chameleons and vegtables ?

bradders

New Member
hi my vieled cham has taken a real likeing to lettace and cucumber. it all started wen i put sum in for the few crickets he did not eat, so they would not get melnurishd and would stay healthy till he eat them. but i noticed that he prefferd to eat the veg instead. is this ok for him?
i did put some more in another day and he ate that to
message back bradders 4861
 

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hi my vieled cham has taken a real likeing to lettace and cucumber. it all started wen i put sum in for the few crickets he did not eat, so they would not get melnurishd and would stay healthy till he eat them. but i noticed that he prefferd to eat the veg instead. is this ok for him?
i did put some more in another day and he ate that to
message back bradders 4861

as far as eating lettuce and cucumber, you probably better off changing the veggies to dandelion or collard greens (they are much more nutritious that the one that you have).

But, i would be concerned if he's not been eating any insects for a while.
It could be a hunger strike or he's just not feeling well.
What time of a day you are taking the pic?

Why is he sleeping?

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.


Cage Info:

* Cage Type - Describe your cage construction (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
* Lighting - What brand and type 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? Are you using a substrate of any kind? if so, what is it?
* Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
* Location - 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?


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.
* Current Problem - The current problem that you are concerned about.
 
ow hes feeding on his insects ok and drinking well, just lovez his veggies just wanted to know if this is ok and that they aint gunna harm him, thanks for the info on the danelions and collard greens il try them and keep ya posted
cheers bradders
 
cham

wel it isnt a bad thing that he is eating those veggies, actually its prolly easier than gutloading the crickets, but you should get some collard and mustard greens and maybe some dandelions.
 
Also be sure to WASH the greens really really well. You don't want pesticides going directly into his tummy. Its kinda nice feeding the greens to crickets and watching to see if there is die off. That way you know the gutload is safe or unsafe for the chameleon to eat based on the crickets surviving.
 
Veilds are known to eat veggies.

lettuce has no nutritional value and too much water, it could end up giving him diarrhea.

Spinach contains high oxilates which block calcium absorption.

COLLARD greens should be the staple. Turnip and mustard greens can be used as well. They also seem to enjoy hibiscus flowers and leaves. You should try to do some more research on his diet while keeping him.

good luck with everything.
 
You can feed your veiled greens (dandelion, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, a bit of ROMAINE lettuce) and veggies (carrot, squash, zucchini, sweet red pepper, sweet potato, etc.) and a bit of fruit (apple, pear, melon, berries, etc.). They should all be well washed. The greens can be cut up or hung in the cage as leaves. The veggies should be slivered or diced finely. The apples, melon and pear can be cut into thin wedges and impaled on the branches.

All of these greens and veggies can be used for gutloading the crickets and superworms.
 
In the wild, Veiled's often use vegetation as a source of hydration during the drier seasons as well as a source of nutrition. The key is variety - both with insects and bugs as well as vegetables.
 
as far as eating lettuce and cucumber, you probably better off changing the veggies to dandelion or collard greens (they are much more nutritious that the one that you have).

But, i would be concerned if he's not been eating any insects for a while.
It could be a hunger strike or he's just not feeling well.
What time of a day you are taking the pic?

Why is he sleeping?

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.


Cage Info:

* Cage Type - Describe your cage construction (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
* Lighting - What brand and type 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? Are you using a substrate of any kind? if so, what is it?
* Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
* Location - 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?


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.
* Current Problem - The current problem that you are concerned about.

Why is he sleeping?

I just have to say here that i just got back from seeing Dr. Doolan, a HIGHLY respected exotic animal doctor who has been in the business for 30 years, and when asked about chameleons sleeping during the day or just sitting here and there in the day with their eyes closed, he laughed when i said i've been reading forums and EVERYONE says that's a bad sign. He told me to think of what animals do in the wild - they surely don't keep their eyes open ALL DAY EVERY DAY. He said at times, yes it can mean they are ill, but in general, like everyone else, sometimes they just want to close their eyes for a little while. I tend to agree with him, no matter how many people on the internet say otherwise.
 
Please consider a lot of these "people on the internet" have many years of experience with chameleons specifically, not just exotic animals in general, and a very large portion of them deal with chameleons on a professional level.
The opinions you find here tend to be very well educated and experienced and I wouldn't be so quick to write them off based on one outside persons opinion.

That being said, I may not be one of the highly experienced professionals I'm talking about, but I can tell you I have literally never seen my chameleons eyes closed durring the day.
The lights dont look to be on in the picture though, so maybe the chameleon thinks its night time, if it actually isn't?
 
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