He wont eat =[

[munki]

my yemen chameleon just wont eating his food, i bought him from a pet shop 2 days ago and he is mid way threw shedding.
he just seems to be going onto the floor and eating his sand base...is this normal?
what can i do?
ive tried different foods but still not change.
his temperature is fine aswell as humidity, drip system is all in place and such, its just his feeding, any help would be amazingly appreciated.

 

[Sang]

please fill this out, in order to start us helping 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?


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.


Pictures are helpful

 

[Brad Ramsey]

http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/

The link above will provide you with some good husbandry information so that you can set up his habitat properly.

Remember that pet store advice/information is not often ideal for these animals (ie: having a sand substrate)

-Brad

 

[munki]

Cage Info:

* Cage Type - glass with mesh top, not sure on dimentions but its plenty big enough.
* Lighting - exo terra, im using UVB, and sun glo in day and then a night time one at night, UVB light is on 12-14 hours a day.
* Temperature - in day it is 80-95, at night iot is 70-85.thermomiter thing for tanks.
* Humidity - 35% humidity,spraying and misting.humidity measurin thing
* Plants - artificial
* Placement - back of my room.no.bout 5 ft
* Location - ?


Chameleon Info:

* Your Chameleon - yemen, male, 4 months. 2 days
* Handling - never.
* Feeding - crickets, locus meal worm, twice a day, all gut loaded.
* Supplements -non
* Watering - mist and drip, 2-3 times a day,nope.
* Fecal Description - pritty dark green colour. yes.
* History - nope.
* Current Problem - not eatin his food, just the sand in the base =[

 

[munki]

what is the matter with him? why is he eating the sand, he just sits on a branch about 1cm from floor and licks the sand, will this harm him? why is he doin it? he had wood chippings in to start with beccause thats what he had as a base in the pet shop, but he started eatin them, so i chaned to sand. why is he doing this?

 

[Jonas]

COULD have to do with the "no supplements". Some animals will eat sand to get minerals into their system.

 

[munki]

do you think so? i really hope it is just something that simple =(

 

[CleaTheChameleon]

Ok first of all where are you located? If you are in the states get rid of the glass cage ASAP. There should be no substrate, no sand, so now bedding. Just put paper towels. It may not look natural but its better for your chameleon. What kind of UVB bulb are you using? Coil? Below are some links to poducts you will need to get.


get this for his first cage

http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog...een/-/16-x-16-x-30-inch-aluminum-screen-cage/


your going to need this UVB bulb. It is amazing and the only one really recommended

http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog...por-bulbs/-/zoo-med-18-repti-sun-50-uvb-bulb/


and these are the supplements you will need the first one, 3rd one, and 5th one

http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog/reptile-supplies/vitamins-medicines-and-cage-cleaners/

 

[Jonas]

Please, WHY should he get rid of the glass cage? How could it possibly have anything to do with the problems described here?
And thats up with saying he NEEDS those 3 supplements? Why?

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.

 

[Sang]

* Cage Type - glass with mesh top, not sure on dimentions but its plenty big enough. OK, depending on were you live *if its the US, then this style enclosure may not be appropriate for this species., you need a mesh style enclosure.
* Lighting - exo terra, im using UVB, and sun glo in day and then a night time one at night, UVB light is on 12-14 hours a day.Is the uvb lighting a tube style of Coil style lighting, the night light is not needed at all, unless your temps reach below 65F at night.
* Temperature - in day it is 80-95, at night iot is 70-85.thermomiter thing for tanks.Temps at night should get into the 70's to help him sleep
* Humidity - 35% humidity,spraying and misting.humidity measurin thing He should have spikes up to 80% while misting, ambient humidity should be at least 45% better would be 55%
* Plants - artificial allthough this is fine for now, i really recommend getting Live plants, ficus benjamina or pothos.
* Placement - back of my room.no.bout 5 ft this is OK for now.

* Location - what country/state do you live in...were is the cage located within your house/outside.


