My veiled girl refuses food

[nicolzen]

Hello,
I've had my veiled girl for almost 2 years.

I've been feeding her 2 bigger insects every other day (roaches, locusts) or 3-4 smaller insects (crickets, superworms as a treat) every other day. Calcium on every feeding and reptivite with d3 twice a month.

She has UVB, basking light and an automatic misting system.

The problem is, she has been refusing food for 6 days. That never happened before. She would always THROW herself at me when she saw the feeding cup or the insect in my hand. I feed her mostly roaches, so I thought that she might be tired of them, I got her crickets and she refused them too.

She has a big laying bin in the enclosure all the time, filled with terarium substrate. She laid eggs in the past without problems, 3 times. The last time she laid eggs was in June of 2025.

Normally, she doesn't come to me, on my hand, because she's comfortable in her inclosure and I don't force her outside. Today, she started going to the bottom of the cage and when I opened it to try to feed her crickets again, she climbed on me (which she doesn't normally do like I said).

Can someone help me figure out what's going on? Do you think she might want to lay eggs? Thank you. Posting photos from today

 

[LizardLurkin]

I've not any experience with females so I'll tag resident Girl Chameleon Master @MissSkittles
To me, she looks rather round in those last two photos.
I also notice she's seen a fair share of burns in the past, namely at the top of her casque, and her back spikes.


It's really helpful to fill this help form out, not just to help with the current problem, but to also get advice that may help in keeping the issue from repeating too.

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.

 

[nicolzen]

Yes she was burned but it healed beautifully and I already discussed it here

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - veiled girl, almost 2 years in my care
• Handling - very rarely/never
• Feeding - mostly roaches, but also crickets, locusts, superworms as treat. Nothing else is available in my country. I feed every other day with calcium and twice a month reptivite multivitamin that has D3
• Supplements - Repti Planet 100% Calcium and Reptivite multivitamin with D3
• Watering - Automatic misting system, in summer I mist every 3 hours for 30 seconds, in other seasons I mist every 3 hours for 15 seconds. I see her drink sometimes.
• Fecal Description - She has been tested for parasites in the first 6 months of having her. Her poops are healthy looking with white urates.
• History - Before I got her, she was already burned because of a basking light being freely in the enclosure, that's how she burned herself. After, in the first months of me having her, she had white parasites in her poop. I was very concerned about it but we went to the vet, got medication and she healed from that.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - 90 cm high, 60 cm, 60 cm
• Lighting - basking - Repti Planet Daylight Basking 25W, UVB - Repti Planet 5.0. On top of the cage mesh, not inside the cage.
• Temperature - Basking spot - 23-25 Celcius, bottom of cage 18-20 Celcius
• Humidity - During the day - around 40-50%, in the evening/night - 70-80%
• Plants - All live plants, I struggle with keeping them alive tho. All plants are pothos
• Placement - The cage is located on top of a cabinet. We walk around this area but slowly so she doesn't freak out. I think it's about 100 cm above the floor.
• Location - Czech republic

Current Problem - Refusing food - after about 30 seconds of staring at the insect, she turns around to walk away from it

UPDATE - SHE STARTED DIGGING!!! I am so happy. I quickly took a glimpse in the laying bin because she wasn't anywhere else in the cage and she's there, digging. I won't disturb her anymore.

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi! So glad your little green honey has started digging. Your husbandry looks quite good. I’ll go thru it just to be nit-picky, but you’re doing fine. Btw, I’m no where near a master of anything - I just listen well to those with experience, consolidated their knowledge and guidance and wrote a blog.

