how long can a cham go with out eating?????

[erik775]

how long can a cham go with out eating?????pics...

i was wondering how long can a chameleon go with out eating when on a hunger strike???because i think my female veiled is on a hunger strike...i was giving her to much reptivite with out d3...thinking it was calcium with out d3...(Dumb ass)...lol......and i was just feeding her crickets and super worms...i am switching up her diet...i ordered some horned worms and some wax worms from mulberry farms...oh yeah i now have calcium with out d3 and phos free..i hope she starts eating and drinking soon......any opinions on what i can do???oh yeah idk if shes drinking either...

 

[Elizadolots]

They can go several days at a minimum. I've seen people say theirs have gone weeks (though, I would be totally freaking out). One thing you have to keep in mind is the possibility she's bearing eggs. I believe many females will go off their food before laying eggs, so make sure you have a laying bin in there for her, just in case.

If it were my animal, I would a) put a laying bin in if there isn't one (I think all females who lay eggs should have one from 6 months on) b) remove all the feeders that are in the cage and c) wait 3 days, then introduce a feeder I wanted to be a staple.

That's just what I would do.

 

[Vegas Chad]

They can go several days at a minimum. I've seen people say theirs have gone weeks (though, I would be totally freaking out). One thing you have to keep in mind is the possibility she's bearing eggs. I believe many females will go off their food before laying eggs, so make sure you have a laying bin in there for her, just in case.

If it were my animal, I would a) put a laying bin in if there isn't one (I think all females who lay eggs should have one from 6 months on) b) remove all the feeders that are in the cage and c) wait 3 days, then introduce a feeder I wanted to be a staple.

That's just what I would do.

Very good post. Points for you.

 

[ataraxia]

agree with the laying bin. any pics? if you dont mind filling out the "how to ask for help form". its hard to say how long they can go without knowing how healthy she was before the strike. imo....im not a person to wonder. i would rather know and make sure she is getting what she needs. if a cham is not eatting within 3-4 days i start force feeding. if a cham shows any sign of dehydration they get a shower chamber or forced liquids. they fall faster then they heal.

 

[erik775]

They can go several days at a minimum. I've seen people say theirs have gone weeks (though, I would be totally freaking out). One thing you have to keep in mind is the possibility she's bearing eggs. I believe many females will go off their food before laying eggs, so make sure you have a laying bin in there for her, just in case.

If it were my animal, I would a) put a laying bin in if there isn't one (I think all females who lay eggs should have one from 6 months on) b) remove all the feeders that are in the cage and c) wait 3 days, then introduce a feeder I wanted to be a staple.

That's just what I would do.

yeah i had a laying bin in there for a few days and i also covered up her whole cage almost for privacy and all she did was walk around in there and started eating the sand in it...i was pretty freaked out about that and i am freaked out about her not eating...it doesent seem like shes trying to digg any were in her cage or any thing like that... so i took the laying bin out...im thinking of puting it back inn ...some one on here told me that it could be from a nutrition deficiency...the reason shes eating the sand...or could that also be the reason shes not eating instead of laying eggs...could she have gotten tired of eating the same food and went on a hunger strike???

 

[carol5208]

what do the urates look like? Just because you dont see her drinking doesnt mean she isn't. When I do not see my cham drink enough to satisfy me, then I take my little dripper tube and drip drops right on his nose to encourage him to drink. It might take a few minutes but it usually seems to do the trick. As the other said, maybe she is getting ready to lay eggs. I would be more worried about the hydration than the eating part first.

 

[Elizadolots]

Thank you, Vegas Chad!

I agree that hydration is more important than food at the moment. In fact, it usually is.

I would put the laying bin back in. Some chameleons eat dirt. There's a lot of discussion on whether that's okay or not, but they seem to do it so I wouldn't be overly concerned.

Is it possible that she was actually licking the sand? They "scent" with their tongues.

I just got a new one and the first thing he did was roam the cage licking everything. It was a weird backwards lick, not like what he does when he drinks.

 

[erik775]

Thank you, Vegas Chad!

I agree that hydration is more important than food at the moment. In fact, it usually is.

I would put the laying bin back in. Some chameleons eat dirt. There's a lot of discussion on whether that's okay or not, but they seem to do it so I wouldn't be overly concerned.

