Concerned about my Chameleon eating

[Panteranrok]

Hi all I am new to this site, and a new Chameleon owner

I got him about 4 days ago, and have been having troubles with him eating.

He is about 4 months old now, and I have been trying various things to get him to eat. As I will further elaborate.

When I first got him he did not eat at all, which im assuming is him getting used to his new surroundings.

The second day he started eating, he at about 5 crickets that I could see, and that was his most productive day.

On the third day I only saw him eat two crickets, and this is when I became really concerned.

My initial thought was that The cage I was using was too large, I believe it was 30 x 16 x 28, so What I did was Put i screen in the middle of the cage to make is 12 x 16 x 28, to see if he would have better luck finding the crickets in a smaller area.

He is getting plenty of water, and I have seen him drink numerous times, which im assuming is a good thing, and I have started giving him a lot more privacy. I havent handled him at all in two and a half days, and have put a blanket of the closet where im keeping him. (It is not on the cage at all). He has a heat lamp and a UV lamp. He has a ficus tree in the center of the screened enclosure, and three vines draped around the cage (one woody, the other two are fake vines)

I provide him with about 12-15 crickets each feeding in the morning as soon as I turn the lights on.

Today is day four, and I have given him plenty of water, and about 12 crickets, and I havent seen him eat yet, but I cant see the crickets either.

So I guess my main questions are these.

How much should he be eating?
Should crickets be this hard to find? (I see them hiding in the corners of the cage a lot)
How concerned should I be?
What other steps can I take to promote eating?

 

[Panteranrok]

Forgot this

Chameleon Info:

* Your Chameleon - Male Panther chameleon had him for about 4 days, $ months old
* Handling - I handles him a bit for the first day and a half just getting him situated, not much since then except to clean
* Feeding - Im feeding him crickets pinheads, about 12-15 Once every morning at about 9 am when the lights go on.
* Supplements - Im using fulkers calcium with D3 daily and Rep Cal Herpitive 2 times a week (used once so far)
* Watering - I mist with a sprayer 3-4 times a day in about 3 hour intervals along with a drip system at about the same rate except in different synchs.I have seen my cham drinking
* Fecal Description - I have seen his poo once and it looked like a brown part and a white part. I havent seen much else, but idk if i just cant find it


Cage Info:

* Cage Type - Screen cage (was 30x28x16, but I shortened it to 28x12x16)
* Lighting - Lighting is a heat lamp and UV lamp (not sure of brands) 12 hours on and 12 hours off
* Temperature - Not sure of the exact temps
* Humidity - Not sure of the exact temp
* Plants - 1 ficus
* Placement - Cage is located in my "closet" Covered with a blanket. Blanket is not touching the cage. Near a door, but door remains shut. Not near any vents. I Put the blanket up to stop any sort of drafts
* Location - Located in the south United states

Current Problem - Concerned about him eating

 

[GoFast]

He could be eating and you just don't know it because you can't see him eat. He may also not be entirely eager to eat with you staring at him.

This is where cup feeding comes in to play. By cup feeding, you can see what he has and has not eaten without having to sit there and watch him.

It may take a couple ofdays for him to get used to it, but he will.

 

[Ricardo]

Welcome here!

First of all, measure the temp and humidity. And change the calcium with D3 to an other WITHOUT D3!!!! search on this forum about the right using of these supplements, lots of threads about is! Use Ca without D3 and P, every feed, use D3 1/2 weeks and multivitamin supplement 1/month about...

Also, the exact type of UVB light source can be an important deatile, so please check it.

Post some pictures about your cham and the cage We all love to see nice pictures!

Best regards!
Ricardo

 

[Panteranrok]

Thanks for the quick replies

Two main points I have:

First off with regards to cup feeding, I tried that, and I had two problems with it. The first is that I couldnt tell how he would be able to get the crickets off the way at the bottom of the up, so how big should the cup be to keep the crickets from jumping out?

