I think i got the runt..

T

talvarez527

New Member
idk why i think this, he isnt eating and everything is set up right and no one is around him all day! why isnt he eating? i throw in 10 crickets every morning, tried free range, tried cup, tried sunny D, he wont eat more then a few! wont touch supers either!
Im trying to get some other feeders but as far as hes concerned he wont eat shi*. What do i do!
 
i have filled that ask for help think out in previous threads and i have had him since december 12th. hes a little over 4 months now and is just being a Pain the ass and idk what to do anymore. im getting a 2x4x4 repti breeze friday and hoping maybe more space will wake him up and get him going but im losing hope. hes not showing any signs of being unhealthy he just wont eat.. and hes left alone all day.. u think when i go buy more crickets i shud throw double the amount in so that he sees them more often?
 
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care? 4 month old panther chameleon. Male. have had him since mid december.
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? almost never
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? Feeding crickets, leave him a fresh cup every morning. Gutload with fresh veg and fruit. He never finishes his cup of usually about 12 crickets
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?i use repashy all in one lightly every day. very very lightly to not overdose.
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? mistking. never see him drink. goes off 4 times a die for 15 seconds
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Solid. not runny. white urates. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you. Was bought at 2 months old. was never ever a voracious eater. Will usually nip and pick over course of day.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? Wooden walls. Sliding glass doors that are always open. and screen up top.
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?630-630 lighting sched. Reptisun compact 5.0 uvb and a 40 watt house bulb for basking at 80-89 degrees
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? measured w/ infared temp gun, 89 basking to about 70 on floor.
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? humidity is between 40 and 50 % and obiously spikes with misting.
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? i have a 5 foot tall ficus tree in the center of cage, and two hanging plants on the sides to fill it in and give more coverage.
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?Cage is located in my room, never in it tho. only for bed after lights are out. top of cage is 5 feet atm but stand is being made so it will be 6 feet. no fans or vents
Location - Where are you geographically located? im in north jersey experiencing a colder winter

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
Current problem is he is not eating
 
I havent seen the previous threads
since you've started a new thread, would you copy the details here too please?

is he drinking at all?

are you saying he has eaten nothing at all in two months? oh no I see you said he eats a few. How many? how old is this chameleon? Is he maintaining weight? What are the temps? etc
 
havent weighed him but i can SLIGHTLY see his ribs, i know hes eating becuase i see small small poops on the floor. way smaller then some poops he took a month ago.. i just dont know wat to do i may just rehome him to someone more who can get him back on track and wait to get another one.. and he does drink actively
 
Next up would be trying some caterpillars like hornworms or silk worms. Other than that my pick eaters will eat meal worms if i get them to crawl along the screen. They wont touch them if they are in a cup.

You could also try a vertal cup like all the sunnyD death traps, where its a 2 liter with the side missing and screen running up the inside for the bugs to climb.
 
4 months is way early for a hunger strike IMO. Is he drinking ok? Dehydration affects feeding and tongue operation. Silks and horns are almost never refused and are great for hydration. Something else could be wrong and I would have a fecal exam if it were me to rule out parasites. Assuming he is clean, Superworms are easily acquired so try those to see if he just does not like your crickets. That usually is enough to break a hunger strike. If that doesn't do it get blue bottle flies. Check your gutloading and see if changing that up helps. If your crickets stink that would be a possibility of why he refuses to eat them.

Sandra's blog on gutloading is a good starting point for getting your feeders up to par. Even if that's not the main issue it can't hurt.
 
You might want to increase your misting sessions. 15 seconds to me does not seem near long enough to give him the opportunity to drink. Could be he is dehydrated. Do you have pics of him and the set up? That might would help.

I run my mistking for 5 minutes each time it comes on. I Also mist manually once a day as my guy is still getting use to the mist king. He drinks very well when I hand mist with like warm water. So from what I gather he is eating just not all you put in?

Have you seen his poop, if so what does it look like, are the urates white?
 
Last edited:
shockingly the cricket tub smells.. fine.. like i dont mind the smell lol and i know how bad they can smell.. also, he wont touch supers i have about 50 sitting next to me and idk how else to feed them besides cup becuase he wont eat from me. I am going to tried hornworms i think but other then that i just dont know
 
talvarez527 said:
shockingly the cricket tub smells.. fine.. like i dont mind the smell lol and i know how bad they can smell.. also, he wont touch supers i have about 50 sitting next to me and idk how else to feed them besides cup becuase he wont eat from me. I am going to tried hornworms i think but other then that i just dont know
Click to expand...

Get the supers to climb the screen by feeder tongs. If they grab the top screen it usually triggers a feeding response. Feeder cups don't work real well with those.
 
crocky said:
You might want to increase your misting sessions. 15 seconds to me does not seem near long enough to give him the opportunity to drink. Could be he is dehydrated.
Click to expand...

I agree.
Also, it sounds like you are only offering crickets? you want to offer a wide variety of prey - no single feeder should from more than 40% of the chameleons diet, and preferably no more than 20%
I would also not use the Repashy Calicum + product daily. Instead, reduce that to once weekly and use a vitamin and phosphorous free calcium powder on the prey the rest of the time.
 
havent gotten a fecal done yet working on it but i agree i think it can be the repashy.. also can it be my uvb? its a compact
i have a fixture for a 16 inch one shud i use a tube style instead?
i have someone coming to buy a cage from me for 320$ friday and have the money to spare, my only other option is to rehome him for a small fee so i know he lives out his life from someone on here and i can see him progress. I want a cham but i dont think hes being forgiving of me

can over supplementation cause feeding to stop? i dont see anything coming from his nose or anything
 
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