Chameleon Info:

* Your Chameleon - yemen, male, 4 months. 2 days
* Handling - never.
* Feeding - crickets, locus meal worm, twice a day, all gut loaded. Stop using meal worms, as superworms are far better for him, also how much are you feeding him.
* Supplements -non you should be supplimenting him almost every feeding with calcium w/out d3, then at least 2 of his feedings should have a multivitamin coat on one feeding and a calcium w/d3 on another one, this should be done every month.
* Watering - mist and drip, 2-3 times a day,nope.
* Fecal Description - pritty dark green colour. yes. is his fecal dark brown/grey or even blackish with a white ball attached, that white ball is important, it is his urates, it tells you if he is drinking or not.
* History - nope.
* Current Problem - not eatin his food, just the sand in the base =[

First off remove the sand, and or any substrate for that matter, chameleons are an arboreal species and live in the trees, there is almost no reason to have substrate except to be used as an egg laying spot. paper towels or nothing on the bottom can be used instead.

the threat with using substrates can be rather bad, if he ingests to much sand/wood chips he can become impacted and die, therei s alot of bacteria that will grow in your substrate and feeders can hide in his substrate as well.

 

[munki]

thank you soo much for the help, im based in the UK.
will him eating the sand be harmfull to him?
and should i just put tissue down or leave it just bare glass?

 

[Jonas]

Remove the sand, use newspaper if you want. Its easier to clean that way than bare glass.

 

[Sang]

OK, so you are in the UK, so his glass enclosure is alright, make sure you watch those temps though.


make sure ambient temp is about 78F and his basking is 82-90F, live plants and branches are really important to have , you are misting which is good.


the sand can be bad, if he ingests to much sand he can become impacted, and this can kill him.


the bottom is alright to do papertowels or newspaper. glass is fine, just well its glass.


of all of the substrates you could use, id imagien sand being probably the worst one.


could you provide photos of your animal ?

 

[Jonas]

Pictures of the animal and the terrarium can often say more than all the info, so post them if you got them.

 

[Jonas]

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?

 

[CleaTheChameleon]

Please, WHY should he get rid of the glass cage? How could it possibly have anything to do with the problems described here?
And thats up with saying he NEEDS those 3 supplements? Why?

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.

ok please i didn't know he was in the UK right the minute as i was posting. Yeah and please you need calcium to make the bones stronger and calcium with d3 to converts uvb. Since you are in UK you can keep the glass cage since the temperatures is different here in the US

 

[Sang]

Over here in the US, its easier to maintain warmth depending on were you live.


i am not sure the reason why, but the UK seems to have luck keeping chams in glass enclosures.

over here depending on were you live, you could probably do glass here as well, but for some reason its very much not suggested.

also this varies from species to species.

 

[Jonas]

Youre not sure why, yet you know enough to recommend any US-citizen to get rid of it ASAP?

Yeah and please you need calcium to make the bones stronger and calcium with d3 to converts uvb.

You might want to look that up...


Im pretty sure HUGE areas of the US have similar weather conditions as northern europe.

 

[Sang]

that is why i said, depending on were you live in the US, you may use a glass enclosure, but for the most part, europe is far cooler for a majority of the year.

i recommend using a glass enclosure in the UK as that is what keepers have had success with jonas.

now here in the US, a majority of keepers tend to have more success with their animals , depending on species housing them in an appropriate sized mesh screen enclosure.

While housing in glass is not ideal here in the US it can be done. For ease of the matter, in the US it is always recommended that chams be housed in mesh, while the UK most have more success with glass style enclosures, if and or when they are done properly.

 

[Jonas]

Have you tried it yourself? Know many people that have had bad experiences with it?

I guess Im just not a fan of spreading unconfirmed information myself.

Why would you need 3 types of calcium then?
I would use a calcium supplement without D3. I would be careful using a vitamin supplement with vitamin A, other than that there are several brands that is fine to use.