My father and I got a chameleon a little under a month ago and he rarely eats. I’ve read that about a week without eating is common. He eats maybe 1 cricket but that’s rare. We’ve tried wax worms just to get some food in him but he seems uninterested. He’s starting to look skinnier and I’m worried about him
My new Chameleon Still won’t eat
- Thread starter E.dean
- Start date
Pearl Fields
Avid Member
How old is he?
Pearl Fields
Avid Member
4 inches Snout to vent or 4 inches with tail? Also is he a veiled
janjan20
Chameleon Enthusiast
Welcome! I highly recommend filling out the help form. Please post pics of the entire cage from the lights down.
Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.
Chameleon Info:
Cage Info:
Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
--------------
Please Note:
Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.
Chameleon Info:
- Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
- Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
- Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
- Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
- Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
- Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
- History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
Cage Info:
- Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
- Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
- Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
- Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
- Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
- Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
- Location - Where are you geographically located?
Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
--------------
Please Note:
- The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
- Photos can be very helpful.
Pearl Fields
Avid Member
if he is that small he definitely needs to be eating more fill out the husbandry form above, ^^ it could have to do with wrong husbandry
Chameleon Info:
Veiled male- about 4 in from snout to tail.
Had for about 3.5 weeks
eats rarely
Rarely handled
Feeding: Have tried small crickets (1-2), small dubia beetles (1) , waxworms (1-2), mealworms ( only tried once)
Is fed around noon andhave tried around 6 pm. Light goes off at 8 pm. Crickets and roaches are pre gut loaded from local pet store
Supplements: Calcium - ZooMed
Watering: Daily hand misting and a mist fogger
fecal: white with brown center. solid no runniness
Cage Info:
screen/mesh cage 3ft tall ( zoo med chameleon kit)
Temp range: 80 F at top 70 F at bottom measured with digital thermometers
12 hour cycle 8 am-8 pm. Evening heat lamp to keep temp overnight at constant 75 F
Humidity: humidity is between 60-75
Plants: Plastic vines etc
placement: not near any fans or vents but in a semi high traffic area
located in the Great Lakes region of the US
Current issue:
chameleon eats very little if any. Has eaten crickets and waxworms but not consistently. We have tried feeding him in a separate pet keeper as the cage may be too big .
Veiled male- about 4 in from snout to tail.
Had for about 3.5 weeks
eats rarely
Rarely handled
Feeding: Have tried small crickets (1-2), small dubia beetles (1) , waxworms (1-2), mealworms ( only tried once)
Is fed around noon andhave tried around 6 pm. Light goes off at 8 pm. Crickets and roaches are pre gut loaded from local pet store
Supplements: Calcium - ZooMed
Watering: Daily hand misting and a mist fogger
fecal: white with brown center. solid no runniness
Cage Info:
screen/mesh cage 3ft tall ( zoo med chameleon kit)
Temp range: 80 F at top 70 F at bottom measured with digital thermometers
12 hour cycle 8 am-8 pm. Evening heat lamp to keep temp overnight at constant 75 F
Humidity: humidity is between 60-75
Plants: Plastic vines etc
placement: not near any fans or vents but in a semi high traffic area
located in the Great Lakes region of the US
Current issue:
chameleon eats very little if any. Has eaten crickets and waxworms but not consistently. We have tried feeding him in a separate pet keeper as the cage may be too big .
Pearl Fields
Avid Member
Well I can already tell you that the majority of everything you have needs to be changed ASAP
jacksonchamnew
Avid Member
The cage can work until he or she is 8 months or so. I had a male veil in one. What kind of UV lamp do you have. You need linear T5 one and not the twisted one that comes with cage.
jacksonchamnew
Avid Member
Arcadia 6% or Zoo Med UVB t-5 fixture and bulb.
jacksonchamnew
Avid Member
jacksonchamnew
Avid Member
jacksonchamnew
Avid Member
They can't digest their food or make calcium for their bones without proper UVB light.
Can you please post pics of the cage lights down and the supplements they had you buy? I am going through your form now.
@E.dean See my feedback and questions in red bold.
Chameleon Info:
Veiled male- about 4 in from snout to tail.
Had for about 3.5 weeks
eats rarely
Rarely handled
Feeding: Have tried small crickets (1-2), small dubia beetles (1) , waxworms (1-2), mealworms ( only tried once)
Is fed around noon andhave tried around 6 pm. Light goes off at 8 pm. Crickets and roaches are pre gut loaded from local pet store How are you feeding them? Cup, feeder run, free feeding? At that size they should be taking down at least 15 a day. Are you going every day to buy feeders? They only stay gutloaded for 12hour or so. No mealworms should be feed as they are harder to digest.
