New juvenile veiled— not eating crickets or mealworms

itzrow4nn

itzrow4nn

New Member
Hi everyone. I’m a fairly new chameleon owner and I just purchased a young veiled from PetSmart. I recently lost my beloved Jackson’s to an illness that he developed from the breeders I got him from, which is why I’m not going back there. They had been keeping him in a small glass enclosure with a temperature way above 90° which is WAY too hot and by the time I attempted to save him, he was way too dehydrated to even be helped...

Anyways, to the reason I’m here. I got Pip (my baby veiled) on Wednesday the 9th. He’s in a homemade enclosure that’s about 4 feet from the floor and over 2 feet wide (not sure the exact measurements) but he tends to stay at the top, which was expected cause.. I mean he IS a chameleon. The enclosure has “levels” which makes it easier to locate him for feeding. It’s fully equipped with a spot lamp, automatic misting machine which is currently set to spray for 30 seconds every hour since it tends to dry up quickly. I fill the mister with distilled water as per the instructions it came with. It also has a hygrometer and thermometer duo. Humidity is currently about 55 and temperature is just a little under 80. I have a bird of paradise plant in the enclosure as well and some moss that I mist by hand to keep humidity maximized since it retains its moisture longer than the fabric and plastic decor. He’s way too small to catch prey on his own, so I was advised by staff at the store to hand feed, which I have been attempting every day but in moderation to try my best to minimize stress. So far, he hasn’t eaten anything I’ve tried to feed him, which has been small crickets and mealworms. I gutload the crickets using Flukers calcium fortified cricket quencher and the cricket block. I‘ve seen him drinking water off of the leaves so I know he’s drinking. His color also seems to be healthy.

So.. any advice? Anything different I should try feeding him? Is it normal for him to not eat this long after being in his new home? Anything is appreciated <3 I also appreciate any links anyone can provide for me to purchase any products that you may recommend!

some pics:
1F520D0D-1F51-49EF-94B0-08E41B84EEC4.jpeg
C21B9DBC-1EA1-4780-B891-856C98BC09B5.jpeg
37142B0A-ACA3-4BEB-A302-D9E247DDDEE7.jpeg
853CAA01-1A24-478A-87DA-32200A0158A2.jpeg
38848170-194F-4A32-9DD0-71F222A3B56A.jpeg
 
Very normal for them to not eat for a few days, but you can try getting a feeder cup or making one, instead of putting your hand near him which could be scaring him. Also, completely remove mealworms from the diet, they are not nutritious and can be hard to digest especially for babies. Try black soldier fly larvae, they are a much better feeder bug. Look up Feeder Run Cup online. I used a container instead of hand feeding with my new baby when he was just 2 months old and had no problem finding the food. Also, your humidity is a bit high, 25% to 50% at the highest. You should only mist for a couple minutes when you turn your lights on and off, let it dry during the day or you will have a respiratory infection on your hands. What uvb do you have?
 
Few things here, you want to mist (ideally) 2 times a day for 2-5 minutes. Before lights on and after lights off. Daytime humidity should only be between 30-50%. Nighttime humidity can spike to 100%. I like to use a fogger or humidifier to achieve night temps. Daytime temps shouldn't be higher than 80 at the highest spot, and then drop in temps from there. Your basking bulb appears to be very close. What are the temps directly under the bulb on the closest branch?

As for eating, you probably do not want to start with hand feeding. You'll likely want to make or buy a feeder run. Your baby should be offered as much food as it will eat, around 15-20 small size insects probably.
 
PoseidonTheChameleon said:
Very normal for them to not eat for a few days, but you can try getting a feeder cup or making one, instead of putting your hand near him which could be scaring him. Also, completely remove mealworms from the diet, they are not nutritious and can be hard to digest especially for babies. Try black soldier fly larvae, they are a much better feeder bug. Look up Feeder Run Cup online. I used a container instead of hand feeding with my new baby when he was just 2 months old and had no problem finding the food. Also, your humidity is a bit high, 25% to 50% at the highest. You should only mist for a couple minutes when you turn your lights on and off, let it dry during the day or you will have a respiratory infection on your hands. What uvb do you have?
Click to expand...
Lol, you got this. I stopped short cause you have it covered! Lol.
 
itzrow4nn said:
Hi everyone. I’m a fairly new chameleon owner and I just purchased a young veiled from PetSmart. I recently lost my beloved Jackson’s to an illness that he developed from the breeders I got him from, which is why I’m not going back there. They had been keeping him in a small glass enclosure with a temperature way above 90° which is WAY too hot and by the time I attempted to save him, he was way too dehydrated to even be helped...

Anyways, to the reason I’m here. I got Pip (my baby veiled) on Wednesday the 9th. He’s in a homemade enclosure that’s about 4 feet from the floor and over 2 feet wide (not sure the exact measurements) but he tends to stay at the top, which was expected cause.. I mean he IS a chameleon. The enclosure has “levels” which makes it easier to locate him for feeding. It’s fully equipped with a spot lamp, automatic misting machine which is currently set to spray for 30 seconds every hour since it tends to dry up quickly. I fill the mister with distilled water as per the instructions it came with. It also has a hygrometer and thermometer duo. Humidity is currently about 55 and temperature is just a little under 80. I have a bird of paradise plant in the enclosure as well and some moss that I mist by hand to keep humidity maximized since it retains its moisture longer than the fabric and plastic decor. He’s way too small to catch prey on his own, so I was advised by staff at the store to hand feed, which I have been attempting every day but in moderation to try my best to minimize stress. So far, he hasn’t eaten anything I’ve tried to feed him, which has been small crickets and mealworms. I gutload the crickets using Flukers calcium fortified cricket quencher and the cricket block. I‘ve seen him drinking water off of the leaves so I know he’s drinking. His color also seems to be healthy.

So.. any advice? Anything different I should try feeding him? Is it normal for him to not eat this long after being in his new home? Anything is appreciated <3 I also appreciate any links anyone can provide for me to purchase any products that you may recommend!

some pics:
View attachment 285508View attachment 285509View attachment 285510View attachment 285511View attachment 285512
Click to expand...
I notice your baby's eyes are closed. Is it often throughout the day, or is it getting close to bed time?
 
AmandaS said:
Few things here, you want to mist (ideally) 2 times a day for 2-5 minutes. Before lights on and after lights off. Daytime humidity should only be between 30-50%. Nighttime humidity can spike to 100%. I like to use a fogger or humidifier to achieve night temps. Daytime temps shouldn't be higher than 80 at the highest spot, and then drop in temps from there. Your basking bulb appears to be very close. What are the temps directly under the bulb on the closest branch?

As for eating, you probably do not want to start with hand feeding. You'll likely want to make or buy a feeder run. Your baby should be offered as much food as it will eat, around 15-20 small size insects probably.
Click to expand...

Thank you so much! I saw in another post that 1/8th of an inch crickets are recommended so I’ll order some ASAP. I’ll also work on the humidity now.. I’ll check the temp under the lamp soon and reply again when I do.
 
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