not eating

tony103

New Member
hey guys whats going on, im new to this forum I just registered and i got a quick question and i was woundering if any one can help. I recently got a senegal chameleon and ive had him for about 5 days and he hasnt eaten yet. he drinks water which is a good start but i would assume that he would be pretty hungry by now. i've tried meal worms and crickets and he doesn't seem to have any interest. During the day the temp is about 85 to 90 degrees and the humidity is around 70... so if you guys have any suggestions give me a shout.. thanks alot.
 
hello tony :)
welcome to the chameleon forums

It is good to read that he is drinking. How are you presenting the food? Does your cham have a clear line of site to the food? Many times chameleons will not eat for a few days when you first get them due to stress. Like you said though, he should be getting hungry by now. You might want to try some silkworms.

Some more details of your setup might show some hints at what the problem could be.
 
yea... well i have a few plants in the tank plenty of things for him to climb on but its not too crowded so he can see the food, the meal worms are in a small dish i put a few in today and theres a cricket running around ... for now since hes still small i have him in a fish tank, its a decent size though im not sure how many gallon i have a 85 watt heat lamp and a 75 watt night light, along with a a floresent light.....during the day he is very active he climbs every where and if i open the top he will climb right out onto my hand and will drink water droplets off my hand also. ive also tried to hand feed him but hes more interested in climbing up my arm then eating. he is mostly a brown color but sometimes a lighter green... i dont know if their colors show signs of their moods or not like some other lizards. Hopefully he will eat soon
 
It is hard to say for sure, but it sounds like your cham is not happy with its environment. I have never kept a Senegal, but according to various care sheets they require a temperature range of 72-85°F during the day and in the high 60's and the low 70's°F at night. This means you need to provide a temperature gradient during the day from 72F to 85F. Temperatures in aquariums can really build up fast. You also do not get good air circulation with an aquarium.

I am guessing your cham is too hot. You probably need to rethink your lighting and your caging.
 
yea alright thanks ill see what i can do the temp is a good point becuase i thought that it had to be like 85 90 so i was keeping it warmer but ill see how he does a little lower temp
 
Are you staring at your cham when you feed him? When I got my Veiled about 2 years ago, he won't eat if I was standing in front of the cage. Put the food in a container(deep enough so the crickets can't jump out,but shallow enough to reach), and walk away. Come back in 10 mins, and check. It took me about 2 months for him to trust me enough to feed in front of me, now I can hold food in my fingers and he'll snatch it up.



Good Luck

Ryno
 
hey thanks, good advice i i think he may of eaten i had a few meal worms in a dish and he either ate one or it got out of the dish. but yea i had 2 crickets and a few meal worms in there and i left the crickets in but should i take them out or just leave them until he eats them?
 
still not eating....im starting to get a little worried.. he drinks with no problem.... should i try some different foods? the past few days hes been walking around on the bottom and trying to climb on the class which he can't do and i think its pissing him off... is there maybe some other way that he was fed before i got him that hes waiting for me to do?
 
the past few days hes been walking around on the bottom and trying to climb on the class

Are you positive your temperatures are correct? Did you remove the basking light? Any thoughts of losing the aquarium?

Try some silkworms.
 
today i went to the pet store and i got some electrolyte supplements to add to the water so he can get some nutrients becuase he is drinking.. and i got some more lively meal worms so we'll see what happends.
 
Worst Case ONLY

OK I don't regular recommend this at work(Specialty Dept. at PETsMART) but if he still wont eat in another day or two you could try this(its not easy). You'll need a razor blade and a strong stomach. You'll have to chop up the crickets and meal worms into a paste. Once you have the paste take a eyedropper and fill it. You'll want someone to help you with this part.Holding him still you have to GENTLY pull on his gulit(the bottom of his mouth) and squeeze a few drops of cricket paste into his mouth. Again I don't like having to do this but if he isn't eating and looking skinny it might be the only way. But I still feel that you should get a container like the ones you get from the deli and place the food in that. this way the food can't escape and you can know for sure if he ate anything. I also agree with Brad! You definitely need to get rid of that Aquarium!!!! Most, if not all Chams need extremely well ventilated areas. It should be a mesh tank, thats taller than wide. The cage I have is 2'wX2'dX3'H, and I'm currently building a 3x3x6 cage now. Check the Temps again and try not spraying him directly.

Good Luck
Ryno

Email me personally if you'd like a list of site and pick of my setup
 
alright... we'll see what happends but before i go choping up crickets how long can they go without eating? so far its been 7 days... but thanks for the advise i think i might have to do that.
 
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