Chameleon without UVB, please help!

Ryan4eagles

New Member
Hello,

I got a juvenile male veiled chameleon about 6 weeks ago. I was not aware that he needed a separate UVB bulb so he’s been on heat only. I’m now worried that he’s in the early stages of MTD. I got a 10.0 Reptisun on Friday as soon as I found out that he needed separate UVB lighting. It seems like he hardly has been eating the past month or so. I fed him some crickets/a Dubai roach and some mealworms yesterday with calcium (placed in his mouth while he was gaping at me). Even though UVB has been added, today I noticed he was sleeping at 6pm and he seems very tired and I’m worried he’s going downhill. Can you please advise me on next steps?

a little background info, about 2-3 weeks ago I moved him from a glass terrarium to a XL screened reptibreese. I moved him by a window which I recently learned was a bad idea so he’s now in the corner of my room. I’m running an automatic mister for 2 minutes every 2 hours with a 60 watt heat bulb (and as of Friday a 10.0 reptisun bulb) and a drip system. Enclosure has four live chameleon safe planes and fake vines. His main diet has been crickets and mealworms but he hasn’t eaten anywhere as much as he should have since I got him. He has not been getting frequent calcium as he hasn’t been eating much.

His urate is white as snow but his stools as small, wet and dark brown (nowhere near the large stools he was producing when I first got him). I am attaching some recent pictures of him.
 

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Hello,

I got a juvenile male veiled chameleon about 6 weeks ago. I was not aware that he needed a separate UVB bulb so he’s been on heat only. I’m now worried that he’s in the early stages of MTD. I got a 10.0 Reptisun on Friday as soon as I found out that he needed separate UVB lighting. It seems like he hardly has been eating the past month or so. I fed him some crickets/a Dubai roach and some mealworms yesterday with calcium (placed in his mouth while he was gaping at me). Even though UVB has been added, today I noticed he was sleeping at 6pm and he seems very tired and I’m worried he’s going downhill. Can you please advise me on next steps?

a little background info, about 2-3 weeks ago I moved him from a glass terrarium to a XL screened reptibreese. I moved him by a window which I recently learned was a bad idea so he’s now in the corner of my room. I’m running an automatic mister for 2 minutes every 2 hours with a 60 watt heat bulb (and as of Friday a 10.0 reptisun bulb) and a drip system. Enclosure has four live chameleon safe planes and fake vines. His main diet has been crickets and mealworms but he hasn’t eaten anywhere as much as he should have since I got him. He has not been getting frequent calcium as he hasn’t been eating much.

His urate is white as snow but his stools as small, wet and dark brown (nowhere near the large stools he was producing when I first got him). I am attaching some recent pictures of him.
A little more info: he’s usually very active. He hasn’t been shooting lately (he shot for a hornworm a few days ago). I’m going to try to get him to the vet tomorrow. I’ve also placed a towel at the bottom of the cage in case he falls. Aside from the bump over his right shoulder behind a little larger than his left side, he doesn’t appear to show any bone deformations. Today I took him out in the sun for a half hour or so to get some natural UVB, I also window sealed three sides of his habitat to help keep the humidity and temp up yesterday.
 
Filling out this form in as much detail as possible, including pics of his entire cage and lights, will be super helpful! He does need an appointment with an experienced chameleon vet for a general wellness check, x-rays, bloodwork, and fecal tests (so bring a fresh fecal with the both of you to the appointment). Make sure to drop off at least 2 more fresh fecal samples afterwards as well, to make sure no parasites were missed. Here’s a great husbandry link to read through, too (if you haven’t already)! https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/

Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.


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.

--------------

Please Note:
  1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
  2. Photos can be very helpful.
 
Filling out this form in as much detail as possible, including pics of his entire cage and lights, will be super helpful! He does need an appointment with an experienced chameleon vet for a general wellness check, x-rays, bloodwork, and fecal tests (so bring a fresh fecal with the both of you to the appointment). Make sure to drop off at least 2 more fresh fecal samples afterwards as well, to make sure no parasites were missed. Here’s a great husbandry link to read through, too (if you haven’t already)! https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/

Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.


