Juniper is not doing good help

Kora

New Member
B]Chameleon Info:[/B]
  • Your Chameleon - Translucent Vailed Chameleon, I've had her since march shes probable 4-5 months old
  • Handling - I was holding her several times a week now with her lay box in I move her only when cold
  • Feeding - Crikets was 8 a day ,superworms 5 a day ,waxworm 4 a day and a hand full of meal worms some time kale. I feed crickets,super, and meals Fresh vegetables after all you are what you eat.
  • Supplements - Dusting with vitamins every other day and calcium every day
  • Watering - Misting system every 3 hour for 60 sec,and hand misting for 30 sec 2×a day yes I see her drink
  • Fecal Description - Its a greenish brown and white with a little what I call mucus.No she has not been tested for parasites
  • History -

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Shes In a large open air wire/mesh enclosure.
  • Lighting - twin lighting system Both UV and day light not sure of wattage. They are both due to be replace. Will be getting the 100 wattage day light recomandation for Uv would be great .12 on 12 off
  • Temperature - 90-72
  • Humidity with her open air cage it's hard to get a accurate level.
  • Plants - right now no but she did have one,I am using a coconut fiber substrate eco earth
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    blend for her lay box with astro turf under it.
  • Placement - Where is your cage located? Warmest room in house no fans and the air vent is closed, Medium traffic area.
  • Location - Texas

Current Problem - She will not eat more then just one cricket every other day right now and has just been staying in her lay box not digging. She moves around on the bottom and refuses to go on her vines.
I did tuns of research before purchasing a cham so I know this is unusual for her .
 
Forgot to add in that I took her off meal worm over a month ago so it's just been crickets, supers and waxworms
But this last week shes only eaten 1-3 crickets every other day I dont leave live pray in with her for fear of her being eaten by them.
 
Hi. I’m a newbie at this too and have limited knowledge, but have to ask a couple of questions.
Can you be more specific as to your lighting. It sounds like a dual dome light, which will not provide adequate UVB. You should have a linear fluorescent T5 with 5.0 UVB bulb that spans the top length of your enclosure. There are other bulb types but I can’t tell you which are appropriate.
What is the name of the supplements that your using? There are two supplement regimens that are commonly used. The easiest is Repashy Calcium with Lo D daily. No other supplement would be required. The other option is calcium with NO D daily and then Calcium with D3 once every other week, alternating with a multivitamin once every other week.
What are the dimensions of her enclosure?
How deep is her lay bin? It should be approx no less than 12”x12” and moist playsand I’m told is the best to use. (Is what I use for my girl) They will dig down to the bottom and need it to hold a tunnel. They must have absolute privacy or they will abandon laying and become egg bound.
When you say you don’t leave live prey for her, does that mean you leave dead prey? They won’t eat dead prey. They do like variety same as we do. Mealworms are not a good feeder. Wax worms and super worms should only be an occasional treat. Crickets are fine but they should have some variety. BSFL (aka Calciworms) are good staples, as are silkworms and roaches. Gutload with fresh fruits, greens, veggies and there are some good commercial gutloading products.
You really need a way to monitor your humidity.
It’s possible if you have incorrect lighting that she may have/be getting mbd.
It’s possible she may be getting over-dosed on multivitamin.
The green poo with mucous doesn’t sound right and she really needs to have a fecal done to check for parasites.
Last but not least is handling should be minimal. I would like nothing more than to ‘hug’ my little girl daily, but too much handling stresses them out. I show my love by respecting her desire to be left alone to glare suspiciously at me when I approach.
This is the extent of feedback that my limited knowledge can provide. The more experienced members will be able to better guide you. However, I recommend starting to look for a veterinarian experienced in chams. If not for a current visit, for the future.
 
It is a dual dome light ,what I mean by I dont leave live pray in with her just means what ever(live) crikets she wont eat I remove before going to for example bed, out for the day I dont mind leaving live worms in there but no crickets I know crickets are carnivores and she wont eat calciworm, is picky about silkworms.she threat postures horn worms and roaches She seeks me out for holding I've never forced it. It is the larger chameleon enclosure.Shes not my first just never had one behave like this. As far as lay box it fills bottom of her enclosure in all directions and is 14 inc deep of just substrate (eco earth)is a great substrate. Pictures of what I use for her vitamins and calcium attached
 

