Chameleon Vomit?

oggcaleb

New Member
Hi, I’m new here I’m just trying to figure out what this is. It’s fairly big in size especially compared to her poops but I have a Veiled Chameleon she’s pretty young maybe like 3-4 inches I would say I’ve had her for 2 weeks now and I’m very new to owning one. I assume this is vomit. Can anyone help me? Thank you in advance. She also just shedded in like a day as well. Is that normal? And could it contribute to whatever this is?
 

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Welcome to the forum! There are some great folks with wonderful advice here that can hopefully help you.

To me, that looks like poop with poorly digested bugs in it. What's your lighting setup? What is her basking temperature?

Can you post some more pictures of your cham and your enclosure, including the lights? Also pictures of any supplements you're using too.

Also, if you have a female, you'll need to put together a lay bin if you don't have one yet. :) All veiled chameleon females lay eggs whether or not they've mated with a male. Making sure you have a lay bin in there now is going to make it much easier on her when she's ready to lay.

Here's the form you should copy/paste in if you'd like an overall husbandry review. This usually helps folks pinpoint what might be the cause of oddities in chameleon activity/poops/eyes/whatever.

Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
  • Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
 
Perfect thank you. I actually did buy the chameleon kit that everyone dislikes very much, but I did make upgrades to where I saw needed. I bought a T5 lamp and have been using the heat bulb that came with the kit. Her basking temp sits around 80-82 id say I try to check it daily but haven’t been able to the last few days. I spray her enclosure 2 daily once before lights come one and once after lights go off. I run a fogger through the night 30 mins on 1 hour off. I live in a dry climate area. I use filtered tap water for everything and will use it at room temp. I made a at home dripper that I fill up atleast 3 times a day. Try to make sure there’s plenty of water for her to drink and I use a mixture of live and fake plants. I plan on getting her nothing but life plants eventually. Feed her crickets mostly and meal worms. Trying to switch her completely to crickets as it seems she likes them way more. Could this poop be an indicator of over feeding? I will upgrade her enclosure to something larger in the near future. I also use calcium without D3 daily and have reptivite with D3 which I will use twice monthly. I try to keep her on schedule with 12 on and 12 off for lights. I will be able to post more pictures tomorrow as I just turned her lights out and I don’t want to wake her up. She seemed full of energy this evening. She is kind of a bright green right after she shed. But she was moving all over her enclosure this evening at a quick pace and which is new for her. I haven’t been able to handle her yet as she’s pretty scared of me. I try to not to stress her out and leave her alone. Thank you
 
It sits around 80 degrees Fahrenheit. And sorry about that question I just wasn’t sure.
 
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So I think that's poop that's poorly digested. If her basking is around 80ish that's perfect for females. You'll want to generally avoid mealworms (They're not great for chams) and I suspect if she's eaten most of those, it's their less-digestible shell that you're seeing. I'd stick with crickets and look into dubia roaches, black soldier fly larvae (BSFL), silkworms, and the occasional hornworm.

Chameleons need that basking heat in order for them to properly digest their food. Because of this, I recommend feeding her in the morning - that way after eating she has plenty of time to bask and get warm enough to properly digest before she starts settling down for bed. My Little Guy gets fed in the mornings about an hour after his lights come on. It's part of my morning routine and usually happens between giving my dogs their medicine and me getting dressed for work. That helps my cham keep his consistent schedule.

My guy has had a poop or two that wasn't totally digested and I suspect it was usually due to him eating later in the day or too many BSFL - they're harder to digest, I think. Which is why I think you're seeing mealworms there.

My suggestion is to watch for the next couple of poops and see if you have the same issue.

I also suggest posting pictures of your enclosure and chameleon as well as fill out the husbandry form so we can take a look at her and her environment to rule out any other potential causes :)
 
So I think that's poop that's poorly digested. If her basking is around 80ish that's perfect for females. You'll want to generally avoid mealworms (They're not great for chams) and I suspect if she's eaten most of those, it's their less-digestible shell that you're seeing. I'd stick with crickets and look into dubia roaches, black soldier fly larvae (BSFL), silkworms, and the occasional hornworm.

Chameleons need that basking heat in order for them to properly digest their food. Because of this, I recommend feeding her in the morning - that way after eating she has plenty of time to bask and get warm enough to properly digest before she starts settling down for bed. My Little Guy gets fed in the mornings about an hour after his lights come on. It's part of my morning routine and usually happens between giving my dogs their medicine and me getting dressed for work. That helps my cham keep his consistent schedule.

My guy has had a poop or two that wasn't totally digested and I suspect it was usually due to him eating later in the day or too many BSFL - they're harder to digest, I think. Which is why I think you're seeing mealworms there.

My suggestion is to watch for the next couple of poops and see if you have the same issue.

I also suggest posting pictures of your enclosure and chameleon as well as fill out the husbandry form so we can take a look at her and her environment to rule out any other potential causes :)
Thank you very much I will try and do that tomorrow!
 
Welcome to the forum! There are some great folks with wonderful advice here that can hopefully help you.

To me, that looks like poop with poorly digested bugs in it. What's your lighting setup? What is her basking temperature?

Can you post some more pictures of your cham and your enclosure, including the lights? Also pictures of any supplements you're using too.

Also, if you have a female, you'll need to put together a lay bin if you don't have one yet. :) All veiled chameleon females lay eggs whether or not they've mated with a male. Making sure you have a lay bin in there now is going to make it much easier on her when she's ready to lay.

Here's the form you should copy/paste in if you'd like an overall husbandry review. This usually helps folks pinpoint what might be the cause of oddities in chameleon activity/poops/eyes/whatever.

Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
  • Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
 
Here is her enclosure. I just ordered her new enclosure today it will be 24x24x48. Also a photo of her (she’s still very defensive of me and my phone lol). Can anyone tell me if she’s actually a female also? Your guys tips helped her poops returned to normal, so thank you guys very much. Please let me know if I can be doing anything better with her and or her enclosure. Thank you everyone!
 

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Can you get a closer picture or two of the backs of her feet? That's the easiest way to tell - if there's a little bump/spur there, then you have a male. If not, then you have a female. She looks female but I can't tell from the pictures you've posted. :)
 
The few chams I have seen vomit died almost immediately afterward. I'm inclined to say poorly digested poop based on this and the shape. It's common to find BSFL larva pass undigested especially if they are fed in bulk or in rapid succession where they do not get chewed properly. Mealworms could have the same effect as they have a lot of keratin, like fingernails, and take more to digest. I don't recommend feeding them at all but they are safe if only fed in very small amounts infrequently.
 
Thank you all for the reply’s. No spurs on the back of her feet. I believe she is a female, I got a lay bin set up for her in her enclosure.
 
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