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.

--------------

Please Note:
  1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
  2. Photos can be very helpful.
  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care? Veiled Chameleon, 12-14 months, he’s been in my care about about 7 weeks
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? I handle him about once a day or so for a few minutes.
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? I’ve been providing crickets to him open range everyday, as i don’t think he’s been using my cricket feeder. It’s hard to say how much he’s been eating a day but I would say it’s definitely under 5 crickets a day if even. As of lately I’ve been force feeding him by putting food in his mouth when he gapes at me. I also feed him mealworms and the occasional horn

  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? I just started dusting his crickets with calcium a few weeks ago

  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? I have a dripper that’s always on and a automatic mister that goes off for two minutes every 2 hours.

  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? When I first got him his feces was large and dark brown, now it’s very small and dark brown/more wet. His urates are Snow White and appear healthy.
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you. For the first 6 weeks I did not use a UVB light as I was not aware a separate light for UVB was needed. I now have a 10.0 reptisun on top of my mesh cage for him.
Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? I transitioned him into a Reptibreeze XL mesh cage. He started off in a smaller glass cage. Yesterday I sealed off three sides with window seal to increase humidity.
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? I have the 60 watt reptizoo Daytime heat light from petsmart. I recently put in a 100 watt reptizoo which he seems to prefer.
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? It’s between 70-80 in the cage during the day, over 85 in his basking spot. I have two thermometers. Lowest overnight temp is probably 65 but I’ve been leaving the heat lamp on at night to keep it close to 80.
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? I have two hydro meters. Temp has been consistently in the 40-70 range ever since I sealed three sides of the screen cage but may have been lower because I haven’t been regularly looking at it until lately (I know big mistake).
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? 4 types of live plants all chameleon safe before purchase (don’t remember the names at the moment will have to look up again and follow up).
  • 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? Not in a high traffic area, but in my room which I do make frequent visits to after 5pm. The cage is a few feet off the group but it’s about a 4 foot tall cage.
  • Location - Where are you geographically located? Ohio
 
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Filling out this form in as much detail as possible, including pics of his entire cage and lights, will be super helpful! He does need an appointment with an experienced chameleon vet for a general wellness check, x-rays, bloodwork, and fecal tests (so bring a fresh fecal with the both of you to the appointment). Make sure to drop off at least 2 more fresh fecal samples afterwards as well, to make sure no parasites were missed. Here’s a great husbandry link to read through, too (if you haven’t already)! https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/

Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.


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.

--------------

Please Note:
  1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
  2. Photos can be very helpful.
Please see below. Some more photos.
 

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I’ll put my feedback in red.
  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care? Veiled Chameleon, 12-14 months, he’s been in my care about about 7 weeks
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? I handle him about once a day or so for a few minutes.
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? I’ve been providing crickets to him open range everyday, as i don’t think he’s been using my cricket feeder. It’s hard to say how much he’s been eating a day but I would say it’s definitely under 5 crickets a day if even. As of lately I’ve been force feeding him by putting food in his mouth when he gapes at me. I also feed him mealworms and the occasional horn Crickets and hornworm treats are fine, but mealworms aren’t a good staple. I’ll attach both feeder and gutloading graphics below. I’m not a fan of just letting crickets loose in the enclosure as some may escape being eaten and can then bite your chameleon as they’ll get hungry. You can try to guide/train him to use his feeding station by putting a superworm in it or try a different type. I like the shooting gallery one. https://tkchameleons.com/ Keeping your feeder bugs healthy is important so that they offer more nutrition to your cham. I don’t specifically gutload…just keep my bugs well fed. For amount of feeding, giving 5 every other day would be good.

