please please help us..

[Valerie]

my chamaeleon doesn't eat for about a week.
earlier he ate 8-12 crickets per day.
now he denies crickets at all!
two days ago I gave him 2 mealworms. he ate it with pleasure.
but the next day I found in his excrements those two WHOLE mealworms..
he is weak.
but he drinks a lot.
75-85 temp
30-60 humidity
exoterra cage

what should we do?
mb anybody tell me herpethologist's contacts (brooklyn ny)..

 

[Elizadolots]

Hi! Welcome. I'm sorry your chameleon is giving you a scare.

It's not unusual for a chameleon to refuse to eat for a week. The fact that you describe him as "weak" and he was unable to digest the mealworms is somewhat disturbing though.

I searched the list of vets and did not find someone in your area, hopefully someone else will know of a vet you can use.

I do recommend you complete the "how to ask for help" form so maybe the experienced keepers here can give you advice.

Just follow that link, copy the form, paste it into a reply and add your responses. Be as detailed as possible. (don't be afraid to gross us out) Pictures are extremely helpful.

 

[Hoj]

what type cham and how old is it, and as eliza suggested fill out the how to ask for help form.

 

[Valerie]

i'm sorry, i just hurry to ask your advice.. i'm really worry about him(((((

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - yemeni, m, and we bought him when it was 7 month (about), one year with me.
Handling - once in 2 weeks, once a month.
Feeding - 8-15 crickets per day, fasting day in a week. once a month (or 2) - mealworms. also cabbage and lettuce, sometimes bananas.
Supplements - exo terra supplements (multi + calcium)
Watering - i see my cham is drinking every day. but noe he does it more frequent than earlier (about 3 times a day).

he has been always healthy with us till this moment (good colour and active)

Cage Info:
Cage Type - exo terra for reptiles (vertical)

fake plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
Placement - in the corner of the room, no fans, no air vents

 

[Valerie]

Hi! Welcome. I'm sorry your chameleon is giving you a scare.

no, he's not giving me a scary at all..
he just was a little uncomfortable of the photoflash...

and sorry for my english..((

 

[Valerie]

one more pic

 

[kinyonga]

I'm also concerned that he is drinking a lot and not able to digest the mealworms and that he is weak.

What specific supplements have you been using and how often for each? Does he sit in the area where its warm or sit low in the cage? Have you replaced the UVB light when it should be replaced? Does the UVB light have glass or plastic between it and the chameleon?
Cabbage, lettuce and bananas are not good to use all the time. You can give it the same things I've listed below as gutload to eat in addition to the insects. Do you gutload your insects before feeding them to the chameleon?

Here's some information I hope will help you with supplementing, etc.....
Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption.

Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light. The most often recommended UVB light is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light. Some of the compacts, spirals and tube lights have caused health issues, but so far there have been no bad reports against this one.

A wide variety of insects that have been well fed and gutloaded should be fed to it.

Since many of the feeder insects we use in captivity have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects just before you feed them to the chameleon at most feedings with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it. (I use Rep-cal phosphorus-free calcium).

If you also dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it. (I use Rep-cal phos.-free calcium/D3).

Dusting twice a month as well with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while. (I use herptivite which has beta carotene.)

Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs. I gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms, etc. with an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)

Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.
Please note that various supplements have various amounts of D3 and vitamin A and so some can be given more often than others. The idea still is not to overdo the fat soluble vitamins like D3 and prEformed vitamin A.

Here are some good sites for you to read too...
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200406080...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://web.archive.org/web/200601140...ww.adcham.com/
If you can't access the sites above that have the word "archive" in you can do it through the WayBackMachine.

 

[Hoj]

ok so for a adult veiled i would up the baskin site to the low 90's it will definatly help with food digestion and possibly his appetite.
i would also take a closer look at your supplements.
most members do
calcium w NO d3 most days
calcium w/d3 twice a month
and a multivitamin twice a month
also what are u using for a uvb light

 

[ataraxia]

my chamaeleon doesn't eat for about a week.
earlier he ate 8-12 crickets per day.
now he denies crickets at all!
two days ago I gave him 2 mealworms. he ate it with pleasure.
but the next day I found in his excrements those two WHOLE mealworms..
he is weak.
but he drinks a lot.
75-85 temp
30-60 humidity
exoterra cage

what should we do?
mb anybody tell me herpethologist's contacts (brooklyn ny)..

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - yemeni, m, and we bought him when it was 7 month (about), one year with me.
Handling - once in 2 weeks, once a month.
Feeding - 8-15 crickets per day, fasting day in a week. once a month (or 2) - mealworms. also cabbage and lettuce, sometimes bananas.
Supplements - exo terra supplements (multi + calcium)
Watering - i see my cham is drinking every day. but noe he does it more frequent than earlier (about 3 times a day).

he has been always healthy with us till this moment (good colour and active)

Cage Info:
Cage Type - exo terra for reptiles (vertical)

fake plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
Placement - in the corner of the room, no fans, no air vents

where is the uvb lighting information?

Feces description?

Are you using the exoterra calcium with D3 or without?

Becareful about feeding your feeders any ingredients in the cabbage group. They are high oxalates which inhibit the absorption of calcium.

 

[Elizadolots]

Valerie, I'm sorry I wasn't clear. I didn't think he was being scary, I thought you were scared (as in worried) by what's going on now.

I think the information on lighting is really important. Not all lights are the same, so please tell us what company made them, what power they are and how long you have had them. If you don't know, take pictures when the lights are off, maybe we can figure it out.

The temperature in the cage is also really important. If you don't have a thermometer, you should get one. The temperature 6 inches below the light and at the bottom of the cage are the two most important.

Congratulations on posting a picture on your first try! Most people have a hard time figuring that out. He's a handsome chameleon. Are those black marks on his face and casque always there?