My veiled hasnt been eating much and can barely shoot his tongue

Jaykc

New Member
So I was on vacation for two weeks about a month ago, and my friend took care of my chameleon, when I got back and brought him home everything seemed fine until I noticed I hadn't seen him eating. Just some back story I used to hand feed him but then I started just to let the bugs go around the enclosure because he likes to catch them. Anyways it had been awhile since I had seen him eat and he wouldnt hand feed, I eventually got his interest but he could barely shoot out his tongue. I looked it up and it said that this was probably a calcium deficiency, which made sense because my friend probably hadn't been putting calcium on his food. So that was about two weeks ago, and he still isnt eating much. Normally I feed him meal worms and super worms and about once a month I get him crickets, and when I did get him crickets he went after them right away, so It made me think he was just bored of the food. So I've let those crickets stay in there until they all eventually got eaten, but now I have a few super worms in his little bowl on the bottom of the cage and he has only eaten 1 in the past two days. He has no other physical problems with him, so I'm not taking much alarm to this, and everything he has eaten has had lots of calcium on it. His urates are white and he has been drinking alot. Just wondering if this is him not liking his food and being mad, or if this might be a problem. I'll put the thing with the description of him below and also some picture of him I took today
 
I have an 10 month old veiled, i have been taking care of hi. for 6 months. I handle him sometimes. I moslty feed him meal worms and superworms and about once a month crickets. I gut load the crickets when i have them and put calcium on the meal worms, and put other vitamins in every week and a half about. I mist him 2-3 times a day. His poop is brown and the urate is usually white. I have a 4 ft tall screen cage. Im using a 70 watt heat bulb in a foshan shine tech lamp, but have been changing these because my other hest lamp brole and this one is now too storng so im buying one with a dimmer. Basking spot is around 82 degrees snf the rest of the cage sits around 75 during the day and high 60s at night. I dont have much to keep humidity up besides misting and using plasticnwrap on the sides to keep in moisture. I have a few live plants some spider plants snd a tree, not sure what kind but im sure it is non toxic. My cage is nesr windows in a relstivly quiet area, and i live in massachusetts in the US.



Timer light

Calcium without d3
Vitamins without phosphorus

Roaches
Crickets
 

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Are you sure the crickets were eaten? Or course he needs a vet but in the mean time I would try to get him Calci worms or better yet, the flies. Also, get him sunlight. Even if it s just 30 minutes in the morning or in front of a screened ( not glass) window getting indirect sunlight, it makes a huge difference in calcium absorption. And extra water won't hurt but might help.
 
Are you sure the crickets were eaten? Or course he needs a vet but in the mean time I would try to get him Calci worms or better yet, the flies. Also, get him sunlight. Even if it s just 30 minutes in the morning or in front of a screened ( not glass) window getting indirect sunlight, it makes a huge difference in calcium absorption. And extra water won't hurt but might help.
Not sure if the crickets were eaten but they were gone Haha, and ok I'll try that, he usually does hang out on my window sill but with the window closed. I'll go for calcium worms, I did those in the past they just smell pretty bad haha. I'm just wondering st what point i should go to a vet, because I'm not sure what's wrong with him.
 
Not sure if the crickets were eaten but they were gone Haha, and ok I'll try that, he usually does hang out on my window sill but with the window closed. I'll go for calcium worms, I did those in the past they just smell pretty bad haha. I'm just wondering st what point i should go to a vet, because I'm not sure what's wrong with him.
Calci worms shouldnt smell bad. If you have a vet, id go asap. Right now it may be a simple injection of calcium. In a few weeks it will likely be a bigger vet bill and a dead cham anyway. When they get to the point where they show no interest in anything, they are pretty much done for.
 
Calci worms shouldnt smell bad. If you have a vet, id go asap. Right now it may be a simple injection of calcium. In a few weeks it will likely be a bigger vet bill and a dead cham anyway. When they get to the point where they show no interest in anything, they are pretty much done for.
Ok will do thanks for the helo
 
Not sure if the crickets were eaten but they were gone Haha, and ok I'll try that, he usually does hang out on my window sill but with the window closed. I'll go for calcium worms, I did those in the past they just smell pretty bad haha. I'm just wondering st what point i should go to a vet, because I'm not sure what's wrong with him.

windows closed if useless exept it give smooth warm temperature and natural light but you want too try a UVB boost, try the 30 min uvb sun without windows or direct sunlight

do you use any vitamin? gutload?
 
