Change in eating habit help? Is he just growing up or should i be concerned?

[Fireofmarajade]

Hi and thanks for stopping by to read and hopefully help!

Treek is a male veiled chameleon that I have had for about 4 months and was told he was about 3 months at the time of purchase. So ABOUT 7 months

He is handled DAILY bc he basically refuses to stay in his cage and starts to climb up my arm/head/whatever - I believe that will all his free range time that i have given him OUTSIDE on hibiscus bushes and trees and INSIDE on his jungle gym - I have created a spoiled monster who is super cute

Feeding - About 11am to Noon - Daily they get crickets, super worms, flies if they are in stock - waiting on a shipment now, phoenix worms - and Treek LOVED the soldier fly that hatched in the cup yesterday!, and silkworms that only the baby veileds i have will eat even though i keep trying to see if treek will eat one everyday! Then I offer a snack a few hours later but make sure its not too close to bedtime as well.
They are gut loaded with repack super load, bug burger, green cricket cubes- nature zone total bites diet, celery, potato for moisture, apple, grapes, lettuce and whatever else we have available.

Supplements - zoo med repti Calcium w/o D3, zilla calcium spray supplement, repashy calcium plus every other week, and During vet visit last week She told me to NO longer give my guys the calcium With D3 since they are OUTSIDE since I live in Florida and have a screened in porch

Watering - Little Dripper, Spray 3-5 times a day, and I have seen them drinking! I just bought a mistking and will hopefully figure out that setup soon!

Fecal Description - I know he is eating thank god. Urates are white and there is only the 1 poop now that is looks the same as always - He used to poop 2-3 "pellets" daily so don't know why he cut back his diet!
Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? Yes and they all came back clean last week! phew

History - He passed his FIRST sperm plug last week after the vet visit so I guess he is growing up!

Cage Info:
Cage Type - reptibreeze 18x18x36 - building him a 5 foot by 3 foot by 2 foot cage currently!
Lighting/humidity - Sun bc i live in Florida BUT will need people's help soon for the winter!
Temperature - In the heat of the summer, they came inside so that they weren't too hot! Now that the "fall" here is pretty much perfect for them with 75-85 [about] daily highs and high 60s to low 70s at night - they are pretty happy! I have an infrared temp gun that i check temps right after feeding and more if i am feeling warmer during the day as well
NOTE: they get morning sun which no longer hits them directly about noon - they get shaded areas created by the shelf non slip liner which still allows airflow. Free range also gets them more sun until i see gaping and then we get out of then suN!

Plants - umbrella plants, pothos, free range is all hibiscus in case they want a snack! Also a few fake vines in cages for coverage as well.
Placement - Outside on the lanai and no fans/vents/or traffic since i am the only one out there. Height is about 5 foot or so from the floor.
Location - Central florida

Concern:My veiled chameleon who is about 6/7 or so months old has changed the amount of food he has been eating. About a week ago it was 10-12 items daily of crickets, super worms, and phoenix worms. I tried to add silkworms to his diet - NO GO! the babies LOVE them but he stares at it. I know that based on his schedule he is probably about to shed and his diet does decrease before that BUT not as long as a week before a shed! I know he poops daily with white urates - just LESS than normal which is the 2/3 poops vs now 1 poop!

SOOOO my question is: Is this a normal "teenager" change in behavior OR should i be MORE concerned and keep trying to tempt him into eating more? When do they start to no longer want as much food Daily? I can't wait until the fly spikes are here bc he LOVES his fliers! I feel like a worried parent watching poop and smells and eating habits and need help from the experts to calm me down! Please and thanks in advance

 

[Alexander1]

Hi and thanks for stopping by to read and hopefully help!

