Low appetite...really need help with this new guy!

[Achmed]

OK, this new cham seems to prefer soil to eating insects. He refuses supers and crickets, but his daily droppings resemble the soil in his live potted hibiscus. Otherwise there is no other substrate. He looks really thin, eyes a little sunken, and probably didn't eat a bug all weekend.

Here's the recent info:

So...I have this new little veiled that was overwhelming his owners. He must be almost a year, confirmed male, 7-8" SVL. So far he has had MBD and eye issues. He has seen two different qualified herp vets. While I have kept herps for about 20 years, Achmed is my first cham. I was pet sitting for about a week and then yesterday the owner asked if I would just keep him.

So here we go...

This info is based on previous owner care; my adjustments will be in parentheses if any have been made.

Cage Info:

* Cage Type - One of those metal/screen cages that is 3ft tall x 2ft x 2ft.
* Lighting - incandescent household bulb:Reveal 75W, ZooMed 10.0 compact (I don't like the compact and have switched to a linear 5.0 and natural sunlight. I am familiar with reptile uv uk)
* Temperature - I use a digital thermometer with probe to measure temps. Basking spot is 92, usual hang out mid-cage is 85, cage floor is 80-82. nighttime temps are 78
* Humidity - Digital hygrometer to measure humidity. It usually bottoms out at 40-50%, tops at 70% when I mist. I mist with a coarse warm water spray in the morning.
* Plants - There's a little mini hibiscus in there and also fake branches for climbing.
* Placement - Well, right now it's still in my reptile room, but I'd like to move him. Not really high traffic, but some scaarrrryyy animals in there. The top of the cage is about 5ft off the floor. I have two sides of the cage covered so he can't see the other animals and get stressed.
* Location - Central FL. I'd love for him to live on my screen porch!

Chameleon Info:

* Your Chameleon - Veiled, male, bought at Daytona last August as a baby. I've had him for about two weeks.
* Handling - He has been handled rarely.
* Feeding - He eats mostly crickets, gutloaded with Flukers orange and yellow cubes. I have also gotten him to eat some supers that were gut loaded with collards. He eats maybe two supers or two large crickets daily (less now he's thin and eyes look a little sunken).
* Supplements - RepCal no phosphorous with and without D3 at almost every feeding. Not sure on the HerpVite schedule. (I supplement With and w/o D3 alternately 3x week, Herpvite once every other week.)
* Watering - Coarse misting by hand or with hose mist/shower attachment if he's outside. I have seen him start to drink.
* Fecal Description - Hmm...I think his fecals have been neg. Stools are nice, formed, dark,food looks digested. Urates are whitish, some bits of yellowish.
* History - First seen by vet for eye issue, prescribed Gentamycin eye drops. Second opinion to another vet revealed MBD and eye issues. Compact 5.0 changed to compact 10.0 (shudder). Given oral calcium gluconate and Cipro eye drops. Also misted more often.
* Current Problem - Eyes seem a bit sunken. Doesn't want to hunt, but will eat if I stick a cricket in his gaping mouth. When I turned off the compact, his eyes seemed to get better. His eyeballs look like they are far, far away in the little cone part of his eyelid. He seems to have little appetite except for soil. I've covered the soil in the little pot with smooth rocks that are too large for him to eat.


Any suggestions? He basks and watches insects, but won't go for them. His stools look like little black pieces of top soil with an occasional piece of bug in it. I hate to remove the plant since he has taken bites of it and enjoys hanging out in there.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

So you have switched to the linear repti-sun 5.0?
How does the inside of his mouth look?
Any wheezing, gaping, or popping noises coming from him?

-Brad

 

[Dunnigan]

Do you only spray him in the mornings?

Try misting 3 or 4 times a day, and run a dripper for part of the day. (You can make a dripper out of a plastic cup)

 

[Achmed]

I have switched him to the linear...eyes and behavior improved greatly.

Sometimes I mist him in the afternoon, too. I have a dripper system and will set that back up.

His mouth looks nice and pink, nostrils look clear. The only sound I hear from him is a wheeze if he blows himself up to hiss at me. I have Keflex on hand but I don't really want to medicate him if he's already underweight or dehydrated.

Another thought I had is that perhaps I'm offering him bigger prey than he's used to...previous owners fed med sized crickets and I'm feeding large. They are not too large for his size, but maybe he's frightened by them.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

I wouldn't do any medicating either.
Doesn't sound like there are any obvious signs of any kind of infection.
Good idea to try the smaller feeders.
You might want to get your hands on some silk worms as well.
Mulberry Farms or Coastal Silkworms are good sources.
He may just need to be hydrated and fattened up some.
At some point in the not too distant future a wellness check and fecal would be a good idea.

-Brad

 

[Achmed]

Thanks,

He's had a few checks and i can run a basic fecal here at the house. I think you've got it right...he's just a bit underconditioned and has a shady past with the MBD and compact light for almost a year. Will he really learn to eat from a cup?

Hmmm....he's a mystery...which is why I never wanted to keep chams before. they are tricky little buggers! Fascinating, but tricky! He's not going for smaller feeders, no on the little roaches, it might come down to reptiaid supplement. Funny, he'll hiss until he sees a syringe, then he clams shut.