So I was on vacation for two weeks about a month ago, and my friend took care of my chameleon, when I got back and brought him home everything seemed fine until I noticed I hadn't seen him eating. Just some back story I used to hand feed him but then I started just to let the bugs go around the enclosure because he likes to catch them. Anyways it had been awhile since I had seen him eat and he wouldnt hand feed, I eventually got his interest but he could barely shoot out his tongue. I looked it up and it said that this was probably a calcium deficiency, which made sense because my friend probably hadn't been putting calcium on his food. So that was about two weeks ago, and he still isnt eating much. Normally I feed him meal worms and super worms and about once a month I get him crickets, and when I did get him crickets he went after them right away, so It made me think he was just bored of the food. So I've let those crickets stay in there until they all eventually got eaten, but now I have a few super worms in his little bowl on the bottom of the cage and he has only eaten 1 in the past two days. He has no other physical problems with him, so I'm not taking much alarm to this, and everything he has eaten has had lots of calcium on it. His urates are white and he has been drinking alot. Just wondering if this is him not liking his food and being mad, or if this might be a problem. I'll put the thing with the description of him below and also some picture of him I took today
A Cham will not become calcium deficient in two weeks time, it takes time to set in. I’d say this is something that has been slowly building over the last 6mos. I’m thinking this because your feeding routine is backwards. Super worms are treats, like candy, and should not be used as a staple feeder. Same for the mealworms, neither hold a gutload well. Change your staple feeders to either crickets or roaches and get a real gutload, I recommend cricket crack. Is that a linear uvb in the back? How old is it?
 
A Cham will not become calcium deficient in two weeks time, it takes time to set in. I’d say this is something that has been slowly building over the last 6mos. I’m thinking this because your feeding routine is backwards. Super worms are treats, like candy, and should not be used as a staple feeder. Same for the mealworms, neither hold a gutload well. Change your staple feeders to either crickets or roaches and get a real gutload, I recommend cricket crack. Is that a linear uvb in the back? How old is it?
Ok I've been testing to do more crickets, it's just hard because they all end up dying in the container I put then in, and the uvb bulb is pretty new only about 6 months old
 
A Cham will not become calcium deficient in two weeks time, it takes time to set in. I’d say this is something that has been slowly building over the last 6mos. I’m thinking this because your feeding routine is backwards. Super worms are treats, like candy, and should not be used as a staple feeder. Same for the mealworms, neither hold a gutload well. Change your staple feeders to either crickets or roaches and get a real gutload, I recommend cricket crack. Is that a linear uvb in the back? How old is it?
He is about 10 months old, also is it hard taking care of roaches?
 
Ok I've been testing to do more crickets, it's just hard because they all end up dying in the container I put then in, and the uvb bulb is pretty new only about 6 months old
How are you keeping your crickets?
Some of the cheaper uvb bulbs have a 6-8mo lifespan, who is the manufacturer?
 
How are you keeping your crickets?
Some of the cheaper uvb bulbs have a 6-8mo lifespan, who is the manufacturer?
I just have them in a little cricket habitat with some cardboard thing and I gut lost then when I have them and feed them with orange water stuff too, I'll have to check what kind of uvb bulb I have when I get home, it might be one of the zoo med ones
 
I just have them in a little cricket habitat with some cardboard thing and I gut lost then when I have them and feed them with orange water stuff too, I'll have to check what kind of uvb bulb I have when I get home, it might be one of the zoo med ones
If it’s zoomed it’s time to replace it.

For the crickets, go pick up a 5 or 10gal aquarium at Walmart($14) and grab a bunch of branches with leaves on them and put them in the tank with the crickets. Crickets need some space or they will get stressed. The branches and leaves are better than the cardboard because they don’t get all damp and nasty like egg crates. Finally mix some cricket crack with water and keep it in their tank, no need for other water or food sources. Do these things and i know you will see a huge improvement on your survival rate.
 
If it’s zoomed it’s time to replace it.

For the crickets, go pick up a 5 or 10gal aquarium at Walmart($14) and grab a bunch of branches with leaves on them and put them in the tank with the crickets. Crickets need some space or they will get stressed. The branches and leaves are better than the cardboard because they don’t get all damp and nasty like egg crates. Finally mix some cricket crack with water and keep it in their tank, no need for other water or food sources. Do these things and i know you will see a huge improvement on your survival rate.
Cool thanks, I'll try that and the roaches
 
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