My veiled chameleon is not eating

AngelRod88 · May 27, 2019

Hello i have a veiled chameleon and hes a little over one year old and im concerned because hes not wanting to eat hes eating very little today compare to his usual amount and i also noticed theres yellow dots in his poop im not sure if hes ill or if this is normal he drinks water?? Ive heard he looks ok but im still worried i currently feed him large crickets and i have Horn woms can anyone shed some light as to what could be going on???

Beman · May 27, 2019

Welcome to the forum. Please fill out in detail and provide pics of your enclosure from the lights down. We will do our best to help you based on the info you provide.

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.

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Please Note:

The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
Photos can be very helpful.

AngelRod88 · May 27, 2019

VEILED CHAMELEON-age 1year ive had him for about 2months in a half.
Handleing- i handle him about once per day
FEEDING- i mainly feed him large crikets but ive also feed him Horned worms and super worms and a few baby grass hopers he also ate bananas choped up and one cinnabar moth.
SUPPLEMENTS- I dust his food in repti cal and repti vitamins
WATERING-I mist him about three times perday once in the morning at noon and around 5 pm
FECAL DESCRIPTION- he poops once perday white urate and hes poop is hard however recently hes poop has been somewhat watery with yellow dots on it
HISTORY-he was pooping normaly exept for the last 3 day when i noticed yellow dots in his poop and a decrease in appetite.
CAGE TYPE- I keep him in a large size repti breeze 24×24×48.
LIGHTING- I use a double dome with 5.0 repti sun uvb i keep it about 2 inches above his terrarium.
TEMPERATURE- I keep his temprature at around 75 and the light dome is roughly 2 inches away from the terrarium.
HUMIDITY- I keep his humidity about 60 but when i got to work i ask my father to mist him at noon to keep it humid and when i return from work i mist the entire terrarium to raise the humidity because when i get home the humidity drops to about 48-45.
PLANTS- I only have a few plant vines on the walls of the terrarium i want to use a real plant buy im uncertain as to what kind i should use.
Placement-I keep the terrarium in my room on top of my night stan there are two fans sometimes operating but only when im there.
Location-I live in upper florida in Jacksonville
CURRENT PROBLEM-- Whitin the last 3 days my cham has lost of appetite he still drinks water but he eats less than when i got him. I noticed when i saw that there where still crickets in his terrarium i used to just leave the left over crikets in his terrarium but recently before his bed time i collect all the crikets he doesnt eat and put them back in the cricket carrie also recently i noticed in his poop that there where yellow dots in the poop that i dint see before.