• Your Chameleon - veiled girl, almost 2 years in my care
• Handling - very rarely/never This is great, but do work on building/maintaining trust. This helps. https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/building-trust-with-your-chameleon.2396/
• Feeding - mostly roaches, but also crickets, locusts, superworms as treat. Nothing else is available in my country. No silkworms? I feed every other day with calcium and twice a month reptivite multivitamin that has D3 Perfect! If you wanted, you could further reduce her to 3 days a week. I feed mine every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and on one of the weekend days I give a small treat.
• Supplements - Repti Planet 100% Calcium and Reptivite multivitamin with D3 Just make sure that your calcium is phosphorus-free and doesn’t contain D3.
• Watering - Automatic misting system, in summer I mist every 3 hours for 30 seconds, in other seasons I mist every 3 hours for 15 seconds. I see her drink sometimes. This might be where the biggest true improvement should be made. You want her enclosure to have time to dry out and keep humidity levels low. It’s much better to mist for 2 minutes, twice a day - right before light go on and off. If she is needing additional hydration, you can either use a dripper for about 15-20 minutes daily or add a third misting session. Look at the color of her urate to determine if she’s getting enough water. White or mostly white (or cream color) is ideal. Orange or mostly yellow means she needs more water.
• Fecal Description - She has been tested for parasites in the first 6 months of having her. Her poops are healthy looking with white urates. Excellent!
• History - Before I got her, she was already burned because of a basking light being freely in the enclosure, that's how she burned herself. After, in the first months of me having her, she had white parasites in her poop. I was very concerned about it but we went to the vet, got medication and she healed from that. Aww…poor little girl. Glad she’s doing so much better with you.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - 90 cm high, 60 cm, 60 cm This is a bit small. The minimum recommended size is 60x60x120 cm tall. If you want, you could combine another of the same size enclosure that you have side by side to give her additional space. They do use however much space we can give them.
• Lighting - basking - Repti Planet Daylight Basking 25W, UVB - Repti Planet 5.0. On top of the cage mesh, not inside the cage. I’m not familiar with this brand and so have a concern that the uvb puts out adequate levels of uvb. The only way to check is with a solarmeter, which is quite expensive. If Arcadia or ReptiSun uvb lights are available, I do advise to switch to one of them. At the least and if they are not available, do change your uvb bulb every 6 months.
• Temperature - Basking spot - 23-25 Celcius, This is actually just a little cool. Ideally you want around 26-27c. bottom of cage 18-20 Celcius perfect
• Humidity - During the day - around 40-50%, Ok - it’s within the ideal range of 30-50% in the evening/night - 70-80% just make sure your night time temp is cool - 20/21c or below. High heat plus high humidity can increase the risk for respiratory infection.
• Plants - All live plants, I struggle with keeping them alive tho. All plants are pothos Odd. Pothos is usually very easy and hardy. Maybe they have been getting overwatered from the frequent misting? Maybe that isn’t enough water and they need weekly deep watering? Is your girl eating them to death? Maybe try experimenting with watering and see which does better. Even though they technically don’t need a special plant light, they do grow better with one. You could try adding a light for them.
• Placement - The cage is located on top of a cabinet. We walk around this area but slowly so she doesn't freak out. I think it's about 100 cm above the floor. Very good. Height is safety for chameleons.
• Location - Czech Republic I’ll guess that you are familiar with Petr Necas. If not, here is his site. https://www.chameleons.info/en/ You can change the language to Czech (top right). While I haven’t really looked too much into it, he does have tons of info about chameleons. He also has videos on YouTube and many are in Czech I believe. Plus he’s on Facebook - not sure about any other social media.

Current Problem - Refusing food - after about 30 seconds of staring at the insect, she turns around to walk away from it I’d say you figured out why. When she’s all done laying her eggs - she’s covered her tunnel and returned to her basking area, make sure to feed her very well for a few days to rebuild her strength.

UPDATE - SHE STARTED DIGGING!!! I am so happy. I quickly took a glimpse in the laying bin because she wasn't anywhere else in the cage and she's there, digging. I won't disturb her anymore.
Yay! So very very glad she’s doing her thing and is okay.

 

[nicolzen]

Hi! So glad your little green honey has started digging. Your husbandry looks quite good. I’ll go thru it just to be nit-picky, but you’re doing fine. Btw, I’m no where near a master of anything - I just listen well to those with experience, consolidated their knowledge and guidance and wrote a blog.

