I NEED HELP CHAM WONT EAT

[ChameleonsR4champs]

my baby veiled is too skinny and I've been struggling no matter what I do!! He eats one meal worm a day. He won't eat crickets no matter what I do. It makes me crazy this pore guy I just want him to be healthy. He was the littlest guy there but it looks like he's lost weight, how is that possible. Anyone please respond!!!

 

[JacksJill]

Try providing the information on this form it will help people to know how to help you best.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/

 

[ChameleonsR4champs]

Try providing the information on this form it will help people to know how to help you best.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/

Ok so


Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - Veiled, male, and I got him on the 26 of December
• Handling - I handle him once a day he has never turned a dark color (or showed any other signs of stress while I hold him)

Cage Info:

• Cage Type -a screen cage ( I bought the "chameleon kit" from PetCo by zoomed
• Lighting - I have a fluorescent and heat light, and at night I have a red heat lamp for him
• Temperature - The normal is around 72° and at night it is around 70
• Humidity - Are use a water bottle and spray down his cage around five times a day or whenever I feel like it needs to be misted and then I am putting together a dripper ATM and then when when I take a shower and keep him in my bathroom where he gets very humid and foggy
• Plants - I have one meal plan in there and one fake one and I am planning on getting more soon
• Placement - The top of his cage is around 5 feet and it's about a 2 foot screen cage on a table near a window and an air vent on my floor that is mostly off and when it is on I keep a curtain between him and the air vent
• Location - I live in the north eastern hemisphere in the middle of winter right now

Current Problem - i'm very concerned about his his health he does not eat crickets and only eating one or two mealworms which I know are not very good but they are the only thing he would eat I plan on buying different types of worms more better suited for A Chameleon he's very skinny you can see part of his spine and his ribs and his arms are very skinny

 

[JacksJill]

Meal worms are lousy food. If you can get superworms he should eat them as well. Get the smallest ones. Keep trying with the crickets, offer dubia roaches, silkworms, and hornworms. He will eventually take to some of them.
The red light at night is not good for him. He won't get proper sleep. If your house is colder than 60 at night get a ceramic heat emitter instead.You should have a basking branch for him that has a temperature of approx 85˚F while he's little 90-95˚F when he's older. The branch should be 8-10 inches from your lamps.
Have you read this info yet.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/
If he continues to do poorly a taking fecal test at the vets would be a good idea. Parasites could be slowing his growth.

 

[FancyRaptor]

Your Chameleon - Veiled, male, and I got him on the 26 of December

What is his age?

Temperature - The normal is around 72° and at night it is around 70

Do you have a basking spot and what is the temp?

How are you feeding him. Also supply pictures

 

[Lizzie The Chameleon]

supplements?

 

[Replife]

Are u using a uvb bulb I didn't notice anything about it and whatever you do no light at night very very bad also have you tried feeding Dubai roaches or silkworms the mill worms are best left to chickens lol

 

[ChameleonsR4champs]

Meal worms are lousy food. If you can get superworms he should eat them as well. Get the smallest ones. Keep trying with the crickets, offer dubia roaches, silkworms, and hornworms. He will eventually take to some of them.
The red light at night is not good for him. He won't get proper sleep. If your house is colder than 60 at night get a ceramic heat emitter instead.You should have a basking branch for him that has a temperature of approx 85˚F while he's little 90-95˚F when he's older. The branch should be 8-10 inches from your lamps.
Have you read this info yet.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/
If he continues to do poorly a taking fecal test at the vets would be a good idea. Parasites could be slowing his growth.

Meal worms are lousy food. If you can get superworms he should eat them as well. Get the smallest ones. Keep trying with the crickets, offer dubia roaches, silkworms, and hornworms. He will eventually take to some of them.
The red light at night is not good for him. He won't get proper sleep. If your house is colder than 60 at night get a ceramic heat emitter instead.You should have a basking branch for him that has a temperature of approx 85˚F while he's little 90-95˚F when he's older. The branch should be 8-10 inches from your lamps.
Have you read this info yet.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/
If he continues to do poorly a taking fecal test at the vets would be a good idea. Parasites could be slowing his growth.

i have got butter worms for him and I got wax worms but they were all dead so I returned them and he likes the butter worms but they seem to be really really big he's just a little tiny guy and I just helped him push out what looks like a undiegested butter worm that was stuck in his but all day that smelt very bad So now I need to find worms that are even smaller I got my butter worms in Walmart but I'm guessing I shouldn't until he's big enough to eat them? I do keep adding plants and vines that are higher and closer to the top of the cage and when I feed him I add that plate because I feel like he can't see the worms the rad light thing explains why he's always wanting to sleep now thank you

 

[ChameleonsR4champs]

What is his age?

