight.
Temperature - Temp stays around 84 degrees at the top of the cage. Night temp low is about 77. I have a thermometer from zoomed.
Humidity - Will have to check to be sure.
Plants - umbrella plant and schefflera
Placement - Cage sits up on a shelf about 4 feet off the floor. Lots of natural light in the room. It is not next to a window. There is an air vent close by but does not blow into his cage.
Location - Florida
Current Problem - Lump or swelling on his elbow. Decrease in eating and have not seen him shoot his tongue in awhile.
IMHO you should be dusting with calcium at almost all feedings.
Why do you have a UVB light on him at night?
Re the bump on his elbow...not sure what it is. MBD would usually show as a bump on the other side (outside) of the elbow so I don't know if that's what it is or not. Could also be an infection. I'm using my playbook to view it and it's not clear enough for me. This could be the reason for the lower appetite.
I would have it checked out by a vet.
Why do you have a UVB light on him at night?
Re the bump on his elbow...not sure what it is. MBD would usually show as a bump on the other side (outside) of the elbow so I don't know if that's what it is or not. Could also be an infection. I'm using my playbook to view it and it's not clear enough for me. This could be the reason for the lower appetite.
I would have it checked out by a vet.
Thank you! I will take the night light off and dust at all feedings. I had read about OD's on dusting so that's why I did every other day. Also will find a vet. Thanks for the reply! Open to anything anyone else has to say! Like I said I am new at chameleons and only want what's best for my little guy. When I'm doing something wrong I want to know! Thanks!
Lovereps
Avid Member
Many of us here were given the wrong care instructions when we first got chams, so we do understand.
You care and you want to learn and do what's best for your cham.
Those are the qualities that make for a good chamkeeper.
Kinyonga is right on the lighting, calcium dusting and the fact that your cham may have an abscess, which needs veterinary treatment as soon as possible.
It is important that you get him to a vet who regularly works with chameleons, or at least with reptiles.
In Florida (I know it's a very large state), there are some excellent vets and these 3 come to mind.
If none of them is in your area and you'd like a recommendation, there are a number of forum members in Florida who may be able to help.
You can also have a look at this page , click the 2 links there https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/healthx/vet/
The first, Dr Ivan Alfonso became a vet because of his interest in chameleons. He makes house calls only, if I'm not mistaken http://www.kirkmanareavet.com/
Next, is Dr Oz on the chameleon forums who also raises chams, though I don't know if he still maintains an active veterinary practice
This is his contact page for his cham sales, which may be the only or best way to reach him http://www.dros-tiedyedchameleons.com/contact.html This doc specializes in reptiles and writes extensively about their medical treatment, Dr Doug Mader http://www.marathonvet.com/about-us/veterinarians/dr-doug-mader
Hopefully, you'll get an appointment without delay.
In addition to what Kinyonga pointed out, there are some other things in your cham care that need to be changed in order for your cham to regain his health and maintain his health.
The first is his diet. While crickets and mealworms are fine, the more variety, the better. Different feeders provide different amounts of various nutrients.
A feeder fed a poor diet will provide poor nutrition.
Feeder fed a nutritious diet will offer a nutrient-packed diet.
More info written by the moderators is here https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/food/
Secondly and very importantly is his supplement dustings on feeders.
While you're right in that oversupplementing is possible, very often we see the ill effects of undersupplementing.
His loss of the use of his tongue is most likely the result of a vitamin or mineral deficiency. More on that here https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/232-tongue-troubles.html
You already now know that he should receive calcium without D3 on most feeders.
In addition to that 2x each month he should have a dusting with a multivitamin such as Reptivite
Also 2x a month, he should receive calcium with D3 on his feeders
Most people don't realize that a UVB bulb needs to be replaced every 6 months.
Even though the bulbs continue to light up, they stop emitting enough UVB after 6 months on the average.
18"x18"x26" is very cramped for an adult male Veiled cham
24"x24"x48" is really the smallest size enclosure he should be in
LLLReptile, DIY Cages and other forum sponsors sell affordable screened cages Sponsors' links here https://www.chameleonforums.com/index.php?page=sponsors
There's a wonderful Veiled cham caresheet here with any info that I may have missed https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/
I hope that he is back to good health very soon and that you will update us when your vet tells you what is wrong.
The info you share will help others.
You care and you want to learn and do what's best for your cham.
Those are the qualities that make for a good chamkeeper.
Kinyonga is right on the lighting, calcium dusting and the fact that your cham may have an abscess, which needs veterinary treatment as soon as possible.
It is important that you get him to a vet who regularly works with chameleons, or at least with reptiles.
In Florida (I know it's a very large state), there are some excellent vets and these 3 come to mind.
If none of them is in your area and you'd like a recommendation, there are a number of forum members in Florida who may be able to help.
You can also have a look at this page , click the 2 links there https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/healthx/vet/
The first, Dr Ivan Alfonso became a vet because of his interest in chameleons. He makes house calls only, if I'm not mistaken http://www.kirkmanareavet.com/
Next, is Dr Oz on the chameleon forums who also raises chams, though I don't know if he still maintains an active veterinary practice
This is his contact page for his cham sales, which may be the only or best way to reach him http://www.dros-tiedyedchameleons.com/contact.html This doc specializes in reptiles and writes extensively about their medical treatment, Dr Doug Mader http://www.marathonvet.com/about-us/veterinarians/dr-doug-mader
Hopefully, you'll get an appointment without delay.
In addition to what Kinyonga pointed out, there are some other things in your cham care that need to be changed in order for your cham to regain his health and maintain his health.
