Hello!
I have recently received a 2 year old male veiled chameleon from a friend who cant care for him anymore.
I was told by his previous owner that he had trouble using his tounge and wouldnt eat or drink very much and was syringe fed.
When I received him, he was in a 18x18x36 inch enclosure with a one of those dual light fixtures with one side having a compact uvb light and a blue day bulb. His substate was a combination of eco earth and bark with a lot of fake plants and those rope things you see in petstores marketed towards chameleons. His feeders were also dusted exclusively with the calcium plus d3 supplement powder.
As soon as I got him I was very concerned for his health and got him a vet appointment for next week and upgraded his enclosure.
Its been almost a week now and I have tried to interact with him as less as I can to try to not stress him out. I have made magnetic feeding cups attached near his favorite branches to encourage him to eat but he won't touch his food at all.
I have tried dubias, superworms, mealworms, horned worms, crickets, and black solider fly larvae but none of those seem to interest him. I tried to tong feed him the bugs a few times also but the closest I got to him eating was him licking calcium powder off one of the crickets. I havent noticed him pooping either. I did at one point give him some of fluker's reptiboost for insectivores that I have on hand via syringe and he ate about 2 ml's worth before he climbed away. I have also noticed him starting to shed.
I am really worried about him not eating and I'm not sure what to do. And the lack of uvb he had in his previous enclosure makes me think he might have some kind of issue like MBD but im not sure. The loose substrate used previously also makes me worry about potential impaction.
Is there anything I can do to help him eat or feel comfortable?
I'm also a new chameleon owner so any advice would also be appreciated.
Current Set up Details:
He is currently in a 24x24x48 inch zoo med reptibreeze xl I bought for him.
His light setup is a T5 5.0 uvb tube light and a 100 watt basking bulb.
He has a zoo med dripper and I hand mist his cage a few times a day with a spray bottle. All of the water i use has the repti safe conditioner added.
I have a combination of natural wooden branches and dowel perches attached to the cage with magnets and zipties.
I have a few pothos plants in the enclosure to help with humidity and to give cover and the bottom is lined with papertowels and bowls to catch water.
His basking branch is about 90 degrees and lower in the cage it gets about 70 degrees. Humidity is always around 40-50%. I have a digital thermometer and temperature gun to help me keep track.
I'm sorry for the long post. And if there is anything I should add or change about my setup, please let me know.
I have recently received a 2 year old male veiled chameleon from a friend who cant care for him anymore.
I was told by his previous owner that he had trouble using his tounge and wouldnt eat or drink very much and was syringe fed.
When I received him, he was in a 18x18x36 inch enclosure with a one of those dual light fixtures with one side having a compact uvb light and a blue day bulb. His substate was a combination of eco earth and bark with a lot of fake plants and those rope things you see in petstores marketed towards chameleons. His feeders were also dusted exclusively with the calcium plus d3 supplement powder.
As soon as I got him I was very concerned for his health and got him a vet appointment for next week and upgraded his enclosure.
Its been almost a week now and I have tried to interact with him as less as I can to try to not stress him out. I have made magnetic feeding cups attached near his favorite branches to encourage him to eat but he won't touch his food at all.
I have tried dubias, superworms, mealworms, horned worms, crickets, and black solider fly larvae but none of those seem to interest him. I tried to tong feed him the bugs a few times also but the closest I got to him eating was him licking calcium powder off one of the crickets. I havent noticed him pooping either. I did at one point give him some of fluker's reptiboost for insectivores that I have on hand via syringe and he ate about 2 ml's worth before he climbed away. I have also noticed him starting to shed.
I am really worried about him not eating and I'm not sure what to do. And the lack of uvb he had in his previous enclosure makes me think he might have some kind of issue like MBD but im not sure. The loose substrate used previously also makes me worry about potential impaction.
Is there anything I can do to help him eat or feel comfortable?
I'm also a new chameleon owner so any advice would also be appreciated.
Current Set up Details:
He is currently in a 24x24x48 inch zoo med reptibreeze xl I bought for him.
His light setup is a T5 5.0 uvb tube light and a 100 watt basking bulb.
He has a zoo med dripper and I hand mist his cage a few times a day with a spray bottle. All of the water i use has the repti safe conditioner added.
I have a combination of natural wooden branches and dowel perches attached to the cage with magnets and zipties.
I have a few pothos plants in the enclosure to help with humidity and to give cover and the bottom is lined with papertowels and bowls to catch water.
His basking branch is about 90 degrees and lower in the cage it gets about 70 degrees. Humidity is always around 40-50%. I have a digital thermometer and temperature gun to help me keep track.
I'm sorry for the long post. And if there is anything I should add or change about my setup, please let me know.