Looking for help and opinions

[armyrec1]

Chameleon Info:
• Your Chameleon – Male Veiled Cham @ 3-4 months old. In my care for 1 week.
• Handling – None yet, trying not to stress him any more.
• Feeding – Very picky eater. Does not like crickets, only mealworms. Gutloading mealworms with carrots.
• Supplements – Light dusting daily with Rep-Cal Phosphorous Free Calcium with VIT- D Ultrafine powder.
• Watering – Have a waterfall which he seemed to like, but it has been nothing but problems. I plan on fixing tomorrow. Have been misting 2-3 times daily.
• Fecal Description – Hard to find, so not sure. He has not been tested for parasites
• History – Only history is that he was housed with a little bit older female at the pet store for a while and the female got mean and ate all the food so they split them up.

Cage Info:
• Cage Type – Exo-Terra 18x18x24 glass cage with screen top. Exo-Terra plantation soil on the floor.
• Lighting – 50w All Living Things (Petsmart brand) Basking bulb. Exo Terra Repti Glo 5.0 Compact Tropical Terrarium Lamp (UVB)
• Temperature – Cage floor stays @ 74-76? Lowest overnight temp, @ 65. Thermometer near floor of cage but none at the top, so I am unsure of basking temp. Small 4 inch fan set on top pointed into cage for air circulation.
• Humidity – Humidity stays @ 60 in the middle of the tank. Hygrometer placed halfway down the glass.
• Plants – Schefflera (1). Fake vine.
• Placement – Cage is in the living room? It is not near any fans, or air vents. Cage is sitting on a table, and the top is 44 ½ inches off the floor.
• Location – Pennsylvania, USA

Current Problem – Herman has not eaten for 2 days. He likes to hang out under both lights, although the last day or so, he has spent more time under the basking lamp. While under the basking lamp he tends to turn dark, almost black. When under the UVB for a while, he sometimes turns a beautiful green color.

I have 2 main questions:

1. In your opinions, how is the setup? Any and all suggestions are welcome.

2. Is his not eating ok? Should I be more worried than I am already?

 

[armyrec1]

Tried to post pics, but I can't get it to work. Here is the link to some pics I just took of his cage and him.

https://picasaweb.google.com/Armyrec1/Herman?feat=directlink

 

[alexbrock]

i would suggest using a screen cage.
the waterfall can cause several issues, i would take it out. there are other ways of keeping humidity and chameleons dont drink from them.
try dubia roaches for a staple food with some good gut-loads of fresh veggies. worms and such are not a good staple food in my opinion.
what size of crickets are you feeding?

read this over

http://www.veiledchameleoncaresheet.com/

many members here will do a great job at helping you out some more with great advice.

 

[carol5208]

A couple of things that I see are a problem. You should not be blowing a fan into the cage. If you are worried about circulation then I would get a screen cage. What are your basking temps and temps up near the top of the cage? Get rid of the waterfall, and mist or get a dripper. Waterfall =bacteria. Get rid of the soil on the bottom of your cage. If you chameleon eats it he may get sick. Do not dust with the calcium with d3 at every feeding. You need a plain calcium without d3 and use the d3 twice a month. Get a multivitamin and use that twice a month as well. The compact bulb is probably ok but most of us use the Reptisun or Retiglo 5.0 tube lights. Compacts have a bad rap from a UVB problem from way back that was causing eye issues and blindness. The new ones are ok so you should be ok with that, but if it were me I would get the tube one. JMO

 

[bigcappa]

The temp seems a little low, but you did not post a "basking temp"? If you can post them, the pics aren't great but he looks healthy. If he is a picky eater, get him some silkworms. They are much healthier than mealworms, mealworms can also be hard for the chameleon to digest. Also get rid of the compact uvb bulb, and get a repti sun 5.0. Although for the amount of time you have had him this shouldn't have affected him yet. If you temps are ok, put him outside in the real sun for a bit, although keep a close eye on the temps in his enclosure. Also, trying giving him a warm shower on his plant in bathroom. This could help him poop if he is having digestion problems. Good luck!