CamoChameleonsHuman · May 27, 2019

See my notes in red

VEILED CHAMELEON-age 1year ive had him for about 2months in a half.
Handleing- i handle him about once per day
FEEDING- i mainly feed him large crikets but ive also feed him Horned worms and super worms and a few baby grass hopers he also ate bananas choped up and one cinnabar moth.
I'm assuming you caught the grasshoppers wild? Never feed wild insects. You never know what kind of pesticides or what not they came in contact with. Also how many food items and how often are you feeding? At what time of day? He should be fed once every other day in the AM no more than 8-10 quality gutloaded feeders. What are you gutloading with?
SUPPLEMENTS- I dust his food in repti cal and repti vitamins
What is your schedule? It should be Calcium everyday, calcium + D3 once every 2 weeks, and a multivitamin with Vit A once every 2 weeks.
WATERING-I mist him about three times perday once in the morning at noon and around 5 pm
How long are you misting for?
FECAL DESCRIPTION- he poops once perday white urate and hes poop is hard however recently hes poop has been somewhat watery with yellow dots on it
Are you positive those yellow dots were on the poop or was it left in the cage for a few days?
HISTORY-he was pooping normaly exept for the last 3 day when i noticed yellow dots in his poop and a decrease in appetite.
I'd recommend you get a fecal exam done for parasites asap.
CAGE TYPE- I keep him in a large size repti breeze 24×24×48.
LIGHTING- I use a double dome with 5.0 repti sun uvb i keep it about 2 inches above his terrarium.
Ditch the coil UVB bulb and get a 24" T5HO linear UVB hood with a 5.0 or 10.0. The coil UVB bulbs do not produce enough UVB to keep your Cham healthy for years to come.
TEMPERATURE- I keep his temprature at around 75 and the light dome is roughly 2 inches away from the terrarium.
This is much too cold for a veiled. This is ok for ambient temperature but basking temp for an adult male should be closer to 90* how are you measuring these temps?
HUMIDITY- I keep his humidity about 60 but when i got to work i ask my father to mist him at noon to keep it humid and when i return from work i mist the entire terrarium to raise the humidity because when i get home the humidity drops to about 48-45.
Veileds require a 30-40%RH during the day and upwards of 80-90%RH at night. If you're struggling with this you may need to get a fogger or cool mist ultrasonic humidifier.
PLANTS- I only have a few plant vines on the walls of the terrarium i want to use a real plant buy im uncertain as to what kind i should use.
He needs some more foliage for sure. Chams feel most comfortable when they think no one can see them. They love to hide and munch on this foliage. I'd suggest a pothos. Easy to care for and love water.
Placement-I keep the terrarium in my room on top of my night stan there are two fans sometimes operating but only when im there.
Location-I live in upper florida in Jacksonville
CURRENT PROBLEM-- Whitin the last 3 days my cham has lost of appetite he still drinks water but he eats less than when i got him. I noticed when i saw that there where still crickets in his terrarium i used to just leave the left over crikets in his terrarium but recently before his bed time i collect all the crikets he doesnt eat and put them back in the cricket carrie also recently i noticed in his poop that there where yellow dots in the poop that i dint see before.
Additional notes: lose the substrate. Veilds are notorious for eating it and becoming impacted. If that's really what his feces looks like right after coming out of him bag it up and put it in the fridge and take it and him to a vet. He may be dealing with some internal parasites. Make the changes I recommended and see that vet and you guys should be sitting pretty again.

AngelRod88 · May 28, 2019

Thank you so much for sharing your insights i truly appreciate it um as far as misting him when i mist him i mist him for approximatly 8 minutes untill the humidity guage that i got him goes up i also have a temperaute guage that i got thats how i measure the temperature i gutload the crickets with fluekers feeder quencher and i use the fluekers feeder food aswell .I fed him crickets everyday because i had no idea i had to feed him once every other day ill be re adjusting that right away. I have currently a pod of Horn worms are you able to tell me how i should be feeding these to him and how many ?? Again thanks im really thankful by your insights anything will help i really want to keep him healthy aslong as possible.oh and i want to ask what are photos?? Is that like plant

CamoChameleonsHuman · May 28, 2019

Thank you so much for sharing your insights i truly appreciate it um as far as misting him when i mist him i mist him for approximatly 8 minutes untill the humidity guage that i got him goes up i also have a temperaute guage
Are your gauges analog or digital? 8min at a time is quite excessive as well. 2min max is all you should need for a veiled. You live in Jacksonville, FL so I'm surprised you're having this issue with humidity. Your fans going aren't helping matters and I assume you have AC going as well. A humidifier and or fogger may be your best bets. Or you could try wrapping a couple sides of the enclosure. that i got thats how i measure the temperature i gutload the crickets with fluekers feeder quencher and i use the fluekers feeder food aswell.
This is highly insufficient. You should be using a mixture of fresh veggies and a commercial gutload like Cricket Crack or Bug Burger. Sounds like your Cham is malnourished. I also really like to use bee pollen.
I fed him crickets everyday because i had no idea i had to feed him once every other day ill be re adjusting that right away. I have currently a pod of Horn worms are you able to tell me how i should be feeding these to him and how many??
1 every other day
Again thanks im really thankful by your insights anything will help i really want to keep him healthy aslong as possible.oh and i want to ask what are photos?? Is that like plant
You're welcome. That's why we are here. I'm attaching some caresheets and careguides as well as a few resources. And yes a Pothos not Photos lol it is a plant and will greatly help with your humidity problem. My Ambanja Panther sleeps in his every night. Stays cool and stays humid plus it's additional climbing surfaces and hiding places. My Veiled loved to eat his.

Episodes 90-92 https://www.chameleonbreeder.com/archive-season-3/

https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/