Supplements: Calcium - ZooMed What types please take picture of the front of the containers.
Watering: Daily hand misting and a mist fogger.. When are you running the fogger? This should be only used at night when the cage is cool.
fecal: white with brown center. solid no runniness
Cage Info:
screen/mesh cage 3ft tall ( zoo med chameleon kit)
Temp range: 80 F at top 70 F at bottom measured with digital thermometers... Are these with wired probes? Otherwise your not getting an accurate basking temp if the probe is not placed at the branch.
12 hour cycle 8 am-8 pm. Evening heat lamp to keep temp overnight at constant 75 F... No heat at all at night unless it is below 50 degrees and then you can not use a light producing heat lamp. UVB lighting should be a T5ho fixture that runs the width of the cage and a 5.0 or 6% UVB bulb for it then basking would be 9 inches below this.
Humidity: humidity is between 60-75 too high should be 30-40% for daytime.
Plants: Plastic vines etc... Should be using real plants for veileds. They eat their plants so if you use plastic this is an impaction risk. Covering the top of the soil with 1 inch or larger rock. https://chameleonacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Chameleon-Plants-122819.pdf
placement: not near any fans or vents but in a semi high traffic area
located in the Great Lakes region of the US
Current issue:
chameleon eats very little if any. Has eaten crickets and waxworms but not consistently. We have tried feeding him in a separate pet keeper as the cage may be too big . Moving him out of the enclosure will cause more stress... You should be cup feeding or buy a feeder run.
Start reading through this entire husbandry program. https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/
Your species specific info https://chameleonacademy.com/veiled-chameleon-care/
Accurate info and Product links for things I like:
https://chameleonacademy.com/
https://www.chameleonbreeder.com/
https://www.youtube.com/c/NeptunetheChameleon?sub_confirmation=1
www.dragonstrand.com
https://tkchameleons.com/collections/accessories/products/shooting-gallery
Chameleon Info:
Veiled male- about 4 in from snout to tail.
Had for about 3.5 weeks
eats rarely
Rarely handled
Feeding: Have tried small crickets (1-2), small dubia beetles (1) , waxworms (1-2), mealworms ( only tried once)
Is fed around noon andhave tried around 6 pm. Light goes off at 8 pm. Crickets and roaches are pre gut loaded from local pet store How are you feeding them? Cup, feeder run, free feeding? At that size they should be taking down at least 15 a day. Are you going every day to buy feeders? They only stay gutloaded for 12hour or so. No mealworms should be feed as they are harder to digest.
Supplements: Calcium - ZooMed What types please take picture of the front of the containers.
Watering: Daily hand misting and a mist fogger.. When are you running the fogger? This should be only used at night when the cage is cool.
fecal: white with brown center. solid no runniness
Cage Info:
screen/mesh cage 3ft tall ( zoo med chameleon kit)
Temp range: 80 F at top 70 F at bottom measured with digital thermometers... Are these with wired probes? Otherwise your not getting an accurate basking temp if the probe is not placed at the branch.
12 hour cycle 8 am-8 pm. Evening heat lamp to keep temp overnight at constant 75 F... No heat at all at night unless it is below 50 degrees and then you can not use a light producing heat lamp. UVB lighting should be a T5ho fixture that runs the width of the cage and a 5.0 or 6% UVB bulb for it then basking would be 9 inches below this.
Humidity: humidity is between 60-75 too high should be 30-40% for daytime.
Plants: Plastic vines etc... Should be using real plants for veileds. They eat their plants so if you use plastic this is an impaction risk. Covering the top of the soil with 1 inch or larger rock. https://chameleonacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Chameleon-Plants-122819.pdf
placement: not near any fans or vents but in a semi high traffic area
located in the Great Lakes region of the US
Current issue:
chameleon eats very little if any. Has eaten crickets and waxworms but not consistently. We have tried feeding him in a separate pet keeper as the cage may be too big . Moving him out of the enclosure will cause more stress... You should be cup feeding or buy a feeder run.
Start reading through this entire husbandry program. https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/
Your species specific info https://chameleonacademy.com/veiled-chameleon-care/
Accurate info and Product links for things I like:
https://chameleonacademy.com/
https://www.chameleonbreeder.com/
https://www.youtube.com/c/NeptunetheChameleon?sub_confirmation=1
www.dragonstrand.com
https://tkchameleons.com/collections/accessories/products/shooting-gallery
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