new little senegal not wanting to eat

[nelsontakesphotos]

Hey guys, first post! Trying to learn a lot here. My Senegal came in two days ago and was very stressed for a while. Constantly climbing to the top of his cage etc. I tried feeding him the first day which I've read is pretty Mich impossible due to the fact he needs time to acclamate. Today for the first time I've seen him eat one cricket. Calcium powdered. His inclose is 1.5ftx2ftx3ft with a live schefflera plant and a nice 75 watt heating lamp for basking. Reaching temp around85-90 directly under. Everything else seems fine about him. He's drinking water from the leaves but I'm just a little worried about his lack of eating.

Also, I've put a small bowl of about 7 meal worms also calcium dusted to where he could easily access if he wanted to. So what's the deal? Is the little guy just fasting for his chameleon gods?

One last thing, I know fiberglass screening isn't the best but it was all I could afford to build his enclosure. My one concern is crickets, what's the best method of removing them before night so they don't hurt the little dude? Cause these things are so damn tiny that I can't see them past the second I put them in there for free ranging.

 

[Andee]

CUp feeding is a great way to feed the smaller chams in a larger enclosure. I wouldn't worry about him not eating too much, he's still settling in. If he's already eaten that's great. Just don't handle him if you can help it,yet. Do you have a picture of your set up? If you only have a single plant in there, there might not be enough cover to make him feel safe.

 

[vgaines]

Do you have a UVB bulb? It can take several days for a new chameleon to settle into a new home. Have you tried cup feeding the crickets. Search here and you can find great information for cup feeding. Cup feeding allows you to keep track of how much your baby is eating as well as making it easier for your little one to find his food. This forum is a great place for good information. There are a lot of members you know what they are talking about so keep asking questions. Pictures of your enclosure as well as your cham are always a big help. Also, it is best to fill out the "How to ask for help form". To find the form click on the forums tab at the top of page and then click on Health Forums and it is on a sticky at the top of the page. This information helps others know if anything thing needs to be changed or added to your care.

Hope this helps. I am sure more experienced keepers will chime in soon.

 

[nelsontakesphotos]

I was planning on getting another plant for him as I've heard the more the merrier. Currently out in town and I will post pictures of his enclosure as soon as I can. I was just worried as to how to cup feed crickets since the jump out so easily.

 

[chameleonowner32]

New chams going in new cages may not eat for a week or so. You need more than just an umbrella plant. Also you need UVB unless you just forgot to list that. Senegals are defiantly smaller species so cup Feeding is a viable option. I've kept one before and they are super easy and hardy. Can you post a pic of your setup plz?

What is your calcium schedule, feeding schedule and light timing?
You should dust crickets 5x a week with calcium w/o d3. Multi viatimans and d3 calcium 2x a month. Your lights should be one for 12hours a day. You should have a 5.0 UVB bulb.

Here is an example setup for a Senegal.

 

[carol5208]

you did not mention anything about a uvb bulb. Do you have one???

 

[nelsontakesphotos]

What other plant should I put in other than umbrella? My set up looks almost identical minus the vine-ish branches. I just have oak branches that I ridded of all the fungus that grows on oak. (The seafoam green stuff) I have a reptile specific fluorescent bulb so I assume its uvb. The calcium powder ill have to double check to see if its D3 or not. But as of now I tried feeding him three or four small crickets yesterday, he wanted nothig to do with them. Put a dish of about six meal worms in his cage, no interest. Put about five or six crickets in the cage to free roam and I've witnessed him eat one. And I can't see the others anywhere but I'm going to assume its not because he ate them. He is still constantly trying to find a way to the top of the cage which I have successfully prevented after multiple attempts.


Can anyone tell me how exactly to cup feed cause the everutime I present the cup to him he seems to feel threatened and run away.

 

[Andee]

I hang the cup from the mesh of my cage with a zip tie. The reason he is probably trying to climb the top of the cage is because he is bored... or he does not have enough stuff to climb on and feels vulnerable. He needs horizontal pathways lots of foliage, either plastic or real. And places he can retreat to to relax. I don't know if senegals need vitamins, but I do know they need both calcium without d3 and calcium with d3 so you need both of those. They might need vits though. Other plants you can use are Hibiscus, ficus, cammelia (though you have to find a small enough one). Honeysuckle though you have to support it. There are more lemme find the link.

http://www.cleanlinechameleons.com/safe-plant-list/

 

[kinyonga]

How big is the chameleon? How big are the crickets?

 

[nelsontakesphotos]

I'd say from head to the beginning of the tail he is approx 3-4inches. The crickets are maybe a little bigger than a quarter inch.

 

[nelsontakesphotos]

How exactly does putting crickets in a cup keep them from getting out and free ranging anyway? Guy still seems very confused when I hold a cup full of crickets to em. And I've witnessed the bastards just climbing right out of the cup.


Solution?

 

[chameleonowner32]

Use a plastic cup they can't climb.. only use screen if your going to make a feeder jug

 

[Slug]

I had a Senegal (Harley) who passed away a while back. She did the same thing when I got her. It seems to be a stress thing. Just let it settle in and it should start eating like a machine not long after. Keep the water coming, and definitely cup feed. Try not to use a clear cup if you can keep from it, they tend to be more cautious when they can see your hand through the cup.

Also, I am not sure where you got your Senegal from, but it is most likely wild caught (mine was, and I found out later on, which I think led to her early death. I was led to believe that she was captive bred due to a lazy tech guy copying and pasting on the website I bought her from. Long story.) Just be aware that with a wild caught chameleon, you will have to treat them a bit differently that a captive bred chameleon.

I loved my girl and miss her all the time. Senegals are a really fun species, but I was not prepared for a wild caught chameleon, so do your best to take care of it's needs and you should do fine in the long run.

(My avatar is of Harley, my Senegal. I also have more pics of her on my profile page.)

 

[Supafly]

Hey guys! My cham did not eat for about a week when i first got him. Put mealworms and crickets in two cups (used for birds). After d 7th day, i decided to cup feed him crickets. and he ate 2 of em! i got bolder and handfed him 3 more! Thrilling stuff! Had d cricket leg in between my fingers and cham zapped em with d tongue! Now i handfeed cham whenever i have the chance. else i just leave d crickets in d cup and hang it where it's reachable and near cham's favourite spot.

You should get a cup where crickets can't come out. Hope your cham's doing fine already! cheers!