Is it possible that she was actually licking the sand? They "scent" with their tongues.

I just got a new one and the first thing he did was roam the cage licking everything. It was a weird backwards lick, not like what he does when he drinks.

ok ill put the laying bin back in...but today i cleaned her feces and it had a bunch if sand all over it...i posted a how to ask for help a few days ago...kind of about the same thing with pics of feces and my cham...oh yeah i have been misting a little extra with semi warm water and i make sure she is kind of dripping with water to make sure she is not dehydrated...oh yeah and its not very much urine...i dont think shes eaten in over a week...

 

[Elizadolots]

Well, if she's eating sand, I'd expect sand to be in her poop.

I really suspect she wants to lay eggs. I think you need to put a good laying bin in with her and then drape off the cage so she feels safe. You need to make sure you have a "peep hole" to check on her but she needs privacy.

That's just my read on what you've posted. I could well be wrong, but none of that will hurt her so it might be worth a try.

 

[erik775]

Well, if she's eating sand, I'd expect sand to be in her poop.

I really suspect she wants to lay eggs. I think you need to put a good laying bin in with her and then drape off the cage so she feels safe. You need to make sure you have a "peep hole" to check on her but she needs privacy.

That's just my read on what you've posted. I could well be wrong, but none of that will hurt her so it might be worth a try.

Yeah I'll make sure to drape off the cage for privacy in the morning and put the laying bin back in in the morning...

 

[pssh]

If you post pictures of her, we may have a better idea of if she needs to lay or not.

A healthy chameleon can go more than a month without eating. If the chameleon is healthy then a few days isn't anything to worry about in my opinion. Offering variety may make her start eating again, if she doesn't have something else going on (like needing to lay eggs.) variety is important. How would you like eat hamburgers every meal?

 

[erik775]

If you post pictures of her, we may have a better idea of if she needs to lay or not.

A healthy chameleon can go more than a month without eating. If the chameleon is healthy then a few days isn't anything to worry about in my opinion. Offering variety may make her start eating again, if she doesn't have something else going on (like needing to lay eggs.) variety is important. How would you like eat hamburgers every meal?

Yeah sure I will post pics of her asap...I ordered some feeders for her from mulberry farms they should get here tomorrow...is it true that when a Cham has a strong grip they are healthy???because she has a pretty strong grip...

 

[erik775]

If you post pictures of her, we may have a better idea of if she needs to lay or not.

A healthy chameleon can go more than a month without eating. If the chameleon is healthy then a few days isn't anything to worry about in my opinion. Offering variety may make her start eating again, if she doesn't have something else going on (like needing to lay eggs.) variety is important. How would you like eat hamburgers every meal?

ok here are the pics of my cham pssh asked me for...

 

[Elizadolots]

To my amateur eye, I don't think she looks ready to lay, however, wait for others to look.

 

[ataraxia]

not sure how big your hand is but she looks to be around 6 - 8 months.

 

[erik775]

not sure how big your hand is but she looks to be around 6 - 8 months.

yes shes about 8 months...as soon as i figure out how to make the pics bigger i will post some bigger ones...

 

[pssh]

I'm not seeing any obvious egg bulges. If you gently palpate her belly, you will be able to feel eggs if she is getting close to laying. Be gentle but Feel around a bit. If you don't feel them down low, then check a little higher and closer to her ribs. It's generally really easy to feel them though. They feel like little marbles.

 

[Texas Panther Man]

No obvious belly lumps. She could have a small clutch gestating that isnt visible though. At 8 months I'd provide a laying bin just for safety sake. Its prob a hunger strike, she'll prob go nuts for her hornworms you bought her. All of my crew love horns.

 

[ataraxia]

No obvious belly lumps. She could have a small clutch gestating that isnt visible though. At 8 months I'd provide a laying bin just for safety sake. Its prob a hunger strike, she'll prob go nuts for her hornworms you bought her. All of my crew love horns.

agreed. i just had a friend lose a 8 month old female from the lack of a laying bin and a proper calcium load. i palpated her and did not feel a single one and the vet did not feel a single one. they sometimes arent real obvious. she was operated on and had 40 eggs.

 

[erik775]

SHE STARTED EATING TODAY out of no where:...oh yeah i felt around and didnt feel any eggs or any thing lumpy in her belly...