My male Veiled has stopped eating

Alex_F_99

New Member
Hi there! I'm new here so i apologise in advance if i post this in the wrong place, but for almost a month now my male Veiled chameleon Louie has just totally stopped eating. He may have eaten one dubia roach some time in the past few weeks but it may have escaped the cup while i wasn't in the room (though i can't find it in the enclosure so i'm hoping he ate it). He's drinking plenty and his humidity/temps stay at a good level throughout the day, and he's pretty active too so i'm not sure what's wrong with him. Right now I am unsure if he has pooped as he tends to do it in one spot that is very hidden in foliage (i will check soon). I've been keeping track of his weight for about two weeks now and it's stayed at about 194-195g.
Here's his info:

Your Chameleon: Male Veiled chameleon, 2 years 7 months, I've had him since October 2017 and got him from another owner who didn't care for him properly.

Handling: Whenever he feels like coming out, which can range from every day or once every couple days. He will claw at the door until he is let out, and then just chills on my shoulder for a while, usually in the sun by the window.

Feeding: Usually superworms, dubia roaches (when he wants them, he's iffy about these), crickets, locust, calciworms, and the occasional wax worm. He would eat every two or three days, but now he's just stopped completely. All gutloaded with carrots, apple, dandelion leaves, jelly pots and cabbage leaves. I have tried to give him fruit and veggies before but he just puffs up and freaks out at them.

Supplements: Exo Terra brand calcium dust every other feeding, calcium + D3 once at the beginning of every month, and I occasionally sprinkle his food with nutribal if he hasn't eaten regularly. I also use reptisafe in the misting/drinking water which apparently adds calcium.

Fecal Description: It looks normal from what I saw before he stopped. White part was a chalky white with a very slight yellowish tint at the end of it, but other than that it was fine. Couldn't see any parasites.

History: He's a pretty normal Veiled, if not a bit friendlier than most of the males I've read about haha. When i got him he was dehydrated and a bit skinny, and had a burn on his casque but all that has cleared up and he's been a healthy little guy ever since. Very active and a total character.


Cage Info:

Cage Type: Extra large Repti-Breeze, i think 61x16x122cm.

Lighting: 50w exo terra basking lamp with a zoomed deep dish fixture, located above the mesh. His perch is about say 10 or 11 inches from the bulb. basking temp is about 26 degrees centigrade/80f, though it can get slightly hotter or colder depending on how much sun is coming into the room. He has a new UVB bulb at 5.0 rating that i replaced just a few days ago.

Temperature: Ambient temperature is usually around 60-75f (thermometer doesn't read in centigrade unfortunately) and the basking point is around 80f as i mentioned above.

Humidity: After misting the enclosure, humidity usually stays in the 80% to 90% for about half an hour, and then gradually goes down until it hits about 40%. It gets misted two or three times a day and I am saving up to buy a mister.

Plants: A mix of live and artificial plants. At the top of the enclosure he has plenty of fake plants to hide in that are attached to the mesh and the vines, and at the bottom I have a potted ficus, potted pothos, and potted heart leaf philodendron which he has taken to sleeping in at night.

Placement: Currently his enclosure is in my bedroom on the floor as I don't have anything big enough to put it on yet, but he's been in it for a while and seems fine. His basking point is at almost eye level with me.

Location: Scotland, UK.

Current Problem:

TL;DR, my chameleon suddenly stopped eating and i don't know what to do. Vet has been contacted but they aren't specialists on herps and there are no exotic pet vets around here so i'm hesitant. Also, i recently got a fire salamander and its enclosure is on the other side of the room, and i got him around the time that Louie stopped eating. Could the sudden New Thing in the room be stressing him out?
 

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Hi there the only thing regarding husbandry that stands out to me is his basking spot being at 80. It should be between 90-95 for an adult male. It looks like that is a linear uvb bulb but I can not exactly tell. Here is a link to the care sheet. https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/
Can he actually see the salamander because that could be it exactly. Especially since he is on the floor. I would find something to put the cage on to get him higher. And move the new "intruder" out of eyesight.
 
