Chameleon not eating?

iisamuel

New Member
Okay so I am very new to owning a chameleon just got it on Friday the 7th I think was the date. I did tons of research into what they needed and what not to do and stuff (or so I thought) but I am still having difficulties.
I got my chameleon from petsmart here in Nebraska US. When I purchased him the manager also gave me a few tips etc... because he has owned a chameleon and other lizards as well.
My problem is I don't think my chameleon is getting nearly enough food even though I'm trying to provide it to him the best I can.

Here is the details
Veiled chameleon - age unsure but it is around 2 inches long
I believe it's a female but unsure, I haven't seen the spurs people post pictures of.
The habitat is the reptibreeze chameleon kit,
16*16*30 - it's the wire cage not glass
I have the monsoon solo, misting every hour for 4 seconds. Humidity stays upper 60's give or take 5% here and there. Then I also specifically mist the chameleon itself with a misting bottle twice a day.
Tempature from what I can tell is staying around 77-80 degrees where I have my thermostat but it gets hit by the water and shows a lower tempature here and there.
From what I know this is alittle lower temp then what basking spots should be however most of the time it isn't anywhere near the closest part to the lamp anyways.
The bulbs I am using during the day are the ones that came in the kit. Will try to include in pictures. And at night I use a ceramic heat bulb, because I think the temp my drop near around 60 if I don't.
So as far as food goes, I have been giving him the smaller crickets they sell at petsmart, dusting every other batch with calcium. I only put in 3ish in the cage at a time however, because I was told sometimes the crickets will be biting the chameleon and he won't know. So I don't want to many in there at once. I've also tried holding them in front of him with chopsticks swaying them back and forth slightly, and he still won't take any. I've also tried placing green peppers cut up and collard greens. I don't think he has touched them at all, and I remove the food before I turn off day bulbs and switch to ceramic because the vegetables start to look dried out because of light.

I just don't think he is eating as much as it should, if someone could chime in help would be greatly appreciated.

This is link to kit I bought, then have been adding onto with the ceramic bulb and monsoon solo, etc...
 

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More pics
 

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Welcome to the forums :)! First off, yes you have a little girl. Here are a few links for you that may be helpful.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/

https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/laying-bin-set-up-educational-video.77225/

Forget about the ceramic heat at night. Chameleons actually benefit from a temp drop at night. Also, try not to spray directly on the chameleon. Just spray the foliage and they will find the water droplets on their own. As for the misting, you may want to do a few longer sessions (maybe three or four 15 second sprays) rather than every hour.

Also, the small crickets do not pose a risk to your chameleon. At that age she can eat as many as she wants, and notice the supplement section in the resource link I provided. Calcium with no D3 each feeding, Calcium with D3 and Multivitamin once every 2 weeks. Also, you are better off offering the veggies to the feeders as a gutload. Your chameleon will get more nutrition from them this way.
 
Welcome to the forums :)! First off, yes you have a little girl. Here are a few links for you that may be helpful.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/

https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/laying-bin-set-up-educational-video.77225/

Forget about the ceramic heat at night. Chameleons actually benefit from a temp drop at night. Also, try not to spray directly on the chameleon. Just spray the foliage and they will find the water droplets on their own. As for the misting, you may want to do a few longer sessions (maybe three or four 15 second sprays) rather than every hour.

Also, the small crickets do not pose a risk to your chameleon. At that age she can eat as many as she wants, and notice the supplement section in the resource link I provided. Calcium with no D3 each feeding, Calcium with D3 and Multivitamin once every 2 weeks. Also, you are better off offering the veggies to the feeders as a gutload. Your chameleon will get more nutrition from them this way.

So am I okay to leave more crickets in the cage with her? I just was told that they might try biting and eating her.
I am feeding my crickets carrots in there cage to try and gut load them.
I'm just worried cause I didn't think she was eating enough and was kind of stressing about it.
 
Also can you tell me about how old you think she is? So I know how long I have to prepare on learning about the eggs.
 
These are some of the crickets in there.
Also I've noticed she sometimes only has one eye opened at a time and the right away she doesn't always open...
Do I need to try and find a vet
 

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Yes you can toss up to 10 crickets at a time into her viv, best to do it in the morning. This will give her something to hunt and get her exploring her new home. The biting is so rare it might as well be a myth. Where did you hear that she wouldn’t know it? It is perfectly normal for a Cham to hide and take in little food for the first week or two, no worries. And if she is 2” then she is very young or very underfed. I’d say 3-4 months.

Petco is notorious for selling chams that are already dead but don’t know it yet. Not trying to scare you but you mentioned the eye thing. If she starts napping during the day or gets lethargic she should see a vet.
 
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