how long without food is safe?

[lewboo2]

Hi all, at the moment im trying to ween my 2 and a half year old panther off superworms. So how long can i leave my cham without food before it becomes a health risk?
I've gone a week so far without feeding him and he still turns down locust, butterworms and most of his crickets. I tried him with a silkworm and it took a while to get him to eat it.
He has a serious case of laziness and wont shoot at a feeder unless its 3-5 inches away which is becoming annoying This is making feeding a real nightmare, and im worried he isnt getting the correct nutrition. Im undecided whether its laziness or his eye troubles that make it difficult for him to catch prey at range.
I need to get him reaccustomed to feeding from a container too which he used to do as a juvenile then stopped for some unknown reason. The reason for this is starting a new job where im leaving the house before his lights come on and getting home when they are going off, which makes it impossible for me to feed him due to him not eating from containers and only when i place a worm on a branch in front of his face.

 

[jrh3]

I would say 2 weeks max. Others may chime in. Have you tried to hand feed just to get him accustomed to other feeders or cup feeding.

 

[PedroANDAshley]

If hes not eating it might not be because of laziness.
I could be because of impaction or parasites just to name a few.
If your really worried Id get a fecal done, if hes even pooping, to rule out parasites.
If he doesnt start eating pretty soon Id take him to the vet to get an exam done, better safe than sorry

 

[reptoman]

How often do you see him drinking? If he is even slightly dehydrated this can cause eye issues and he wont be pooping very often which will make him lethargic. I would suggest putting him in a plant in the shower to see if you can get him to start licking up water to make sure he is well hydrated. But I would not wait too long before getting him checked by a vet if this goes on much longer.

 

[morpheon]

+1.

At least, get these done to make sure nothing else is problematic. You can also post your complete setup conditions, just in case.

If hes not eating it might not be because of laziness.
I could be because of impaction or parasites just to name a few.
If your really worried Id get a fecal done, if hes even pooping, to rule out parasites.
If he doesnt start eating pretty soon Id take him to the vet to get an exam done, better safe than sorry

 

[sandrachameleon]

Do make sure he is drinking and that any vision or other health issues are ruled out. But If I read your post right, he did eat a cricket and silkworm, right? So its not like he's going completely without food. Good idea to get him used to cup feeding again.