please help feeding probs

[jacksonii chameleo]

Hello iam new to the community and i bought a veiled chameleon. Its a she and i bought her yesterday thursday she is very skittish and she hasnt been eating i heard that its normal but iam very worried and the cage has to many plants. Not many just three but i cant throw in the crickets becouse she always hides becouse she is scared. i have her in a terrarium 18x18x26 but i couldnt find a reptibreeze couse the shop didnt have any so i only could have found this one, she is 4 months old and iam very worried she always hides and is always brownish grey please help i dont want her to die. And yes this is my first chameleon but i have read alot been reading for 3 months about veileds. please any suggestions and thank you

 

[jacksonii chameleo]

please respond i really want to take care good for my cham just tel me what ye need if you need pics please she hasnt eaten all day pls iam desprate

 

[Ricardo]

Give her a little time to settle in the terrarium. And at the healt clinic topic there is a "how to ask for help" thread. Fill that out, and post a picture of the terrarium and cham that will help a lot!

Good luck!

 

[jacksonii chameleo]

thank you very much iam very appriciated she is very shy iam just worried she hasnt eaten all day =( and if i let go of the crickets in the cage loose they will hide =( i will post a pic ASAP for you can see

 

[carol5208]

She is new and alot of times they won't eat right away. Just relax!! She is probably dark because of the stress of the new environment. This is normal!!! Go ahead and put some crickets in there tomorrow. Not tonight because if they do not get eaten then may take a nip out of her while sleeping! You can always try cup feeding too so the crickets don't roam in the cage and they will be easy for her to find.

 

[carol5208]

By the way, where are you located? Maybe it is not night where you are at?

 

[jacksonii chameleo]

thnks very much iam just worried and when i saw her in pertsmart they had her in a really small cage =( i was very sad but i studied and read alot about chams and told my mom to buy me one before so i was ready but she was brown when i saw her i felt pain so i bought her instead of looking in somewhere else. i checked her parts eyes are ok feet casque everything is a ok and btw were i fill out the info? for the health clinic thing and i will post a pic for you guys can see

 

[jacksonii chameleo]

i live in FL and right now she is hiding =( and brown and its 5:42 in FL

 

[carol5208]

ok I am in Florida too! Whereabouts? We have alot of members in Florida. Don't try and feed her any more tonight. It is getting too late. As a general rule you don't want to feed at night because of what I mentioned about the crickets and also they need time to bask to digest their food and you should be turning out ther lights pretty soon for the night. What time are your lights going on and off?

 

[jacksonii chameleo]

i turn off lights at 7:30 to 8:00 depends lol

 

[jacksonii chameleo]

the bad thing is i havnt gotten her to eat the WHOLE day

 

[carol5208]

Its not that critical if they don't eat for a day or so. Don't panic! Has she drank any water today? Where do you live in Florida?

 

[jacksonii chameleo]

kendall and i dont no i spray to times a day full spray but i dont no if they like being sprayed i havnt tried it though the humid is 80 percent but shes hiding in the bushes of the plant =( and brownish grey

 

[carol5208]

When you mist, it is ok that she hides. She number one does not want to get wet, and number two she is scared of you and the mister because it is all new to her. Alot of times you will not see your chameleon drink. Some just don't drink in front of people. Your best bet is to get yourself a Little Dripper(they sell them at pet stores) and you can run a constant supply of water to her, just to be on the safe side. Just try and give her some space and time and tomorrow try putting some crickets in the cage again.

 

[jacksonii chameleo]

another thing is that EVERY time that she sees me or my mom it hides turns brown greyish and goes by by in the bushes

 

[carol5208]

Its ok! You have to realize that chameleons get stressed out very easily and the trauma of moving to a new home and environment is just sometimes a little too much for them. Some acclamate easier than others and some take more time. You just got her, so you have to be patient. you are not the first one to have their chameleon hide from them or not eat immediately. It should be alright.

 

[jacksonii chameleo]

ok i want to do the feeding cup but everytime she sees us she hides ive seen her very green few times but then she hides and turns grey iama turn off lights now =) or should i turn out at 7:30?

 

[Theirin]

My cham is scared of me most of the time! It takes a few weeks or months for them to get fully used to you. Just give it time. =) I've had to do the same thing, if you push them too much to early, they just get more scared especially cuz they are babies and are pretty small. Give her some time and space, and in the next few days she will surely perk up.

 

[ataraxia]

put her cage up above your head if possible. leave the uvb/uva on 12 hours and dark for 12hours. keep temps around 80. spray her cage 3 times a day (if you can buy/make a dripper id suggest that also) and leave her be. she needs alot of vines and foliage to feel safe. at night scan the cage and see if any crickets are left and remove. i know she is new and you want to admire her but right now she needs to get acclimated to her new cage and surroundings.its exciting and scary but it sounds like you are taking the right steps. this forum is full of very informative folks that know chams. good luck with your new cham.

 

[Theirin]

I would wait a little longer to turn off the lights, although it depends completely on when you turn them on in the morning, most people do 12 hours on 12 hours off.