Unless the temperatures fall below 65F I don't recommend any heat at night and a chameleon definitely needs no light at night. They sleep in the dark just like we do.
IMHO your temperatures don't need to be so high...especially at night.
IMHO non-toxic real plants are better to use than artificial ones since they can add to the humidity....and veiled/yemen chameleons have been known to try to eat artificial ones which could very easily cause an impaction.
I never use mealworms because I have heard that they can cause impaction although I don't think it would happen if you used them in a "mixed diet" as a small part of it.
What do you gutload (specifically) the insects with?
You said he's..."not eatin his food, just the sand in the base"...this could be because he's lacking nutrients since you are not supplementing. Supplementing is important. Since many of the feeder insects we use have a poor ratio of calcium to phos. its important to dust with a phos.-free calcium powder at most feedings.
I also dust twice a month lightly with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder to ensure that the chameleon gets enough D3 without overdoing it. Exposure to the UVB (which should not pass through glass or plastic) should provide the rest. D3 FROM SUPPLEMENTS can build up in the system, so don't overdo it.
I dust twice a month with a vitamin powder that has a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A. Beta carotene is converted as needed and won't result in an overdose. However, its not proven that all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene to vitamin A. At least this way the owner is in control of the prEformed vitamin A which can build up in the system. Excess prEformed vitamin A can interfere with the D3 and push the chameleon towards MBD.
Appropriate temperatures assist in digestion and thus indirectly play a part in nutrient absorption too.
Phos., calcium, D3 and vitamin A are all important players in bone health and need to be in balance. You need to look at the gutloading/what you feed to the insects, the supplementing, and what you feed to the chameleon when trying to balance them.
I would also recommend that you use a dripper in addition to the mistings. I have found that panther chameleons in particular will drink readily from a dripper. (However, that being said...I don't use drippers for very young/small chameleons because there is a possibility of them aspirating water.)
You said your chameleon was eating the wood chips...is it pooping?
Jonas said..."I still dont get how the glass terrarium is ok in the UK but so bad in the US. Is it something in the air?"...I have discussed this many times on this forum.
In Canada, the UK, parts of Europe, the northern States and any other cold/cool area, there is no reason not to use glass cages that have screen lids. In these areas its hard to keep screen cages warm enough for chameleons. In California, Florida, South Africa, Hawaii and other warm/hot areas its not a good idea IMHO for the obvious reason that they will likely be hard to keep cool...unless you have air conditioning.
Sandrachameleon said it very well when she said..."For the record, the construction of the enclosure (glass, screen or whatever) is far less important than maintaining the correct environment within it. Whatever type of construction one chooses, there are trade-offs that need to be considered".
Jonas said..."thats up with saying he NEEDS those 3 supplements? Why?"...I explained why I use the supplements I do above.
Jonas said..."Its one thing to say "I use these...", but if you are going to be absolute in your answers ("You NEED these"), it would be nice to know why"...and..."Remove the sand, use newspaper if you want"...so the reason for your absolute statement about the sand is? Personally, it gets very tedious having to constantly explain every little detail of why certain things should be done although it hopefully does help.
So...munki...there could be a few reasons why your chameleon isn't eating....I wish I could give you a definite answer. I can say though, that if you can't figure it out soon, I would recommend you take it to a vet.
