Please help!

[chap]

Ok so my 6-7 month old female veiled stopped eating. I know this is a symptom of her being gravid, but she won't go in her lay bin to lay. She also hangs out at the bottom of the cage to look for a place to lay. I am really worried and there is no possibility for me to take her to the vet. What can I do? I really don't want to lose her.

 

[nickypav]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsyZUEnaOwc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frE61hNLADw

Try these, good luck. hopefully hes just being weird and will start eating. Ive seen and heard of some chameleons going weeks with out food but never good to do this

 

[unixmiah]

You need to follow the video instruction on how to feed the Chameleon manually, you can use hand or syringe.

You need to do this asap until you figure out what's wrong, don't let her go without eating plus females tend to eat more than males.

Some also get sick of the same food, try Chameleon safe flies and list of insects that they can eat to change it up.

 

[carol5208]

Can you post a picture of your chameleon and the laying bin? Are you giving her complete privacy to try and lay? How long has she gone without eating? Force feeding is a last resort and may not be necessary.

 

[carol5208]

You need to follow the video instruction on how to feed the Chameleon manually, you can use hand or syringe.

You need to do this asap until you figure out what's wrong, don't let her go without eating plus females tend to eat more than males.

Some also get sick of the same food, try Chameleon safe flies and list of insects that they can eat to change it up.

Force feeding is a last resort and telling someone they need to do it immediately might be the wrong advice. To the op, how long has it been since she has eaten?

 

[GCash]

You need to follow the video instruction on how to feed the Chameleon manually, you can use hand or syringe.

You need to do this asap until you figure out what's wrong, don't let her go without eating plus females tend to eat more than males.

Some also get sick of the same food, try Chameleon safe flies and list of insects that they can eat to change it up.

How can you give this advice without even knowing how long the chameleon has gone without food or any other details of the situation? If it is simply boredom of a certain insect, then force feeding could do more harm than good. It may stress the animal out and keep it from eating(or risk it becoming eggbound if it is in fact gravid) where it may willingly eat on its own once provided with variety. What needs to be done ASAP is to fill out the "how to ask for help" questionnaire and post pictures.

 

[JoeVet]

Agree with the rest. Before doing anything forceful fill out the https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/ information and post a picture.

 

[cquest]

bottom of cage

I have a veiled & a panther cham and i went thru it with both of them trying to lay on the bottom of their enclosures. What i did was everytime i saw them doing this i'd pick them up & mist them then put them somewhere else for a bit I think of mine as babies i try to steer them away from anything that can harm them by changing their minds if that makes sense. What your going thru could be totally different. But I've gone thru the same thing of course make sure that there enclosure/housing is correct for that species. Good Luck

 

[carol5208]

I have a veiled & a panther cham and i went thru it with both of them trying to lay on the bottom of their enclosures. What i did was everytime i saw them doing this i'd pick them up & mist them then put them somewhere else for a bit I think of mine as babies i try to steer them away from anything that can harm them by changing their minds if that makes sense. What your going thru could be totally different. But I've gone thru the same thing of course make sure that there enclosure/housing is correct for that species. Good Luck

So did both of your chameleons lay eggs successfully then??

 

[GCash]

I have a veiled & a panther cham and i went thru it with both of them trying to lay on the bottom of their enclosures. What i did was everytime i saw them doing this i'd pick them up & mist them then put them somewhere else for a bit I think of mine as babies i try to steer them away from anything that can harm them by changing their minds if that makes sense. What your going thru could be totally different. But I've gone thru the same thing of course make sure that there enclosure/housing is correct for that species. Good Luck

To be honest, it makes no sense. How/why would you "change their minds" if they're down there because they're trying to lay or due to illness. Handling a chameleon in either situation would, again, do more harm than good and should be reserved for only the utmost necessity of administration of medication. And if they're down there to cool off, you're forcing them to be warmer than they prefer. Handling stresses chameleons especially if they are sick or gravid. You may see them as babies, but even the youngest healthy chameleon has the natural instincts and ability it needs to survive on its own. If they can't while in our care, we are the ones who are in error and need to change.

 

[GCash]

So did both of your chameleons lay eggs successfully then??

Quick draw McCarol strikes again.

 

[Lacrowell]

Make sure your lay bin is correct there is a link in breeding on this. Also make sure to have her in a traffic free area or cover her cage. They are private about laying and if you catch them in the process they will stop and may become egg bound. My females previous owner did not do something correct and she was egg bound. I got lucky and had a second chance and she did great. She actually laid her eggs a few days ago. But I have to state that what mine did is not normal and becoming egg bound is deadly! I'm a licensed vet tech and my vets even say I got lucky that she did it herself and didn't need surgery. Also on force feeding, that is very stressful on them and sometimes they do go off food before laying. Please contact a local vet to have a X-ray and exam done to assure that everything is ok. There are other things they can do to help her lay.