Help Me Please! NOT EATING!

[Luke bedford]

Hi there just recently purchased a young healthy baby veiled chameleon. He was feeding fine in the pet shop and since i have took him home (1 week ago ) he is not eating barley anything.
I spoke to the owner of the pet shop and he said my mesh viv could be too big! its the exo-terra full mesh 100gallon! Since finding that out i have reduced the size of the cage so he can find food easily. my tempretures are correct 85-95 basking and good uv lighting! But he is still not eating (maybe just a wax-worm here and there!) His colouration is good and he is very active, can somebody help me please ????? Would b much appreciated!
thank you
Luke

 

[Chameleons Northwest]

There may be some more questions that need answering, but for starters, how big is the chameleon, what are you trying to feed it, and what size prey are you trying to feed it? Sometimes it is simply a matter of the wrong size/type of prey.

And, yes, depending on the size of your cham, that 100 gal was prob too big.

 

[Luke bedford]

he is only a month or 2 old and not including tail 3 " or so in lenght! Been trying to feed him crickets SMALL or MEDIUMS also The same sized locusts! Thanks for your reply

 

[Julirs]

Luke-welcome and please fill out the following se we can better help.
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.

 

[Chameleons Northwest]

Yes, Luke, please answer the questions Julirs provided as there may be an underlying issue.

SOme of our chameleons are "feeder shy" and at 2 months old, even at 3" SVL you may find that small and medium crickets are still too big. We have some 2 month old chams that are still eating crickets from freshly hatched size to 2-3 weeks old. What they sell in the stores as "smalls" are not always what I would consider small crickets suitable for a baby cham. You may want to pick up a small flask of flightless fruitflies at the pet store and try those.

 

[Luke bedford]

100 gallon fully mesh exo-terra viv.
1x uva 2.0 zoo med 20watt i am aware i need a uvb 5.0 buld but i am waiting on delivery
1x 100wat infra-red zoo med basking
both bulbs are on from 7.30 till 8.00pm
Humidity ? but cage sprayed 3 times a day and small dish of water in viv too.
Water! Big dripper on for half a day
Fake plants
cage is in hallway he is peaceful and left alone from 8am till 5 pm


male veiled about 2 months old or less
Handling trying not to handle till he starts feeding properly
repton insect dusting
his toilet colourings are healthy

Probably should have been filled in your questionairre but on here so every1 can see!

 

[Chameleons Northwest]

I am not familiar with Repton supplement. I realize you are probably not home now, and were doing this from memory. If you could check on that supplement when you get home and give us more details that would be great.

The infrared basking lights are generally recommended for other species of reptiles. For chameleons a white basking light is recommended, and some use normal household lightbulbs for basking. 100W is considered way too hot for a 2 month old baby. 50W would be recommended. You could just change that bulb to a 40 or 60 watt household bulb for now. And with that size cage you may want one basking bulb at the top, and another halfway down the cage, pointed at the side. And the 2.0 UVB bulb is not going to get much UVB to him in a 100gal mesh cage. For that size a 10.0 has a deeper UVB zone, to penetrate more of the cage area. He is at risk of low calcium absorption at this time. When your 5.0 comes, you may want to hang it down the side of the cage, rather than resting it on top. Unless your little guy spends a lot of time at the top.

You did say, however, that you had modified his cage, to make his area smaller. But still keep in mind that the bulb positions need to be where they will do the most good.

 

[Luke bedford]

Okay just bought really small crickets and some meal worms, gonna see if he takes to those, also i changed the 100w infra red bulb too a 60w spot bulb. So hopefully.....
yeah i did decrease the size of the viv too a 1 foot high by 2 ft wide and 1-1/2 deep, only temp so he can atart to find food. Thanks for all ur help people cheers

 

[Julirs]

The 2.0 will be useless. I do use 10.0's on all Reptariums due to the dark mesh. The UVB bulb is essential to your chameleon's health.

 

[Luke bedford]

Thanks to u i think i may have found the problem, the flourescent tube i have is only a 2.0 uvA! and that helps stimulate thier appetite right? So 2.0 will b useless?Could that b a BIG Factor? gonna go get a higher uvA now, and waiting for my 5.0 uvB bulb should b here in a couple days!

 

[Julirs]

UVB will be a huge factor in their lives. I use regular household lightbulbs-they work fine as far as UVA. Temps are also a huge factor, and before you reduced the cage size-your baby was maybe not getting warm enough. You need a good digital (not junky analog dial style) to make sure your baby has a basking spot in the very low 80's, and also that he can get close enough to that spot of heat, and can also get close enough to the UVB. Running a vine about 6" from the top of the cage makes this possible.

 

[Luke bedford]

how much should he be eating per day. he seems to go toilet regulary and it looks fine, also he just ate now not from his container but hunted a cricket , do veileds sumtimes prefer to hunt and get bored of food in a container? thanks

 

[Luke bedford]

ok now he has started eating a couple crickets but they have to be running wild not in a tub!?!?!

 

[eisentrauti]

Be carefull with your crickets, they can breed in your rooms !
I don't know where you are living, but it's general very good for all chameleons to put them in the fresh air outdoors. The sun is probably one of the best therapies for all real chameleons. Put them as often as you can outdoors, it will help him !

 

[Luke bedford]

no chance of that i live in a gangsta wannabe block of flats, my cham wud probably get hit in a drive by haha

 

[Chameleons Northwest]

no chance of that i live in a gangsta wannabe block of flats, my cham wud probably get hit in a drive by haha

If you can get him to an open window he could get sun there. Not a closed one as what he needs won't come through the glass. Or, am I being naive? Is even a window too close for comfort?

 

[Lyneeso]

I have a feeling that if you try this you will find that he eats alot more... make that milk carton feeder dish that was described above and place it in a spot near the basking light (near the top of cage) then, put about 10-15 crickets inside and cover the entire cage with towels so he has complete privacy, then, DO NOT PEEK AT HIM!!!!! Believe it or not some chams are VERY EASILY STRESSED OUT!!! If he feels that you are watching him and it makes him uneasy then no matter what, he will just ignore his appetite. I believe that at some point during the day (perhaps not immediately) he will eat all the crickets!!! You may need to leave the towwels up untill he is older and braver. My male acted exactly the same but I also have a female whom is not afraid of anything! So, I had something to compare his behavior to. I realized much earlier that he was a "sensitive case". When I bagan to cover his cage, not only did he bask more (which keeps that digestion going at a faster pace) but he also began eating more, MUCH MORE! My little guy litterally doubled in size from 5 months to 7 months! And, I believe that yours will too! It's that simple his is just an extra "sensitive case". Good Luck please PM me in a month with the good news!!!
Lyneeso

This is a reply I posted on another thread, you may try this! it certainly worked for me!

 

[Luke bedford]

i will try , cheers both of u