• Your Chameleon - veiled girl, almost 2 years in my care
• Handling - very rarely/never This is great, but do work on building/maintaining trust. This helps. https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/building-trust-with-your-chameleon.2396/
• Feeding - mostly roaches, but also crickets, locusts, superworms as treat. Nothing else is available in my country. No silkworms? I feed every other day with calcium and twice a month reptivite multivitamin that has D3 Perfect! If you wanted, you could further reduce her to 3 days a week. I feed mine every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and on one of the weekend days I give a small treat.
• Supplements - Repti Planet 100% Calcium and Reptivite multivitamin with D3 Just make sure that your calcium is phosphorus-free and doesn’t contain D3.
• Watering - Automatic misting system, in summer I mist every 3 hours for 30 seconds, in other seasons I mist every 3 hours for 15 seconds. I see her drink sometimes. This might be where the biggest true improvement should be made. You want her enclosure to have time to dry out and keep humidity levels low. It’s much better to mist for 2 minutes, twice a day - right before light go on and off. If she is needing additional hydration, you can either use a dripper for about 15-20 minutes daily or add a third misting session. Look at the color of her urate to determine if she’s getting enough water. White or mostly white (or cream color) is ideal. Orange or mostly yellow means she needs more water.
• Fecal Description - She has been tested for parasites in the first 6 months of having her. Her poops are healthy looking with white urates. Excellent!
• History - Before I got her, she was already burned because of a basking light being freely in the enclosure, that's how she burned herself. After, in the first months of me having her, she had white parasites in her poop. I was very concerned about it but we went to the vet, got medication and she healed from that. Aww…poor little girl. Glad she’s doing so much better with you.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - 90 cm high, 60 cm, 60 cm This is a bit small. The minimum recommended size is 60x60x120 cm tall. If you want, you could combine another of the same size enclosure that you have side by side to give her additional space. They do use however much space we can give them.
• Lighting - basking - Repti Planet Daylight Basking 25W, UVB - Repti Planet 5.0. On top of the cage mesh, not inside the cage. I’m not familiar with this brand and so have a concern that the uvb puts out adequate levels of uvb. The only way to check is with a solarmeter, which is quite expensive. If Arcadia or ReptiSun uvb lights are available, I do advise to switch to one of them. At the least and if they are not available, do change your uvb bulb every 6 months.
• Temperature - Basking spot - 23-25 Celcius, This is actually just a little cool. Ideally you want around 26-27c. bottom of cage 18-20 Celcius perfect
• Humidity - During the day - around 40-50%, Ok - it’s within the ideal range of 30-50% in the evening/night - 70-80% just make sure your night time temp is cool - 20/21c or below. High heat plus high humidity can increase the risk for respiratory infection.
• Plants - All live plants, I struggle with keeping them alive tho. All plants are pothos Odd. Pothos is usually very easy and hardy. Maybe they have been getting overwatered from the frequent misting? Maybe that isn’t enough water and they need weekly deep watering? Is your girl eating them to death? Maybe try experimenting with watering and see which does better. Even though they technically don’t need a special plant light, they do grow better with one. You could try adding a light for them.
• Placement - The cage is located on top of a cabinet. We walk around this area but slowly so she doesn't freak out. I think it's about 100 cm above the floor. Very good. Height is safety for chameleons.
• Location - Czech Republic I’ll guess that you are familiar with Petr Necas. If not, here is his site. https://www.chameleons.info/en/ You can change the language to Czech (top right). While I haven’t really looked too much into it, he does have tons of info about chameleons. He also has videos on YouTube and many are in Czech I believe. Plus he’s on Facebook - not sure about any other social media.

Current Problem - Refusing food - after about 30 seconds of staring at the insect, she turns around to walk away from it I’d say you figured out why. When she’s all done laying her eggs - she’s covered her tunnel and returned to her basking area, make sure to feed her very well for a few days to rebuild her strength.

UPDATE - SHE STARTED DIGGING!!! I am so happy. I quickly took a glimpse in the laying bin because she wasn't anywhere else in the cage and she's there, digging. I won't disturb her anymore.
Yay! So very very glad she’s doing her thing and is okay.

Thank you! I'll look into the things you said were worth improving! Also I'll say when she's done laying and eating again

 

[nicolzen]

Watering - Automatic misting system, in summer I mist every 3 hours for 30 seconds, in other seasons I mist every 3 hours for 15 seconds. I see her drink sometimes. This might be where the biggest true improvement should be made. You want her enclosure to have time to dry out and keep humidity levels low. It’s much better to mist for 2 minutes, twice a day - right before light go on and off. If she is needing additional hydration, you can either use a dripper for about 15-20 minutes daily or add a third misting session. Look at the color of her urate to determine if she’s getting enough water. White or mostly white (or cream color) is ideal. Orange or mostly yellow means she needs more water.

I Just wanted to ask, we live in an apartment and in summer, our apartment gets really hot. Like 30 celcius. We only have desktop air conditioner for us to survive it. For my cham I figured that I'll turn the mister to be every 3 hours for 30 seconds, how else can I lower the temps for her so she's not so hot?

Also I was turning the basking light off sometimes so she wouldnt cook alive

 

[MissSkittles]

I Just wanted to ask, we live in an apartment and in summer, our apartment gets really hot. Like 30 celcius. We only have desktop air conditioner for us to survive it. For my cham I figured that I'll turn the mister to be every 3 hours for 30 seconds, how else can I lower the temps for her so she's not so hot?

Also I was turning the basking light off sometimes so she wouldnt cook alive

If it’s that hot in your apartment in summer, she may not need a basking light at all, or just for a short time in the early part of the day. The most important thing is to keep her ventilation at its peak when it’s so hot. Misting will only make it steamy for her, which can increase her risk for respiratory infection and also increase risks of mold growth in and around your apartment. You could run a table fan to help keep the air moving. Just don’t have it blowing directly on her.