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It is a dual dome light ,what I mean by I dont leave live pray in with her just means what ever(live) crikets she wont eat I remove before going to for example bed, out for the day I dont mind leaving live worms in there but no crickets I know crickets are carnivores and she wont eat calciworm, is picky about silkworms.she threat postures horn worms and roaches She seeks me out for holding I've never forced it. It is the larger chameleon enclosure.Shes not my first just never had one behave like this. As far as lay box it fills bottom of her enclosure in all directions and is 14 inc deep of just substrate (eco earth)is a great substrate. Pictures of what I use for her vitamins and calcium attached
Hi again. The dome light UVB bulb is not providing adequate levels. You need to get a linear T5 with 5.0 bulb. Pic below is type I use. Should be placed in center top of enclosure with basking light close. Basking area should be about 8 inches away.
Using that calcium without D supplement daily is good, but the multi vitamin should be only once every other week. She also needs to have calcium with D3 once every other week.
I’m not sure if it’s possible that she may have a vitamin overdose...will have to wait for the experienced members to weigh in on that. I do know her lighting needs to be changed ASAP and she’s at risk for mbd.
Yes, I hear they can be picky eaters at times. Crickets are a good staple, but you can keep offering alternatives...she may change her mind.
Definitely you need to have a fecal done.
Hope this helps. :)


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I dont leave live pray in with her for fear of her being eaten by them.
Pure myth.

Using that calcium without D supplement daily is good, but the multi vitamin should be only once every other week. She also needs to have calcium with D3 once every other week
Get Repashy LoD, throw the rest out.

You have overdosed her on vitamins. Cut them out completely, get a PURE calcium/D3 supplement, start immediately. Begin LoD in 1 month. Run as much water through her as you can.

She has developed MBD as a result of improper UVB and no D3 supplement. Since she wasn’t given D3 orally and couldn’t get it from the UVB she can not metabolize the calcium you have been giving her.

Vet, now.
 
Pure myth.

Get Repashy LoD, throw the rest out.

You have overdosed her on vitamins. Cut them out completely, get a PURE calcium/D3 supplement, start immediately. Begin LoD in 1 month. Run as much water through her as you can.

She has developed MBD as a result of improper UVB and no D3 supplement. Since she wasn’t given D3 orally and couldn’t get it from the UVB she can not metabolize the calcium you have been giving her.

Vet, now.

I second this. Needs a Vet ASAP. Very concerning that she is staying so low in the cage.
 
Same, vet visit required, especially since she is starting to display the same colours my Veiled Chameleon showed prior to laying eggs. I hope she isn't egg bound due to not having sufficient calcium to form eggs properly. Also, what is the size of the lay box you have, it looks rather small to me and the surface is crowded, she might not feel she has a large enough area to dig in.
 
You've received some good advice. I'm just going to add a few comments and ask a few questions.

What form of vitamin A is in the vitamin powder you are using? Beta carotene, retinol, etc? Is there any D3 in it? (It's not a powder I've ever used and I don't want to look it up) Since she hasn't been getting D3 then she needs to get enough that her levels of calcium, phosphorus, vitamin D3 get back in balance but you need to be careful not to overdose her with D3 supplements too.
It's the fat soluble vitamins that you need to worry about causing an overdose. Generally with the rest...the body uses what is needed and the rest passes out of the body. D3 (a fat soluble vitamin) produced from exposure to UVB or direct sunlight should not produce an overdose but D3 from Supplements can lead to an overdose. Vitamin A from beta carotene will not cause an overdose but from preformed sources it can. Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin too.

I also would like more photos of her from both sides that show the arms and legs. Does she always rest on the branches?

Concerning insects chewing on a chameleon if left in the cage...I leave some food in the cage for the crickets and generally they don't chew on a chameleon as long as the chameleon is healthy. When the chameleon is not healthy it is possible for it to get chewed on...for real. It is NOT a pure myth.

For an egg laying substrate I have used for many many years a playsand and produced by Kings. It comes in a white bag with red, blue, yellow sand box toys pictured on the bag. I make it just moist enough to hold a tunnel. I make it at least 8 inches deep in the container.

Hope you can get there through all of this. There's no time to lose.
I think a visit to a good chameleon vet is in order.
 
If the chameleon is unhealthy, IMHO because the chameleon doesn't feel well its not as aware of the insect being on it or doesn't have the energy to kick it off and that gives the insect a good opportunity to bite it. The chameleon can be so out of it that the insect will actually chew a big hole in the chameleon.

I've left insects in healthy chameleon's cages for years and never had any problems with them chewing on the chameleons ...but don't forget I also leave food in the cages for the insects.
 
BTW I have never used black crickets...just the regular ones I get from the pet store.

Brodybreaux25 ...in my experience it was a chameleon that is near death.

I started keeping chameleons and a lot of other reptiles in the mid 80's and I've only ever had sick one be bitten and I have always left a few crickets in the cages. I've even had a "colony" of crickets start in some cages and the lizards never were bitten. But don't forget I leave lots of food (fresh greens and veggies and a small amount of fruit) in the cages for the crickets.

(Also had super worms reproduce in some of the cages too.)
 
@kinyonga black crickets? Do you mean two banded crickets? Because most pet stores in my city switched to two banded crickets from house or field crickets.
 
jevin...I meant the crickets we can catch wild here in Canada.
I never use WC insects either. It's just the way I've always done things.
 
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