Hunger Strike, what to do?

[mullberrysdream]

Mulberry, my 7 month Veiled hasn't been eating like his normal self lately.

I have always offered crickets, and about a month or two ago started giving him some supers. He really loved them at first and would eat tons and tons of them, but this past week I don't think he has eaten any (although i have still been finding poop so maybe he has consumed a couple?) He has had 3 worms and 3 crickets in his food cup for over 24 hours now and he hasn't touched them. Before that he had a roach and some baby crickets in the cup, which were in there for a few days and he didn't touch them (and the cup ended up getting tipped over and the bugs died)

What advice does anyone have, how concerned should i be, what do i do?!

Thanks for the help!

 

[mikadoflyer]

start reading

https://www.chameleonforums.com/search.php?searchid=1915405

 

[Chameleonic]

Sounds like someone has been spoilt for worms (it happens a lot ) Just offer only crickets for a while until he cracks. This might be difficult as a healthy Cham can go a long while without eating. He is growing up now and testing the boundaries, also he needs less than he did at first so don't be too worried.
He won't starve himself properly, but if his fat pads on his casque start to look thin then maybe it's time to be a bit concerned

 

[mullberrysdream]

Thanks for the advice, what exactly are his fat pads on his casque and how do i assess that? Is it best to take the crickets out and only offer them a few times a day? I had been leaving the crix/worms in the cage constantly up until yesterday

 

[jannb]

Please post some pictures of your little man. If he's of good weight he could just be tired of so much food all the time. With a healthy chameleon by this age I only feed every other day. If he's on the thin side then I'd highly recommed a fecal. He could have parasites. If he's of good size I recommend taking out ALL food and don't even allow him to see a feeder for two days. Then offer one feeder and see if he eats. They can still have parasites even when they look good so a fecal is always a good idea.

 

[mullberrysdream]

Any idea what the cost of a fecal test is? I want to make sure that he is healthy and if he's not I will do anything i can to help him, but I am a jobless college student (for a few more weeks), and will only go to the vet as an absolute last resort. I'll post some pics later. He's still quite social (comes out of his cage all the time) and he has been drinking plenty of water. So as far as his behavior goes he seems fine...

 

[jannb]

Any idea what the cost of a fecal test is? I want to make sure that he is healthy and if he's not I will do anything i can to help him, but I am a jobless college student (for a few more weeks), and will only go to the vet as an absolute last resort. I'll post some pics later. He's still quite social (comes out of his cage all the time) and he has been drinking plenty of water. So as far as his behavior goes he seems fine...

Call and check prices at local vets. I'd say around $20.00 if you can find someone to do a fecal without a check up. Where do you live? Someone here might know a chameleon vet close to you.

 

[mullberrysdream]

Oh! That's excellent! I was thinking it was going to be $100+. I'm in New Hampshire, and have had someone recommend a vet in the area. Thanks for the advice. If he doesn't eat in the next few days that'll be the next step.

At 7 months, how much should they eat a day? I'm so used to feeding him dozens of crickets and worms because he's been growing so much, but lately he has definitely been less interested in general (before the strike)