Not eating, sleeping during the day

[cornelius]

Chameleon Info:

Your Chameleon - Male panther, just over 1 year old.
Handling - virtually never
Feeding - Mostly crickets and roaches, sometimes flies and wild caught bugs.
Supplements - I use calcium w/o D3 at every feeding. Herptivite and D3 are given every other week.
Watering - Misting frequently throughout the day. He seems to be drinking normally.
Fecal Description - Feces are normal.
Cage Info:

Cage Type - 2x3x4 screen cage.
Lighting - Repti-Glo 5.0 UV bulb, incandescent heat bulb.
Temperature - Basking spot is about 82, bottom is room temperature.
Humidity - Humidity varies from 50-70%; usually around 60%.
Plants - schefflera, pothos
Placement - Quiet bedrood
Location - Washington state.


Current Problem - My cham isn't eating much--probably only a couple small crickets a day, if that. I'm using a feeding cup so I can monitor his eating habits, but I haven't actually seen him eat in awhile (I work all day). He doesn't go after food with the same gusto that he used to and takes a long time to decide to eat anything. He isn't basking much (some days not at all) and seems to be lethargic. He's sleeping a lot during the day too. His coloration is normal and he doesn't look stressed or anything. He doesn't appear to be losing weight and I don't see any problems like bulging/sunken eyes or deformed bones, but I'm still worried there's something wrong. Any ideas?

 

[mcleodschams]

the only possible problem i see is the bugs wild caught.

 

[mcleodschams]

also his basking temp should be up closer to 90

 

[ataraxia]

Couple things i would change immediately.

1. It is said that panther are sensitive to the types of vitA sources we are able to give in captivity. Basically they arent able to convert proformed (thats whats being said). To cure this we provide twice a month a preformed version of vitA to help with the nutritional balanced diet for a panther. To probably correct your sleeping issue. At his next feeding smear the back of a cricket with fish oil that you can buy at any health foods place. Do thisfor the next few days only on one cricket each feeding. Make sure he eats this crickets. If he doesnt have a appetite you may have to force feed it to him. Dust his crickets reptivite twice a month from this point forward.

2. Raise the basking temp to 90*

The form was not completely filled out so i will have to ask some questions.
How long have you had your panther?
Whats your room temperature?
Feces description? Need to say what it looks like.
What do you feed your feeders? gut load.

 

[Elizadolots]

Hi, I'm sorry your chameleon is doing poorly.

How old is your UVB light?

 

[HerbsForMyChameleon]

My chameleon has been closing her eyes at day too. and not eating. for about two weeks this has been happening. but she trys to clean her eyes constantly. The vit A and the vet's antibiotics didnt help... idk what to do now (sorry if this jacks the thread. just want some advice and this sounds similar)

 

[Elizadolots]

Herbs, you really should start your own thread. Despite the fact the symptoms are similar, the problems could be very different. Frankly, chameleons don't have that many different symptoms, almost everything seems to include or start out with sunken eyes, eyes closed during the day, etc.

It can get very confusing if two different chameleons' problems are being discussed in one thread.

 

[cornelius]

Thanks for the advice. I'm trying to supplement a bit more often than usual, since he's eating so little I'm not sure he would get enough nutrition otherwise.

The form was not completely filled out so i will have to ask some questions.
How long have you had your panther?
Whats your room temperature?
Feces description? Need to say what it looks like.
What do you feed your feeders? gut load.

Sorry--I must have missed these.
I got my cham when he was about 2 months old, which means I've had him almost a year.
Room temperature is around 70. It drops a couple degrees at night.
Feces look normal, white and dark brown. I'm not certain about frequency.
The crickets and roaches are gutloaded with fruits and veggies, mainly apples, oranges, carrots, dandelions, etc. I'm careful to only use safe gutloads.

 

[carol5208]

I would have a fecal done and have your cham checked for parasites.

 

[HerbsForMyChameleon]

Herbs, you really should start your own thread. Despite the fact the symptoms are similar, the problems could be very different. Frankly, chameleons don't have that many different symptoms, almost everything seems to include or start out with sunken eyes, eyes closed during the day, etc.

It can get very confusing if two different chameleons' problems are being discussed in one thread.

ok. thanks.