Hi there the only thing regarding husbandry that stands out to me is his basking spot being at 80. It should be between 90-95 for an adult male. It looks like that is a linear uvb bulb but I can not exactly tell. Here is a link to the care sheet. https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/
Can he actually see the salamander because that could be it exactly. Especially since he is on the floor. I would find something to put the cage on to get him higher. And move the new "intruder" out of eyesight.
He can't see the salamander as it is nocturnal and always in its hide during the day, but i will try to find another place for the salamanders tank if i can. Could you explain what you mean by the uvb bulb being linear? It has a reflector attached if that changes anything. I'll bump the temps up though!
 
Oof no I'm being stupid, it is a linear bulb but that's what my tutor in my animal care college course and local breeder recommended for me to use instead of one of the small uvb bulge as it covers a wider area of the enclosure.
 
He can't see the salamander as it is nocturnal and always in its hide during the day, but i will try to find another place for the salamanders tank if i can. Could you explain what you mean by the uvb bulb being linear? It has a reflector attached if that changes anything. I'll bump the temps up though!
Ok so linear is the long bulbs with prongs at each end they fit into a T5 fixture. Here is a helpful image
UVB lighting pic.jpeg
 
Oof no I'm being stupid, it is a linear bulb but that's what my tutor in my animal care college course and local breeder recommended for me to use instead of one of the small uvb bulge as it covers a wider area of the enclosure.
Yes, Perfect then. So yeah bump up his temps see if that helps. Try to get him off the floor so he feels like he is in the trees. And move the other out of eyesight just in case it is stressing him.
 
Yes, Perfect then. So yeah bump up his temps see if that helps. Try to get him off the floor so he feels like he is in the trees. And move the other out of eyesight just in case it is stressing him.
Will do, ordering a stand as we speak. He's never done this before and he's been in this enclosure for a long time now, but i guess chams are weird with this sorta stuff. Hopefully my vet will get back to me soon.
 
Will do, ordering a stand as we speak. He's never done this before and he's been in this enclosure for a long time now, but i guess chams are weird with this sorta stuff. Hopefully my vet will get back to me soon.
I honestly think the temps have something to do with it as well. If they can't get warm enough it can affect the eating habits and energy. You should be able to easily achieve the temp you need with a 75 watt basking bulb. Just ensure that it is hitting no hotter then 95 and if it is lift it up off the top of the enclosure. I think the stand will help a lot as well because since he will be higher his ambient temp will be better during the day.
 
I honestly think the temps have something to do with it as well. If they can't get warm enough it can affect the eating habits and energy. You should be able to easily achieve the temp you need with a 75 watt basking bulb. Just ensure that it is hitting no hotter then 95 and if it is lift it up off the top of the enclosure. I think the stand will help a lot as well because since he will be higher his ambient temp will be better during the day.
His temp has been like that for a while now and he's had no issues, but it's recently started to get a little colder in my room so I'm guessing that's been the issue. I've got a stand somewhere so I'll try and set that up!
 
His temp has been like that for a while now and he's had no issues, but it's recently started to get a little colder in my room so I'm guessing that's been the issue. I've got a stand somewhere so I'll try and set that up!
Yeah that was what I was thinking... With ambient temps dropping due to weather changing it will make basking heat less effective. Your on the right track! Let me know if I can help more. If it makes you feel better he is only about 30 grams below what his what should be at his age. It should be right about 220 for an adult male.
 
Thank you! It's been hard finding a solid weight suggestion for adult males, some say 190s and some say 200s etc. He's about 2ft long now so I thought the 190s was a little lighter than he should be
 
So this list is based on one of our very experienced keepers and breeders for her male veiled. I compiled it from her photo archive. :)
2 ½ months 15 grams
4 months 40 grams
5 months 74 grams
8 months 138 grams
9 months 148 grams
10 months 170 grams
11 months 180 grams
12 months 189 grams
13 months 193 grams
14 months 196 grams
16 months 206 grams
17 months 211 grams
19 months 216 grams
20 months 221 grams
21 months 224 grams
24 months 222 grams
 
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