Not eating/ 1 Week today- HELP!

[Karma TheChameleon]

Hello everyone, I am new here and hope someone can put my heart at ease. We had Karma for over a year now, he has his own room (which we call the Rainforest room). He has a large cage with the door removed and plants and vines for him to go and sit in front of the window and another area to roam with Fichus tree and bamboo and so on. So I know he cannot be unhappy because he has free range of the place and he seems to love it by the window. Anyway....with that said, he has not eaten for one week, as of today. I'm not sure if my feeding him by hand or bowl has bored him? I even tried letting the worms loose but he just walks over them. He seems to be a very fussy eater as he stopped eating crickets after 4 months and just has been eating worms...butter worms and meal worms and wax worms as his main. I don't understand what could be going on? Also...he normally poos in a corner of his cage...the same corner every time. However, lately, he has walked around his entire area to climb down the Fichus tree and then poo on the floor right in front of his door. This alarms me because it is such odd behaviour for him. And also for the first time ever he even pooped on the window sill once. All of this poo change behaviour has started in the last week when he wasn't eating. Can anyone help me?

 

[ChameleonUES]

Hello everyone, I am new here and hope someone can put my heart at ease. We had Karma for over a year now, he has his own room (which we call the Rainforest room). He has a large cage with the door removed and plants and vines for him to go and sit in front of the window and another area to roam with Fichus tree and bamboo and so on. So I know he cannot be unhappy because he has free range of the place and he seems to love it by the window. Anyway....with that said, he has not eaten for one week, as of today. I'm not sure if my feeding him by hand or bowl has bored him? I even tried letting the worms loose but he just walks over them. He seems to be a very fussy eater as he stopped eating crickets after 4 months and just has been eating worms...butter worms and meal worms and wax worms as his main. I don't understand what could be going on? Also...he normally poos in a corner of his cage...the same corner every time. However, lately, he has walked around his entire area to climb down the Fichus tree and then poo on the floor right in front of his door. This alarms me because it is such odd behaviour for him. And also for the first time ever he even pooped on the window sill once. All of this poo change behaviour has started in the last week when he wasn't eating. Can anyone help me?

Chameleons in general can sometimes go through this phase of not eating and ignoring food. Aspects that may influence this behavior are as following:
-Temperature of basking spot and ambient.
-Humidity
-Hydration (he/she needs to be properly hydrated)

Sometimes cup/feeding or hand feeding bores them. They should be able to hunt once in a while. You can achieve this by bringing a large container (maybe like a plastic tupperware, 18in by 16 in, around that size. Place in the bug (something that moves) and have the container near the window as you mentioned thats its favorite spot. MAYBE your chameleon will be interested in the feeder.

Another way to have him eat is by 'starving' him. Basically don't let a feeder in your chameleons sight. Yes, its been a week since yours hasn't eaten but that generally okay, it happens. Don't let him see a feeder for 2-3 days and then present him/her a nice large moving feeder. This usually does the trick for me. Also as your chameleon gets older they don't/won't feed everyday. Sometimes every other or every 3rd day is good enough.

You should also make sure your UVB bulb(s) are still emitting the correct amount of UVB. If you have a standard UVB bulb it should be replaced every six months. If you have have Arcadia bulbs every 1 year. You should also try using Arcadia bulbs, I have noticed changes in my chameleons behavior and increased his eating to more frequently.

Good luck!

 

[Karma TheChameleon]

Chameleons in general can sometimes go through this phase of not eating and ignoring food. Aspects that may influence this behavior are as following:
-Temperature of basking spot and ambient.
-Humidity
-Hydration (he/she needs to be properly hydrated)

Sometimes cup/feeding or hand feeding bores them. They should be able to hunt once in a while. You can achieve this by bringing a large container (maybe like a plastic tupperware, 18in by 16 in, around that size. Place in the bug (something that moves) and have the container near the window as you mentioned thats its favorite spot. MAYBE your chameleon will be interested in the feeder.

Another way to have him eat is by 'starving' him. Basically don't let a feeder in your chameleons sight. Yes, its been a week since yours hasn't eaten but that generally okay, it happens. Don't let him see a feeder for 2-3 days and then present him/her a nice large moving feeder. This usually does the trick for me. Also as your chameleon gets older they don't/won't feed everyday. Sometimes every other or every 3rd day is good enough.

You should also make sure your UVB bulb(s) are still emitting the correct amount of UVB. If you have a standard UVB bulb it should be replaced every six months. If you have have Arcadia bulbs every 1 year. You should also try using Arcadia bulbs, I have noticed changes in my chameleons behavior and increased his eating to more frequently.

Good luck!

Thank you SO MUCH for your response. Because of the space he has, he has two basking areas and three UVB lights, and also has a mister and dripper in his open cage. So his cage area is a cooling/moisture spot and also water in another area, like a wading pool. I never knew about the UVB lights having to be changed so will change them right away.
I removed his feeding dish and am thinking when I re-introduce it in two days, of using a different one he has never seen before. I do have an area where I can actually put a container to have the insects roam and allow him to hunt more.
We are also going through a heat spell over here, so maybe that is an extra added thing? On days when it is fiercely way too hot in his room, I turn the lights off for awhile as its unnecessary on those crazy hot days.
Thanks again, I am so happy I found this forum.

