My q. graciliors

Scottsquatch

Chameleon Enthusiast
Just wanted to post a couple pics of these guys as I don' think they get enough love here on the forums. So here they are Grumpy and Fern
20180412_163948.jpg
20180412_164021.jpg
 
They are a tad thinner than I like. They keep going on and off on their eating. Not sure why they do this. Either way, they have begun to show interest again so I may see if they'll take some wax worms so I can get a little more weight back on them.
 
They are a tad thinner than I like. They keep going on and off on their eating. Not sure why they do this. Either way, they have begun to show interest again so I may see if they'll take some wax worms so I can get a little more weight back on them.
Hopefully so! I wish my cham would take anything other than dubia roaches, but she is not to be swayed.
 
Ahhh I see. I mean I don't have graciliors, but my Male Panthers will hunger strike for awhile sometimes. Right now my oldest is on almost a week long hunger strike. Not sure if he's eating BSF, roaches, or any other bugs crawling around in his cage though. My Parsons has gone 9 days or so before, but it was cold and I think he was brumating somewhat. I don't blame you though, the hunger strikes drive me crazy.
 
Very beautiful! Those chams just looks so sweet and innocent. I love those pictures.

Well, they may look sweet, but that male was pretty much wild when I got him. He was handled very minimally and did NOT like to be bothered. He would hiss and gape and even bite if he could, and these gracilior DO NOT like to let go. Just trust me on that! This guy is much more used to me now and does not try to bite anymore. He seldom gapes or hisses anymore either, but he does like to slam his head into your hand if you get to close to him. He' quite a character.
 
Well, they may look sweet, but that male was pretty much wild when I got him. He was handled very minimally and did NOT like to be bothered. He would hiss and gape and even bite if he could, and these gracilior DO NOT like to let go. Just trust me on that! This guy is much more used to me now and does not try to bite anymore. He seldom gapes or hisses anymore either, but he does like to slam his head into your hand if you get to close to him. He' quite a character.
Sounds like moments with him are a toss-up! I am still working with my cham to get her to trust me more, since she doesn't really get handled.
 
Well, they may look sweet, but that male was pretty much wild when I got him. He was handled very minimally and did NOT like to be bothered. He would hiss and gape and even bite if he could, and these gracilior DO NOT like to let go. Just trust me on that! This guy is much more used to me now and does not try to bite anymore. He seldom gapes or hisses anymore either, but he does like to slam his head into your hand if you get to close to him. He' quite a character.
Just ask @jajeanpierre with her experience with graciliors that like to latch on!
 
@Scottsquatch Looking at the pictures, I'm going to hazard a guess they are not getting enough water. They won't eat if dehydrated.

The male's horns are dry and flaky. Here's a picture of him taken at my house. See how smooth and shiny his horns look? That's just from humidity and misting.

He is in the middle of a shed, but the shed is not the kind of shed I like to see--it's a very thin shed. I don't know why but I have a few thoughts.

What are you feeding them? What are you feeding their feeders? If crickets, get them off crickets and off any feeder that is fed a grain-based diet.

What are your temperatures? Can you get them out in real sunlight for a little bit of time?

Misting? Are your cages solid sided on three sides?

I don't like that the female is not eating for over a week. We need to talk about this. I'll PM you.




20170717_170017.jpg
 
@jajeanpierre quick question. Most animals, including humans will eat or think they are hungry if dehydrated. I can see how it'd be bad for a dehydrated chameleon to eat a lot, but why would that keep them from eating? No intention to argue or disagree, just genuinely curious what your thoughts on this are.
 
@jajeanpierre quick question. Most animals, including humans will eat or think they are hungry if dehydrated. I can see how it'd be bad for a dehydrated chameleon to eat a lot, but why would that keep them from eating? No intention to argue or disagree, just genuinely curious what your thoughts on this are.
Dehydration prevents them from lubricating their mouths and tongues properly, hence the apprehension to strike or eat.
 
@Scottsquatch Looking at the pictures, I'm going to hazard a guess they are not getting enough water. They won't eat if dehydrated.

The male's horns are dry and flaky. Here's a picture of him taken at my house. See how smooth and shiny his horns look? That's just from humidity and misting.

He is in the middle of a shed, but the shed is not the kind of shed I like to see--it's a very thin shed. I don't know why but I have a few thoughts.

What are you feeding them? What are you feeding their feeders? If crickets, get them off crickets and off any feeder that is fed a grain-based diet.

What are your temperatures? Can you get them out in real sunlight for a little bit of time?

Misting? Are your cages solid sided on three sides?

I don't like that the female is not eating for over a week. We need to talk about this. I'll PM you.




View attachment 203691
That is such a cool Cham species!
 
@Cordawayconstruction that would take some pretty severe dehydration considering insects hold moisture, survival instincts should tell them to eat. Plus we see chameleons that still eat without tongue usage due to vitamin deficiencies and injuries all the time. And I've seen worse looking chams on here that will eat, though maybe gracilior are more sensitive, which is a good possibility.
 
@jajeanpierre quick question. Most animals, including humans will eat or think they are hungry if dehydrated. I can see how it'd be bad for a dehydrated chameleon to eat a lot, but why would that keep them from eating? No intention to argue or disagree, just genuinely curious what your thoughts on this are.

Your first assumption that dehydration increases hunger is incorrect.

Even pain is reduced with dehydration which is one of the reasons palliative caregivers do not give IV fluids to dying patients.
 
@Cordawayconstruction that would take some pretty severe dehydration considering insects hold moisture, survival instincts should tell them to eat. Plus we see chameleons that still eat without tongue usage due to vitamin deficiencies and injuries all the time. And I've seen worse looking chams on here that will eat, though maybe gracilior are more sensitive, which is a good possibility.

Graciliors aren't "more sensitive" @jamest0o0 than any other chameleon. In fact, I think they are hardier than most chameleons including veileds and panthers.

Captive bred animals are different than wild caught animals. A wild caught will eat when close to death and under severe stress. Not so with captive breds. Wild caughts have learned that food does not come around very often and are incredibly motivated to eat when there is food available.

The desire but inability to eat with an injured tongue is not the same as a lack of appetite. Two completely different problems.
 
Back
Top Bottom