My chamelon rango has trouble eating

Rangothechamelon

New Member
Hey everyone my chamelon rango is having trouble eating lately as when he tries to his tongue isnt able to catch the food (like his aim is off) and he gets discouraged easily as he has to lean all the way down and try to bite the food and eat it-

Can anyone tell me what's going on and how i might be able to fix it before i take him to the vet?

Some info about rango:
I got him from petsmart in november of last year as a baby because he was in a small glass container with dirt in it-
He has been really healthy up until a few weeks ago when i noticed his aim was off when trying to catch food
I use calcium powder without d3 every feeding and use the vitamins with d3 twice a month
This is my first time owning a chamelon and i'm really worried about my little dude
 
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He is extremely thin and small. Is this his normal weight?

Does your uvb lighting have a plastic cover over the bulb? If so you want to remove this. I believe this is a T8 fixture

Supplements are correct.

Fogging should never be done during the day when lights are on and temps are above 68. This is increased risk for the cham developing a respiratory infection.

What are you feeding him?
 
He is extremely thin and small. Is this his normal weight?

Does your uvb lighting have a plastic cover over the bulb? If so you want to remove this. I believe this is a T8 fixture

Supplements are correct.

Fogging should never be done during the day when lights are on and temps are above 68. This is increased risk for the cham developing a respiratory infection.

What are you feeding him?
He has always been small and thin which has worried me and i was wondering if there was any way to help him gain weight.
There is a plastic cover on it and i will remove it soon
He mainly eats dubai roaches and maybe some meal worms
Another thing to add is that he is also closing his eyes during the day and he has a timed outlet so his lights and everything turn off at a specific time
I also manually mist the cage after a mishap with a automatic mister
 
He has always been small and thin which has worried me and i was wondering if there was any way to help him gain weight.
There is a plastic cover on it and i will remove it soon
He mainly eats dubai roaches and maybe some meal worms
Another thing to add is that he is also closing his eyes during the day and he has a timed outlet so his lights and everything turn off at a specific time
I also manually mist the cage after a mishap with a automatic mister
So your cham is not getting any UVB at all. You need to remove the plastic cover asap. This is not the best UVB type to use for him. The T5HO fixture with the 5.0 bulb would be better. But if you can not get that you need to get the T8 10.0 reptisun bulb to swap out with the bulb that comes with that fixture.

He has been slowly dying.... I hate to tell you that but that is what is happening. UVB regulates tons of things in a cham including appetite along with building strong bones. Also contributes to the proper functioning of the tongue and mobility. Without it their system slowly shuts down and they develop metabolic bone disease. Eyes closing during the day is another result of no UVB.

So fixing the fixture is the priority now and replacing the bulb.

Make sure your feeders are size specific for the cham. He does not look very big at all. I would not feed anything longer than 1/2 an inch. And give him as many as he will eat. Right now he has to gain weight and get healthy.


Start reading this. https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/
 
So your cham is not getting any UVB at all. You need to remove the plastic cover asap. This is not the best UVB type to use for him. The T5HO fixture with the 5.0 bulb would be better. But if you can not get that you need to get the T8 10.0 reptisun bulb to swap out with the bulb that comes with that fixture.

He has been slowly dying.... I hate to tell you that but that is what is happening. UVB regulates tons of things in a cham including appetite along with building strong bones. Also contributes to the proper functioning of the tongue and mobility. Without it their system slowly shuts down and they develop metabolic bone disease. Eyes closing during the day is another result of no UVB.

So fixing the fixture is the priority now and replacing the bulb.

Make sure your feeders are size specific for the cham. He does not look very big at all. I would not feed anything longer than 1/2 an inch. And give him as many as he will eat. Right now he has to gain weight and get healthy.


Start reading this. https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/
Thank you so much!
This explains why he perked up a bit more when he had my beardies lights for a day.
Ill definitely get the new lamp fixure asap and try to make him eat as much as he can
 
Thank you so much!
This explains why he perked up a bit more when he had my beardies lights for a day.
Ill definitely get the new lamp fixure asap and try to make him eat as much as he can
Let me know exactly what you buy and the bulb strength and I can help you with the distance needed to the basking branch. But seriously do this quickly. In the mean time take the plastic off that fixture. It has tiny screws that hold it on. At least he will be getting something until you get a replacement. And even though it is low UVB levels he will be getting it is better than nothing.
 
Let me know exactly what you buy and the bulb strength and I can help you with the distance needed to the basking branch. But seriously do this quickly. In the mean time take the plastic off that fixture. It has tiny screws that hold it on. At least he will be getting something until you get a replacement. And even though it is low UVB levels he will be getting it is better than nothing.
We have him under the beardies uvb lamp that is stronger but he hasn't perked up and he acutally tries to move to the bottom of the cage- he won't eat anything we put in there and he closes his eyes. We can also pick him up without a fight which isn't normal
 
We have him under the beardies uvb lamp that is stronger but he hasn't perked up and he acutally tries to move to the bottom of the cage- he won't eat anything we put in there and he closes his eyes. We can also pick him up without a fight which isn't normal
Have you made a vet appointment? Lack of reaction and eyes closed are very bad signs. You may need immediate vet intervention.
 
I wont have enough money for a vet appointment until my next paycheck
Sometimes places will take payments or have credit lines you can take out. When chams start showing illness, usually it's at a very bad point. They hide issues and pain well. When eyes are regularly closing during the day, you've likely hit a critical point. Especially if you're seeing other symptoms, like not eating, and seeing how skinny your little guy is. You may want to see what vet options may be available to you, ASAP.
EIther way, my hopes and prayers (should you wish to take them) go to you and your little veiled, whatever you decide to do. :)
 
We have him under the beardies uvb lamp that is stronger but he hasn't perked up and he acutally tries to move to the bottom of the cage- he won't eat anything we put in there and he closes his eyes. We can also pick him up without a fight which isn't normal
Right but what are you using for your Beardie? They typically utilize a much higher UVI level than a chameleon will.


UVB is not instantaneous. Their body has to convert it internally. It can take a few days with CORRECT UVI levels to see results. As I said your little one has been slowly dying. The only thing you can do now is see if the UVB helps and he starts to bounce back and get him into a vet that actually knows how to care for reptiles. But when they go into full shut down vets can not always do anything to help...
 
Right but what are you using for your Beardie? They typically utilize a much higher UVI level than a chameleon will.


UVB is not instantaneous. Their body has to convert it internally. It can take a few days with CORRECT UVI levels to see results. As I said your little one has been slowly dying. The only thing you can do now is see if the UVB helps and he starts to bounce back and get him into a vet that actually knows how to care for reptiles. But when they go into full shut down vets can not always do anything to help...
We went to the vet today and they said he is suffering from failure to thrive and said he is in critical condition and all we can do now is completely redo his lights in his enclosure since he perked up in the vets office under their lights. Currently he is on hydration injections, calcium liquid by mouth, and making him eat all his special food once a day to build his strength back up.
She said if this doesn't work then the next option is euthaniztion.
 
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