  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? I just started dusting his crickets with calcium a few weeks ago This is good. You need to be using the phosphorus free calcium without D3 at every feeding. He will also need a calcium with D3 and a multivitamin. There are so many different types of supplements and regimens. The one I like and find easiest is to use Reptivite with D3 at one feeding every other week. It is combined D3 and multivitamin. Your guy most likely is suffering vitamin/mineral deficiencies and although he hasn’t fractured any bones yet to show deformity, he does likely have some mbd.

  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? I have a dripper that’s always on and a automatic mister that goes off for two minutes every 2 hours. You are misting too frequently. You need to allow your enclosure to fully dry out. Misting for 2 minutes or longer each time is great, but you only need to do so 2-3 times daily…early AM and evening and optional mid day (or use dripper for about 20 mins instead).

  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? When I first got him his feces was large and dark brown, now it’s very small and dark brown/more wet. His urates are Snow White and appear healthy. Is always a good idea for a vet wellness check with a fecal check for parasites. Often there will be no signs until the parasite load overwhelms and sickens your cham.
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you. For the first 6 weeks I did not use a UVB light as I was not aware a separate light for UVB was needed. I now have a 10.0 reptisun on top of my mesh cage for him. Will address this below.
Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? I transitioned him into a Reptibreeze XL mesh cage. He started off in a smaller glass cage. Yesterday I sealed off three sides with window seal to increase humidity. Very good!
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? I have the 60 watt reptizoo Daytime heat light from petsmart. I recently put in a 100 watt reptizoo which he seems to prefer. What type of uvb did you get? You say 10.0, but is it a screw in bulb or a long tube? If it is a long tube, is it a T5 or T8? Uvb is very important to have right. T5 fixtures are the standard with either a ReptiSun 5.0 or Arcadia 6% bulb. The ReptiSun bulb needs to be replaced every 6 months and the Arcadia is good for one year (unless you have a solarmeter 6.5 to measure uvb output). The T5 with bulb strength I said would need to be about 8-9” below basking area, or where your chameleon‘s back is. A T8 fixture would need a stronger bulb and basking difference may differ, as would using a stronger T5 uvb bulb. The screw in bulbs aren’t able to provide adequate uvb levels any farther away than 2-3” and in a very narrow area.
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? It’s between 70-80 in the cage during the day, over 85 in his basking spot. I have two thermometers. Lowest overnight temp is probably 65 but I’ve been leaving the heat lamp on at night to keep it close to 80. Temps are good. I would not go any higher than 85 though. You absolutely want it to get cool at night. Turn the heat lamp off. Our chams can handle night temps as low as the 50’s, although we try not to let them get quite so cold.
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? I have two hydro meters. Temp has been consistently in the 40-70 range ever since I sealed three sides of the screen cage but may have been lower because I haven’t been regularly looking at it until lately (I know big mistake). Ideal day time humidity is between 30-50%. The high temp combined with high humidity during the day creates a risk for respiratory infection. At night, when your temps drop to around 65, you can increase your humidity up to 80-100% to simulate the natural hydration of fog, such as they get in the wild.
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? 4 types of live plants all chameleon safe before purchase (don’t remember the names at the moment will have to look up again and follow up). If you have any artificial in there, remove them. While some males aren’t as aggressive plant nibbles, all it takes is one bite of a fake leaf to cause impaction. I attached my fake plants to the outside of my enclosure for added privacy from my prying eyes. Looking at your enclosure, you need to add some plants higher up, as well as more branches/vines. So very many ways to achieve higher plants. You can get a tall centerpiece plant such as a weeping fig, money tree or umbrella tree. You can either buy Dragon Ledges https://dragonstrand.com/dragon-ledges/ or create your own type of support using garden lattice or whatever else you can to hang plants and things. I use natural branches I’ve collected from outside. I just give them a good little scrub with Dawn dish soap, blast with the hose and let dry in the sun. We need to give our chams plenty of little roads to travel on.
  • 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? Not in a high traffic area, but in my room which I do make frequent visits to after 5pm. The cage is a few feet off the group but it’s about a 4 foot tall cage. The higher your cham is, the safer he’ll feel. Having more plants/foliage to hide in will also help with this.
  • Location - Where are you geographically located? Ohio
This has gotten to long so will be adding more in separate post.