Also I had problems keeping it from falling over, so what is the best way to set up a cup feeder?

In regards to his supplementation, I thought that it shouldnt have had D3 in it, but when I went to petsmart, they didnt have any suplements without the D3 in it , and the worker at petsmart was persistent that it should have D3 in it, so I just took her word for it. I guess ill have to order some online.

Ill post some pictures tonight of my setup, as I have class until 9 tonight

tl;dr version: how should I cup feed?, and boo petsmart worker

 

[Jamelon]

For cup feeding, go to the search bar and search "modified milk jug" it will show you a feeding cup that hangs from your cage wall. Its awesome i built myself one of those and my guy goes down and eats from it all the time you can try that and see how it goes

 

[ghettomike]

try 1/4 crickets instead of pinheads, they may be to small to really interest him. I know when my cham was that age she wasn't really all that interested in really small feeders.

 

[Panteranrok]

For cup feeding, go to the search bar and search "modified milk jug" it will show you a feeding cup that hangs from your cage wall. Its awesome i built myself one of those and my guy goes down and eats from it all the time you can try that and see how it goes

Hey I took a look at that thread, and was wondering if the crickets could jump out of that?!

My guys seem to like to jump all over the place

Also in reference to my cricket size, I may be misusing my new chameleon owner terminology, but the crickets are a little bit smaller then his head

 

[Jamelon]

Hey I took a look at that thread, and was wondering if the crickets could jump out of that?!

My guys seem to like to jump all over the place

Also in reference to my cricket size, I may be misusing my new chameleon owner terminology, but the crickets are a little bit smaller then his head

the crickets dont seem to jump out from mine but there is a possibility, im using dubia roaches too which cant jump so thats perfect for them as well. The size of crickets should be no longer that the gap between your chameleons eyes. If hes 4 months old i think 1/4" crickets will be fine maybe a little bit bigger, my guy is 3 months and he is eating 1/4 dubias so that size should be fine for your guy try to feed him other things than crickets too. Id suggest small silk worms/hornworms, you can also try blue bottle flies, chameleons go crazy for things that fly. Keep us posted on how your little guy is doin

 

[pantherlover]

yes pin heads seem too small for a 4 month old cham. look daily for more poop. as stated, your cham might not want to eat with you watching. my chams will not drink infront of me. if your finding poop, your cham is eating. if you dont find poop in the next couple days, see if you can get some small hornworms, perhaps the green will trigger some appetite. if your cham is in fact not eating id even try some wax worms. they are not the best choice of feeder to offer on a regular but given the circumstances, some extra fat wouldnt be a bad thing. most chams ive ever had will demolish wax worms. its a good thing that your chams is drinking well. drinking is definately a priority especially when your not sure if its eating. definately get some calcium without d3.

hope this helps...

 

[carol5208]

1/4 inch crickets are good for a 4 month old and you can feed him 15-20 a day. They eat alot at that age and are growing!!!! By they way I don't think you ever mentioned what type of chameleon you have. They take different temps for different species!

 

[Panteranrok]

I have an abanja panther chameleon

 

[kinyonga]

If the temperature in the cage is too cool the chameleon won't eat. It should be in the low 80's for a baby panther.

 

[Panteranrok]

hypothetically speaking, if the cage is too cool (which I don't believe it is, but just to be cautious) what are some ways to heat it up? Other then adding another heat lamp I'm not sure what could be done

 

[Texas Panther Man]

Make sure his basking spot has a temp probe. It should be in the low 80's. You should also have a hygrometer to measure the relative humidity in the cage. You can buy a combo temp/hygrometer with a probe from Lowes or HD for about 12.00. If your basking spot is too cool up your wattage on the incandecent bulb in the basking fixture. I use a 60 watt incandescent in all my heat light fixtures.

 

[vegas shooby]

well i got mine this past saturday...and he was eating the frist day..i got him and drinking...well what i do i place one cricket in the cage at a time...then if it gone i place uh other one in the cage...soo that how i know he's eating....