The first is his diet. While crickets and mealworms are fine, the more variety, the better. Different feeders provide different amounts of various nutrients.
A feeder fed a poor diet will provide poor nutrition.
Feeder fed a nutritious diet will offer a nutrient-packed diet.
More info written by the moderators is here https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/food/
Secondly and very importantly is his supplement dustings on feeders.
While you're right in that oversupplementing is possible, very often we see the ill effects of undersupplementing.
His loss of the use of his tongue is most likely the result of a vitamin or mineral deficiency. More on that here https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/232-tongue-troubles.html
You already now know that he should receive calcium without D3 on most feeders.
In addition to that 2x each month he should have a dusting with a multivitamin such as Reptivite
Also 2x a month, he should receive calcium with D3 on his feeders
Most people don't realize that a UVB bulb needs to be replaced every 6 months.
Even though the bulbs continue to light up, they stop emitting enough UVB after 6 months on the average.
18"x18"x26" is very cramped for an adult male Veiled cham
24"x24"x48" is really the smallest size enclosure he should be in
LLLReptile, DIY Cages and other forum sponsors sell affordable screened cages Sponsors' links here https://www.chameleonforums.com/index.php?page=sponsors
There's a wonderful Veiled cham caresheet here with any info that I may have missed https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/
I hope that he is back to good health very soon and that you will update us when your vet tells you what is wrong.
The info you share will help others.
Out of curiosity...was the light you were leaving on at night a black light? Or did it produce "daylight"?
We dust with calcium at most feedings to help balance the ratio of phosphorous to calcium since most feeders available have a poor ratio. As long as you don't make your insects look like ghosts with the dusting you shouldn't be able to overdoses them on the calcium.
It's the fat soluble vitamins (A and D3) we have to be careful of in supplements. If we dust lightly twice a month with the phosphorous - free calcium D3 powder we ensure that the chameleon gets some D3 without overdosing it and leaving the chameleon to produce the rest of the D3 from its exposure to the UVB. As long as the chameleon can move in and out of the UVB when it wants to you shouldn't be able to overdoses him on UVB. If we dust twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A we will not overdo the vitamin A since beta carotene is converted as needed. PrEformed vitamin A can build up in the system so we want to be careful with it. It's controversial as to whether chameleons can convert the prOformed or not so some people use a little prEformed once in a while.
Your feeding /gutloading of the insects is also important as is temperature. Appropriate temperatures aid in digestion and thus indirectly nutrient absorption. Feeding/gutloading keeps the insects healthy and hus helps the chameleon...a day also can get some nutrients into the chameleon that we want in it. You can gutload and feed the crickets, superworms, locusts, roaches with a wide assortment of greens such as collards ,escarole, endive, dandelion greens, kale, etc and veggies such as carrots, sweet red pepper, squash, zucchini, sweet potato, etc.
Hope this makes it a little clearer.
We dust with calcium at most feedings to help balance the ratio of phosphorous to calcium since most feeders available have a poor ratio. As long as you don't make your insects look like ghosts with the dusting you shouldn't be able to overdoses them on the calcium.
It's the fat soluble vitamins (A and D3) we have to be careful of in supplements. If we dust lightly twice a month with the phosphorous - free calcium D3 powder we ensure that the chameleon gets some D3 without overdosing it and leaving the chameleon to produce the rest of the D3 from its exposure to the UVB. As long as the chameleon can move in and out of the UVB when it wants to you shouldn't be able to overdoses him on UVB. If we dust twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A we will not overdo the vitamin A since beta carotene is converted as needed. PrEformed vitamin A can build up in the system so we want to be careful with it. It's controversial as to whether chameleons can convert the prOformed or not so some people use a little prEformed once in a while.
Your feeding /gutloading of the insects is also important as is temperature. Appropriate temperatures aid in digestion and thus indirectly nutrient absorption. Feeding/gutloading keeps the insects healthy and hus helps the chameleon...a day also can get some nutrients into the chameleon that we want in it. You can gutload and feed the crickets, superworms, locusts, roaches with a wide assortment of greens such as collards ,escarole, endive, dandelion greens, kale, etc and veggies such as carrots, sweet red pepper, squash, zucchini, sweet potato, etc.
Hope this makes it a little clearer.
Thank you!
You guys are amazing! Thank you for the information! I've made a to-do list and shopping list and will get Gonzo what he needs. Also turns out the vet I go to for my other animals does exotics so will make an appointment on Monday.
Will Gonzo regain use of his tongue?
Molly
You guys are amazing! Thank you for the information! I've made a to-do list and shopping list and will get Gonzo what he needs. Also turns out the vet I go to for my other animals does exotics so will make an appointment on Monday.
Will Gonzo regain use of his tongue?
Molly
Lovereps
Avid Member
Often but not always,chams do recover use of the tongue.
Lots of tongue trouble info is here https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/232-tongue-troubles.html
Lots of tongue trouble info is here https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/232-tongue-troubles.html
I think Gonzo's main problem has been dehydration. He is eating worms and I got him some grasshoppers in a can. Still going to work on crickets but I think not having his tongue working properly he hasn't been able to catch them. Even though I spray his cage several times a day I don't think it was enough for him. I added a drip and he was so happy! He rubbed his face on the wet leaves, held his head under the drip, and drank a lot! I feel terrible he's been lacking that source of water. I also got him a new bulb as I'm sure the other was expired. I didn't realize they only lasted 6 months so thank you guys for telling me! I saw Gonzo extend his tongue a little farther yesterday so I am hopeful. 