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So as I’ve already mentioned, your guy most likely has dietary deficiencies and is starting mbd. Just like us, they need varied vitamins and minerals that they aren’t able to get proper amounts of in captivity. The biggest is vitamin D3 and uvb. Uvb and natural unfiltered sunlight promote the body to synthesize D3. We also give added supplement to make sure they are getting enough. Without D3, their bodies aren’t able to convert the calcium into a usable form. This results in not just skeletal bone problems, but affects just about every single body function. If we give too much D3, it is stored in the body and can reach toxic levels, which is just as bad. Other vitamins and minerals can affect the functioning of other body functions and just general wellness.
So, I suggest getting your guy to a good vet who’s experienced with chameleons, making sure to take a fresh fecal sample, and just see what the vet says or can do to help your guy recover. I always print out a copy of all of my husbandry (basically going by the help form questions) to save time and the vet asking a million questions. Also, write down any questions or concerns you may have and take some paper & pen to write down all the vet says. One more thing to keep in mind…not all exotics vets are experienced or keep up to date with chameleon husbandry. Honestly, I can imagine that would be a massive feat for all of the various animals they see. Anyhow, sometimes even the best of vets will give outdated or incorrect info. The most accurate and up to date info on keeping chameleons and species specific is at https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/
I hope I’ve been of some help. I do think your little man will recover in time and with the proper care and supplementation. Continue to feed him as you have been and hopefully soon he’ll start eating on his own again. Feel free to ask any questions. We are always here to help and support you and your handsome guy.
 
Are you able ego take your chameleon outside for some direct sunlight or is it too cold in Ohio now?
So as I’ve already mentioned, your guy most likely has dietary deficiencies and is starting mbd. Just like us, they need varied vitamins and minerals that they aren’t able to get proper amounts of in captivity. The biggest is vitamin D3 and uvb. Uvb and natural unfiltered sunlight promote the body to synthesize D3. We also give added supplement to make sure they are getting enough. Without D3, their bodies aren’t able to convert the calcium into a usable form. This results in not just skeletal bone problems, but affects just about every single body function. If we give too much D3, it is stored in the body and can reach toxic levels, which is just as bad. Other vitamins and minerals can affect the functioning of other body functions and just general wellness.
So, I suggest getting your guy to a good vet who’s experienced with chameleons, making sure to take a fresh fecal sample, and just see what the vet says or can do to help your guy recover. I always print out a copy of all of my husbandry (basically going by the help form questions) to save time and the vet asking a million questions. Also, write down any questions or concerns you may have and take some paper & pen to write down all the vet says. One more thing to keep in mind…not all exotics vets are experienced or keep up to date with chameleon husbandry. Honestly, I can imagine that would be a massive feat for all of the various animals they see. Anyhow, sometimes even the best of vets will give outdated or incorrect info. The most accurate and up to date info on keeping chameleons and species specific is at https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/
I hope I’ve been of some help. I do think your little man will recover in time and with the proper care and supplementation. Continue to feed him as you have been and hopefully soon he’ll start eating on his own again. Feel free to ask any questions. We are always here to help and support you and your handsome guy.
Miss Skittles thank you so much for your help! I have the T8 and it’s about a foot from perch. Too high or two low?

today I force fed him 3-4 crickets and 6 medium Dubai’s or sow. It was a stressful experience for both of us but I’m glad he finally got some food in his belly. Planning on taking him to the vet within the next few days to get more direction.
 