Do you have a basking spot and what is the temp?

How are you feeding him. Also supply pictures

It's normally 70-72 degrees in the middle of the cage (where most of the bush is) I put that plate in when I'm trying to feed him so he can see them from almost every part of the cage

 

[ChameleonsR4champs]

supplements?[/QUO

supplements?

supplements for what exactly and how would I get him to eat it

 

[ChameleonsR4champs]

Are u using a uvb bulb I didn't notice anything about it and whatever you do no light at night very very bad also have you tried feeding Dubai roaches or silkworms the mill worms are best left to chickens lol

Yes I am I will stop using the red light at night and I feed him butter worms and stoped with the meal worms lol

 

[Lizzie The Chameleon]

please read this

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/entry/supplements.65/

 

[Peachypink]

Suppliments are a very important part of keeping chams. You can buy them in powder form and you need to dust you feeders with it. Use a plastic bag to put your feeders in and add just a sprinkle of the powder to coat them with. Coat them well but You don't want to make them white as ghosts.

The suppliments schedule should be....
Calcium with NO D3- five to six days a week
Calcium with D3- twice a month
Multivitamin- twice a month.

You can pick Saturday or Sunday and alternate between the D3 and multi and it will average out to twice a month each. Do not use the plain Calcium on those days.

They need the Calcium for bone density and to avoid MBD(metabolic bone disease), the D3 needs to be in small doses but it along with the UVB helps them absorb the Calcium.

 

[Joseph 1233]

i have got butter worms for him and I got wax worms but they were all dead so I returned them and he likes the butter worms but they seem to be really really big he's just a little tiny guy and I just helped him push out what looks like a undiegested butter worm that was stuck in his but all day that smelt very bad So now I need to find worms that are even smaller I got my butter worms in Walmart but I'm guessing I shouldn't until he's big enough to eat them? I do keep adding plants and vines that are higher and closer to the top of the cage and when I feed him I add that plate because I feel like he can't see the worms the rad light thing explains why he's always wanting to sleep now thank you

You need to have branches or vines under the light so he can bask and digest his food not too close though or you will burn him

 

[alphakenc]

What's the update on ur cham?has he been eating normal feeder yet besides the candy no good mealworm??

 

[ChameleonsR4champs]

You need to have branches or vines under the light so he can bask and digest his food not too close though or you will burn him

I have a big window with lots of plants facing south with sun that I put him in a couple hours a day after I feed him is this good?

 

[ChameleonsR4champs]

What's the update on ur cham?has he been eating normal feeder yet besides the candy no good mealworm??

I have decided to give the chrickets a rest and will try again when he's older I have also gave up the mealworms and he is now eating wax worms and butter worms and I'm looking for some of those horn worms I want to make sure he is getting a variety diet all in all I think We're doing better

 

[Peachypink]

I have a big window with lots of plants facing south with sun that I put him in a couple hours a day after I feed him is this good?

Wait, do you not have a UVB light for him? The place he is on that window is dangerous for a fall. I would not put him there. UVB does not penitrate glass, it is doing nothing for him except giving him light.

Wax worms and butter worms are too high in fat to use as a staple feeder. Hornworms are a great treat and are great for hydration but not as a staple either. You need something for a staple. Crickets, dubia even silk worms need to be added to his diet.

 

[alphakenc]

I have decided to give the chrickets a rest and will try again when he's older I have also gave up the mealworms and he is now eating wax worms and butter worms and I'm looking for some of those horn worms I want to make sure he is getting a variety diet all in all I think We're doing better

Wax and butter worm are only for treat,u will need to get him to eat feeders like cricket,silkworm,dubia and other roaches as his daily staple foods,and these staple food DO require certain type of vegetables containing calcium source for their gutloading purposes prior u feed them to ur cham.

 

[ChameleonsR4champs]

Wait, do you not have a UVB light for him? The place he is on that window is dangerous for a fall. I would not put him there. UVB does not penitrate glass, it is doing nothing for him except giving him light.

Wax worms and butter worms are too high in fat to use as a staple feeder. Hornworms are a great treat and are great for hydration but not as a staple either. You need something for a staple. Crickets, dubia even silk worms need to be added to his diet.

I do have a uvb for him but he just started to become very oilly on his tail and all around his butt hole it smells exactly like horse poop! I don't understand it the smell is so strong but I can't find anything on this website about the smell or the oil do you know of anything??