my new baby veiled wont eat

[breannachelsey]

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - veiled cham, male, maybe 4-5 weeks old
Handling - i've handled him maybe 4 times since we got him a few days ago
Feeding - theres crickets in the tank and i tried feeding it mealworms with a tweezer but he wouldnt take it
Supplements - calcium and d3 on the crickets
Watering - I have a mister going off every 3 hours for 30 seconds and i've seen her drink before
Fecal Description - brown and its like solid but liquidy at the same time
History - i got him at petco a few days ago and he was by himself, im guessing he was never handled because he hissed whenever i was handling him.



Cage Info:
Cage Type - glass 20 gal tank
Lighting - 50 watt UVB bulb, 30 watt basking bulb and i have a 20 watt red basking bulb for night time
Temperature - 82 or so at basking, around 75-78 normal
Humidity - not exactly sure
Plants - ivy
Placement - in my room around 73 degrees
Location - texas

Current Problem - he seems to be drinking just fine, i'm just worried about him not eating!

 

[breannachelsey]

here's a picture of the little guy

 

[breannachelsey]

There is also a mesh screen over the top of the tank right now

 

[jannb]

Welcome to the forums and congratulations on that little cutie. What size crickets are you using? He's pretty small and will need small crickets. You can also buy some fruit flies for him. They normally likethingss that fly. If he's drinking that's good because if they get dehydrated they want eat. If it's to hot they want eat either. Sometimes they need a few days to settle into a new home and sometimes they are shy and eat when you aren't watching. There should also be a white part to the poop. One end brown and the other white. Don't use a red light at night. They need it totally dark at night to rest well. I'm attaching my blog for new keepers. Hopefully it will help you out.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html

 

[junglefries]

Like Jannb said no nite light. Mix a couple flies with the small crickets at the same time. The fly activity will motivate the cham (to eat) and the crickets (to move). Hence, eating a couple of each for the best results. Veils will eat hydeii up to about 8-10 weeks of age, give or take. No mealworms, please. Smaller superworms will be okay as he grows a little larger. You could try household flies from mantisplace, to encourage feeding response. New veils don't necessarily eat or drink in front of new owners. Watch for droppings to know he is eating andhydrated. You will also need to switch to a mesh cage, hopefully sonner than later. Supplement as follows: Ca every feeding or ebery other, Ca w/ D3 every 2 weeks, and vitamins every 2 weeks. Veils really need them for their fast growth and large bodies. Hope this helps, without sounding critical.