Miss Skittles thank you so much for your help! I have the T8 and it’s about a foot from perch. Too high or two low?

today I force fed him 3-4 crickets and 6 medium Dubai’s or sow. It was a stressful experience for both of us but I’m glad he finally got some food in his belly. Planning on taking him to the vet within the next few days to get more direction.
You’ll want to raise your basking area so that the back of your chameleon is about 7-8” down from your uvb at it’s highest point. I try to provide an angled branch below my uvb light so that my chameleon has a choice of how close they want to be. This may help explain uvb, as it’s a bit complicated and I’m far from very knowledgeable. https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-cage-set-up-replicating-the-sun/
Hoping all goes well at the vet. Do continue to keep us updated. I’m glad you were able to get your guy outside for some sunshine. Every little bit helps. :)
 
Welcome Ryan. I have read through the thread and see you have been given some great advice. A couple of things I want you to clarify. You said when he gapes you pop in food. Now a cham will detach his lower jaw to gape wide and draw in air to get water into his system. He is actuslly getting water through the humidity in the air and does this a few times a day. (Varies with eAch cham) if your boy is sitting with his mouth open and head up it means something entirely different. It means he has a respitory infection. The chameleon academy has a whole section on it which i suggest you read before you go to the vet. Taking him out into the sun everyday is great. The real thing is great as the screens in reptibreezes block out 50%. Also i noticed your cage has no branches. I was lucky enough on my scavenger walks to find an old rubber tree that had many dead branches available. I took all i could find sosked them for a bit in the tub with bleach and water then put the shower on to rinse them real good. After they dried out i plugged up any holes with wood filler (so feeders wont bottow) and sanded any rough parts. Placement is important and i screwed in horizontal cross sections at different levels for basking, feeding, hiding, etc. since 90% of his time will be spent in the top 18” of the cage you meed to hang a plant with foligage leaves to hide in Another thing that you need to take into account is that your little one had gone theough a lot of changes in a short period of time. Chams tend to do badly with changes even if they are good changes. Ask the vet for liquid calcium so you can make sure he is getting what he needs while customizing himself with his new home. When chams are full grown ( about a year) they tend to eat less and not daily Also when they molt there moods change and some dont eat. You have mot had him long enough to know his habits. But you have most definately found the right forum to assist you. We all love chams here and know how much misinformation is out there. I wiil try to attach a pick of when i was putting my chams 4’ cage togeher to you can see what i mean about branches
 

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So as I’ve already mentioned, your guy most likely has dietary deficiencies and is starting mbd. Just like us, they need varied vitamins and minerals that they aren’t able to get proper amounts of in captivity. The biggest is vitamin D3 and uvb. Uvb and natural unfiltered sunlight promote the body to synthesize D3. We also give added supplement to make sure they are getting enough. Without D3, their bodies aren’t able to convert the calcium into a usable form. This results in not just skeletal bone problems, but affects just about every single body function. If we give too much D3, it is stored in the body and can reach toxic levels, which is just as bad. Other vitamins and minerals can affect the functioning of other body functions and just general wellness.
So, I suggest getting your guy to a good vet who’s experienced with chameleons, making sure to take a fresh fecal sample, and just see what the vet says or can do to help your guy recover. I always print out a copy of all of my husbandry (basically going by the help form questions) to save time and the vet asking a million questions. Also, write down any questions or concerns you may have and take some paper & pen to write down all the vet says. One more thing to keep in mind…not all exotics vets are experienced or keep up to date with chameleon husbandry. Honestly, I can imagine that would be a massive feat for all of the various animals they see. Anyhow, sometimes even the best of vets will give outdated or incorrect info. The most accurate and up to date info on keeping chameleons and species specific is at https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/
I hope I’ve been of some help. I do think your little man will recover in time and with the proper care and supplementation. Continue to feed him as you have been and hopefully soon he’ll start eating on his own again. Feel free to ask any questions. We are always here to help and support you and your handsome guy.
Hi Miss Skittles, just an update on AJ, he is doing well but unable to shoot his tongue. I took him to the vet today and my vet gave me calcium meds and directions to increase his vitamin a. The vet also gave him a multi vitamin shot to jump start his healing. He thinks it’s a nutritional deficiency that likely started before I got him. His tongue should heal within two months but if he doesn’t learn to use it again it will not hurt his quality of life. Just wanted to keep you and everyone else updated. :)
 
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