Hunger strike, when is it time to be concerned?

[Alexander1]

Multiple adult veiled has started another hunger strike it seems, he's eating a fraction of he would "normally"
I'm aware chameleons may go on "hunger strikes" due to various reasons, mainly boredom of staple food, when should I be concerned or seek a vet for help?
Any tips on keeping him healthy while he goes through this again?

 

[jajeanpierre]

Multiple adult veiled has started another hunger strike it seems, he's eating a fraction of he would "normally"
I'm aware chameleons may go on "hunger strikes" due to various reasons, mainly boredom of staple food, when should I be concerned or seek a vet for help?
Any tips on keeping him healthy while he goes through this again?

Young, growing chameleons eat a lot. As they mature, they don't eat as much. How old is your chameleon?

Monitoring their weight will tell you a lot. A 10% drop in weight is huge. I take mine in to the vet if they drop two grams that is unexplained or if they are not gaining when I think they should be.

"Hunger strikes" sounds as if it is a choice. The proper term is anorexia. Something is wrong if an animal is not eating and dropping weight.

 

[Alexander1]

Young, growing chameleons eat a lot. As they mature, they don't eat as much. How old is your chameleon?

Monitoring their weight will tell you a lot. A 10% drop in weight is huge. I take mine in to the vet if they drop two grams that is unexplained or if they are not gaining when I think they should be.

"Hunger strikes" sounds as if it is a choice. The proper term is anorexia. Something is wrong if an animal is not eating and dropping weight.

My male veiled is about 6-7 months old, I see him chomp on a super worm here and there and a horn worm but nothing like he used to, what do you use to weigh the little guy, he's never handled and stresses when I take him out or eventually do handle him.

 

[Alexander1]

Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care? MALE VEILED ABOUT 6-7 MONTHS

Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?VERY RARELY

Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?6-7 CRICKETS AND SUPERWORMS, 1-2 HORNWORMS SILKWORMS ARE RARE BECAUSE IM UNABLE TO FIND ANY, CRICKETS AND SUPERS GEY VEGGIES AND CRICJET FEED BY FLUCKERS
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?HERPTIVITE MULTIVITAMIN AND CALCIUM WITH D3 TWICE A MONTH, CALCIUM WITHOUT EVERY FEEDING

Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?MIST IN THE AM AUTO MISTER EVERY 3 HOURS AND A DRIPPER
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?DROPPINGS LOOK NORMAL AS DESCRIBED ON THE POOP 101 FORUM, DID HAVE A FECAL DONE AND TREATED FOR MINOR CASE OF PARASITES
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?24"x24"48" SCREEN CAGE
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?REPTISUN 5.0 FLOURECENT LINEAR TUBE, REGULAR BULB FOR HEAT , EXTRA LIGHTING WITH REGULAR CFL ON 12 HOURS A DAY

Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? 85-90*f BASKING 72-78*f AMBIENT AND 74*f OVERNIGHT (SUMMER)

Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?75% after morning misting, drops to about 50% during the day, and 40's overnight if it's not too warm out

Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? All fake plants

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?in the living room corner, ceiling fan sometimes on low, were never home so he shouldn't be disturbed
Location - Where are you geographically located?chicago ,il

Any possible husbandry issues? I ordered a zoomed led lighting fixture as an upgrade for regular daylight lighting

 

[kinyonga]

How long ago was he treated for the parasites?

 

[Alexander1]

How long ago was he treated for the parasites?

About a month or two ago he took his last dose of meds

 

[jajeanpierre]

My male veiled is about 6-7 months old, I see him chomp on a super worm here and there and a horn worm but nothing like he used to, what do you use to weigh the little guy, he's never handled and stresses when I take him out or eventually do handle him.

I use a scale made by Sterling. It was the one used by parrot breeders and was over $100 when I bought it over 10 years ago. I'm sure there are good quality scales for less money now.

I put a container to hold the chameleon on the scale and zero the scale. Then I put the chameleon in the container and get a weight. You can use anything--a small cardboard box, a paper bag or a deli cup--just something you can quickly close them up in so you can get the weight in a few seconds without worrying about them escaping.

As they grow bigger and their growth rate slows, they don't eat as much as they did.

Keeping weight records will really help you monitor their condition. It takes just a few seconds to get a weight.

 

[ChameLIonLover]

Jean, how often do you weigh your cham? I've been meaning to get a scale, but havn't yet. Ive seen scales as low as 15 dollars that i'm sure would work just fine.

 

[Alexander1]

I use a scale made by Sterling. It was the one used by parrot breeders and was over $100 when I bought it over 10 years ago. I'm sure there are good quality scales for less money now.

I put a container to hold the chameleon on the scale and zero the scale. Then I put the chameleon in the container and get a weight. You can use anything--a small cardboard box, a paper bag or a deli cup--just something you can quickly close them up in so you can get the weight in a few seconds without worrying about them escaping.

As they grow bigger and their growth rate slows, they don't eat as much as they did.

Keeping weight records will really help you monitor their condition. It takes just a few seconds to get a weight.

Thanks for the input, I think he chomped on a pretty big hornworm while I was at work, unless the worm escaped the feeding cup and is hiding in the cage somewhere, but he has a big gut, right now

 

[jannb]

About a month or two ago he took his last dose of meds

Did you get another fecal a couple weeks after his last treatment?
Sometimes the parasites come back or the meds did not get them all.