Treek is a male veiled chameleon that I have had for about 4 months and was told he was about 3 months at the time of purchase. So ABOUT 7 months

He is handled DAILY bc he basically refuses to stay in his cage and starts to climb up my arm/head/whatever - I believe that will all his free range time that i have given him OUTSIDE on hibiscus bushes and trees and INSIDE on his jungle gym - I have created a spoiled monster who is super cute

Feeding - About 11am to Noon - Daily they get crickets, super worms, flies if they are in stock - waiting on a shipment now, phoenix worms - and Treek LOVED the soldier fly that hatched in the cup yesterday!, and silkworms that only the baby veileds i have will eat even though i keep trying to see if treek will eat one everyday! Then I offer a snack a few hours later but make sure its not too close to bedtime as well.
They are gut loaded with repack super load, bug burger, green cricket cubes- nature zone total bites diet, celery, potato for moisture, apple, grapes, lettuce and whatever else we have available.

Supplements - zoo med repti Calcium w/o D3, zilla calcium spray supplement, repashy calcium plus every other week, and During vet visit last week She told me to NO longer give my guys the calcium With D3 since they are OUTSIDE since I live in Florida and have a screened in porch

Watering - Little Dripper, Spray 3-5 times a day, and I have seen them drinking! I just bought a mistking and will hopefully figure out that setup soon!

Fecal Description - I know he is eating thank god. Urates are white and there is only the 1 poop now that is looks the same as always - He used to poop 2-3 "pellets" daily so don't know why he cut back his diet!
Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? Yes and they all came back clean last week! phew

History - He passed his FIRST sperm plug last week after the vet visit so I guess he is growing up!

Cage Info:
Cage Type - reptibreeze 18x18x36 - building him a 5 foot by 3 foot by 2 foot cage currently!
Lighting/humidity - Sun bc i live in Florida BUT will need people's help soon for the winter!
Temperature - In the heat of the summer, they came inside so that they weren't too hot! Now that the "fall" here is pretty much perfect for them with 75-85 [about] daily highs and high 60s to low 70s at night - they are pretty happy! I have an infrared temp gun that i check temps right after feeding and more if i am feeling warmer during the day as well
NOTE: they get morning sun which no longer hits them directly about noon - they get shaded areas created by the shelf non slip liner which still allows airflow. Free range also gets them more sun until i see gaping and then we get out of then suN!

Plants - umbrella plants, pothos, free range is all hibiscus in case they want a snack! Also a few fake vines in cages for coverage as well.
Placement - Outside on the lanai and no fans/vents/or traffic since i am the only one out there. Height is about 5 foot or so from the floor.
Location - Central florida

Concern:My veiled chameleon who is about 6/7 or so months old has changed the amount of food he has been eating. About a week ago it was 10-12 items daily of crickets, super worms, and phoenix worms. I tried to add silkworms to his diet - NO GO! the babies LOVE them but he stares at it. I know that based on his schedule he is probably about to shed and his diet does decrease before that BUT not as long as a week before a shed! I know he poops daily with white urates - just LESS than normal which is the 2/3 poops vs now 1 poop!

SOOOO my question is: Is this a normal "teenager" change in behavior OR should i be MORE concerned and keep trying to tempt him into eating more? When do they start to no longer want as much food Daily? I can't wait until the fly spikes are here bc he LOVES his fliers! I feel like a worried parent watching poop and smells and eating habits and need help from the experts to calm me down! Please and thanks in advance

My veiled is nearly identical in age and recent appetite decrease. I went to the vet for that same issue this past Monday and was told he has a small amount of bacteria build up in his mouth and some minor mucus build up, the vet said it wasn't too bad but it may cause him to loose appetite,he prescribed some meds and asked me to come back in a week.. He said I may not see a change in his appetite until after the dosing ends because he does get stressed when I have to force it in his mouth. Not saying your Cham is sick but checking his poop for parasites is a great start.

 

[Andee]

In my honest opinion his appetite shouldn't decrease until around about 10-12 months of age, but that's a very generalized estimate given every chameleon is different. However he could just be getting different mood shifts as he becomes more sexually mature. He could be in the more "searching phase" instead of "need to eat" phase. I noticed my panther went through that right after he came into puberty. It's as if he's looking for someone to mate with and can't focus on much else.

Just keep an eye out for anything too worrying other than eating shifts. Like if he stops eating completely. Has other worrying physical or mood shifts that are just abnormal.

 

[Alexander1]

Update, my little guy had some pin worms, I would rec checking his poop for parasites