Chameleon Not Eating?

Pafrey

New Member
Hey guys I have a chameleon which is about 7 months old and was eating every cricket I put near him when I first got him. Now it’s been a week and he won’t eat anything I put in front of him. I upped the temp in his enclosure and he started eating the crickets in his enclosure I left for him but now he is back to his old ways and I’m not sure what to do. He is surely not eating enough. He is eating when I’m not around I believe but I lost count of how many crickets were in there so I’m not sure how many he is eating when I’m not around.
 
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    Veiled Chameleon Juvenile(store didn’t know age) been in care for about a month. Male
  • handling- He attempts to be handled almost everyday. He makes a b-line for me when I open the enclosure
  • Crickets gut loaded with cricket care and I keep a bowl of super worms inside because he has not been eating crickets like he used to
  • Supplements - Dusted with repti med calcium
  • Watering - Use combo of dripper and mist with spray bottle. I see him drink a good amount
  • Fecal Description - Poop looks normal, no orange. Not too runny
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type-screen with 3 sides closed off to keep heat and moisture
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
  • Temperature - 90-70 range from bottom to top.
  • Plants - pathos plant at bottom of enclosure
  • Placement - In bed room, low traffic and no fans or vents
  • Location - Boston area

Current Problem- my chameleon has completely lost interest in crickets, they walk all over him and he doesn’t lock on to them or hunt them much at all. It’s super worms on occasion but not as much as he should.
 

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  • View attachment 217308 View attachment 217309 Veiled Chameleon Juvenile(store didn’t know age) been in care for about a month. Male
  • handling- He attempts to be handled almost everyday. He makes a b-line for me when I open the enclosure
  • Crickets gut loaded with cricket care and I keep a bowl of super worms inside because he has not been eating crickets like he used to
  • Supplements - Dusted with repti med calcium
  • Watering - Use combo of dripper and mist with spray bottle. I see him drink a good amount
  • Fecal Description - Poop looks normal, no orange. Not too runny
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when
Cage Info:
  • Cage Type-screen with 3 sides closed off to keep heat and moisture
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
  • Temperature - 90-70 range from bottom to top.
  • Plants - pathos plant at bottom of enclosure
  • Placement - In bed room, low traffic and no fans or vents
  • Location - Boston area

Current Problem- my chameleon has completely lost interest in crickets, they walk all over him and he doesn’t lock on to them or hunt them much at all. It’s super worms on occasion but not as much as he should.
Thank you! Don't handle him often unless he asks to and it is positively reinforced with treats, going to a free range set-up, or going outside (when it's warm enough of course), etc. He probably wants out because there isn't nearly enough branches, vines, or plants/plant cover in his cage. When adding more branches and vines, make sure a majority of them are horizontal. All feeders need to be gutloaded with a quality commercial gutload like Mazuri, Pangea, Cricket Crack, Repashy and/or using organic fresh fruits and veggies off of the gutload list here in the food and nutrition tab in resources. He needs phosphorus-free calcium without D3 every feeding and either a multivitamin with D3 twice monthly or phosphorous-free calcium with D3 twice monthly and a multivitamin without D3 twice monthly. How long do you mist for? He needs to be misted 3 times a day at minimum for a minimum of 2 minutes each. What size is your cage? Hang the pothos near the top, it'll grow down, creating vines that your cham can climb on. Have you tried other feeders like hornworms, silkworms, butterworms, black soldier flies and larvae, blue bottle flies, and roaches (orange-headed, ivory-headed, red runner, and dubia roaches can't climb or fly). Variety is key! Could you post a pcture of the back of his back feet, please? Have you read the veiled care sheet here?
 
It looks like you have wood chips as substrate. Better to have a plain floor. Your cham can accidentally swallow a chunk while going after a cricket ant it could cause impaction. That could be a reason for not eating. Parasites are another possibility. Both would need to be checked by a vet to diagnose. Is his cage sitting on the floor? They like to be up high...top of cage at least 5-6 ft from floor. He's a cute little bugger...I hope he starts eating soon.
 
Hey welcome to the forums
I agree with everything @ERKleRose said,its great advice you should definitely get more branches and cover ASAP.
Get a mist king starter there is nothing better and probably being the most dependable thing in your system and will take one thing of chameleon keeping off your plate.

...My veiled never eats when I’m around I have to watch him on camera there very shy at times(most of the time)

How sure are you that it’s a boy?
My money is on female
 
Hey welcome to the forums
I agree with everything @ERKleRose said,its great advice you should definitely get more branches and cover ASAP.
Get a mist king starter there is nothing better and probably being the most dependable thing in your system and will take one thing of chameleon keeping off your plate.

...My veiled never eats when I’m around I have to watch him on camera there very shy at times(most of the time)


My money is on female
It looks like a female, that’s why I’m asking!
 
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