My chameleon hasnt eaten today

[lisalisa]

Hi everyone,*
I am the owner of a female Senegal chameleon. I have had her for about 3 days. She's been doing great. Yesterday she ate 3 crickets. But today she hasn't eaten even one. She is very friendly climbs on my hand when I put it near her and walks all over me. She is a bright green 95% of the time. The couple times she has been dark brown or black almost it was short lived. I left her alone and she went back to her happy green color. But today she played with Me a little and has been asleep alllll day. I've moved her a couple times and she happily went to the new branch I put her on but went right back to sleep. Is this constant sleeping normal?

 

[CottonChameleon]

I think sleeping during the day when you first get them is fairly normal because they are adjusting to a new light schedule and the not eating may be an acclimating thing. like when I got my panther he ate 5 crickets than didn't eat any more than 1 the next days.

 

[carol5208]

Cotton, this information is totally incorrect. They do not sleep during the day under any circumstances unless they are sick or it could be due to lighting that is incorrect and possibly too strong for their eyes. There is a good chance your chameleon is wild caught and therefore it is often times hard for them to acclimate into captivity. She could have parasites which is another possibility. If she poops, I would gather up her feces and get it to a vet and have it checked out to be on the safe side. Please tell us about your set up. Go to the health clinic and fill out the "ask for help form", then post a pic of your set up. It is true they may not eat or eat sporadically during the first week or so, but the sleeping is something to be totally concerned about.

 

[CarlC]

Im with Carol on this one. Get a fecal sample checked ASAP. Your Senegal is 100% wild caught and looks like it has had some rough handling recently. Sleeping during the day is a sure sign of problems. Make sure she has plenty of opportunity to drink.

Carl

 

[Olimpia]

Poor thing, she does look rough. With wild caught chameleons you're going to want to leave her alone as far as handling for a few weeks, give her privacy except for feeding and watering, and give her the time to get over the ordeal of being imported and return to wellness.

Water is usually the #1 thing that imported chameleons need, so make sure that she gets long misting sessions - 10 minutes or more at least a few times a day at first. If you don't have a way to drain the water away it may be easier to put her/the cage in the shower. At this point water is more important than food, so it's ok if she skips a meal now or then, she probably doesn't feel great.

And then to ditto what Carol and Carl have said, take a fecal sample to a vet to get checked out. Wild chams come in with parasites that can become an issue when they're weak and vulnerable like this, so it's important to get them treated.

 

[Djturna4thakidz]

How is she doing?

 

[lisalisa]

OK Well last night I put the hot shower on and let the steam fill up the bathroom and put her on a plant on the counter.. needless to say she woke right up standing up and was awake. I don't have lighting for her, I'm on my way now to get them. But the first day I brought her home she didn't want to be in the terrarium so she slept out on the plant. I haven't found any poop any where in her space. She went from being very active to not at all. I have real plants in her terrarium she seems to favor one more than the others. I will let u all know when I get back from pet store. Thank You. I'm very worried any other tid bits are much appreciated.

 

[lisalisa]

Here she is last night
And the other day she was happily climbing up my spotted curtains and she turned spots as Well.