 

[carol5208]

I have had them not eat for a few days, but not a week. The only time was when I had a new guy who was 4 yrs old and I obtained him from someone on here. I think the shock of being in a new place just stressed him so bad and he did not eat for 11 days!. I would get a fecal done next time he poops. I know he is not eating, so that might be hard, but if he does it would be worth while to rule out something like parasites. I have an 11 month old that did not eat well when I first got him. Turns out he had a parasite called Coccidia. Once I eradicated that, he starting eating like crazy. This may not be your case here, but just a thought. Also, just checking that you know for sure your boy is a boy and not a girl? Females will go off food when they have eggs. I have seen many chameleons on here over the years with this problem and it turns out that he is a she!

 

[Lathis]

I agree with Carol - a fecal check is very good advice. Loss of appetite is a common early sign of parasites or illness. Plus, if you haven't had a check in a while, it's just good practice.

My Jax has gone off food before for no reason that I could figure. Somehow, I suspect it's a general lack of stimulation, but honestly with your set up, it sounds like he has a pretty enriching environment. Have you tried something fluttery? Like a moth? That might catch his attention.

Keep an eye on his weight and how well he is drinking. If he's not losing weight, staying hydrated, and the fecal comes back clean, it may just be a "phase" that hopefully will resolve itself.

Edit: Welcome to the forum!

 

[Karma TheChameleon]

Thanks carol5208 and Lathis. I am kicking myself now because I saved his poo (one in front of the door) in order to bring it to the vet and see but, being new, I ended up flushing it. Are vets the ones who do a fecal test? Or?? I definitely will do that immediately the next time my sweetie poo's

Also, just checking that you know for sure your boy is a boy and not a girl?

He has spurs so he is definitely a male. I am wondering if he is lonely maybe? I must say I am so happy to have found this site. I feel more connected to people that can help/listen/give feedback. Thanks so much for taking the time to help me. Karma is the love of my life...my baby and I just want him to have the happiest existence he can. Is he maybe just horny? Not to be funny but I read around and some people have said that he may be more focused on a mate than eating. Does that ring true??

LOVE THIS PLACE!!!!! Thanks again.

 

[Lathis]

Yes, a vet will do the fecal check. My vet charges about $20, but it varies by vet. Keep it moist and put it the fridge in a baggie, don't freeze it. You'll want to get it to the vet in about a day.

Your cham is definitely not lonely, lol. They are solitary animals except to breed. Having two animal in the same cage it where they can see each other can be a very stressful environment. But there is that special time in a young cham's life where he is interested in finding the ladies. Is he restless, wanting out if his enclosure all the time? My Jax was very "roamy" from about 9 months to 1.5 years. I think of those as his "horny teenage" days. He did settle down after awhile, but it helped to set up a free range area where he could safely explore.

 

[Karma TheChameleon]

Thanks Lathis, yeah I am thinking he is in his teenage mode lol. His cage has no door and he has a free range set-up. He has plenty of room to explore, which he does. He loves walking around on all his vines taking him from one area to another but mostly he hangs in front of the window checking things out. Everey now and then he will even come on my hand and I take him out of his room and we hang in the living room or on the balcony for awhile just to give him some new stimuli. And yes, even though his room is large, I don't want to introduce another Cham female as, like you said, they are solitary creatures. Maybe one day I'll take him out to have a go with a lady friend lol, just so his psyche can be like, "I finally did it." LOL.

 

[Karma TheChameleon]

UPDATE: Thanks everyone. Karma is doing great. I removed his feeder for two days and on day three put a horned worm loose on his branches so he could hunt and he did, right away. I guess he was getting bored with his food and being hand fed.
He now has a feeder and I changed the UVB lights also, fecal test coming.
Thanks everyone, I was so stressed and you helped me out a lot.

 

[Lathis]

That's good news! Sometimes, it just takes something new to rekindle interest. Hopefully the fecal will come back clean.

 

[Karma TheChameleon]

That's good news! Sometimes, it just takes something new to rekindle interest. Hopefully the fecal will come back clean.

Yeah, I hear you on that one. At least he is very active so that keeps me positive till the results. I'm such a worry wart lol.

 

[Karma TheChameleon]

Yeah, like humans, they love and need variety in their diet. After the horn worm I gave him King worms (hand fed) and he just devoured them. He hadn't had those in months as I now they are not good to eat all the time. I guess I was boring him too much with the wax worms.

Question: The other week I saw an ad somewhere on this site and I clicked it and it was to order a variety food pack for him. However, at the time, they said they were out and to come back in two weeks but, silly me, didn't favorite or right down the site. I THINK he had a girls name in it? Betty maybe? Ring any bells or any info on good insect places where variety packs can be gotten? Karma really loves getting flies and this "Betty" place included some larvae of them.

 

[Lathis]

Linda's Gone Buggie!

 

[Karma TheChameleon]

Linda's Gone Buggie!

You are AWESOME! That is the one I was looking for. Thanks so much for all your help.