reginald not eating much (again…)

sketchtone

Member
so i know i posted once, but i’m going to post again because it is a bit concerning to me. i need to redo my husbandry checklist because we had to do an emergency cage switch recently (he seems to like it more)

so his issue is that he wouldn’t eat out of a cup at all. the crickets ended up jumping out and he liked free range eating them. i was concerned he would get bitten at night so i wanted to get him a bioactive floor, so the crickets would hopefully hide at night. i ended up needing to get him mesh since the branches were grapevine and molded everywhere (i’m lucky he’s not sick).
he only eats 2-4 crickets a day. he LOVES wax worms, so whenever he’s out he eats one off my hand but refuses any more. he’s a healthy weight (i think?) he doesn’t look too unhealthy to me, but i know he probably should be eating more.

SIDE NOTE: he’s also got some spots where it looks like he’s about to shed or it might be stuck. i rubbed them with a warm, damp q-tip and it did nothing. he has scratched at himself a little bit but he’s had the spots since i got them and i can’t get them to change at all. i thought that was why he wouldn’t eat but i don’t know. (the pic of him in his old enclosure is the one with some of the shed spots)
  • Your Chameleon - Male Panther Chameleon. Unknown age but he's estimated 5 months.
  • Handling - Handled minimally, but when necessary and/or when he wants. (almost never, for the ladder)
  • Feeding - Small-Medium Crickets. right now they are eating store gut load, which i want to switch from, but my main concern for him is that he’s actually eating now.
  • Supplements - ZooMed repti calcium is what im using for regular. for D3, I will have him on a schedule of 1st and 15th, starting on the fifteenth, as I do not know his original schedule and did not have him on the first.
  • Watering - Mistking for five minutes before lights on and five before lights out, fogging from 1am-6am, misting 2 minutes every other hour from 9pm
  • Fecal Description - his poops are ok, however i’d like him to drink more. he has access to a dropper almost all day, but half of his urates are orange. he’s pooped pretty regularly, however he was constipated from a superstorm and wouldn’t eat for a couple days a bit ago.
  • History - (i think i put it above? if i didn’t i can describe it correctly)
Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - ZooMed 36-18-36 mesh enclosure.
  • Lighting - Vivid Chameleons and Habitats 50W basking bulb, Arcadia JungleDawn Plant light, ZooMed ReptiSun T5 HO 24w 22in 5.0 UVB.
  • Temperature - Cage floor is usually between 70-75. Basking is 82-85. I have one digital thermometer hygrometers combo nearer to the top but in the middle. I have a temp gun that I do not like since it is a few degrees off.
  • Humidity - Ambient humidity in the house is around mid to high 30s. Day time humidity fluctuates from 60-40. Nighttime after misting is around 75-90. he has a bioactive floor now as well.
  • Plants - Philodendron, ivy, a few big ferns, philodendron at the top. (a few other plants at the bottom, that again, I can't remember the names of for the life of me, but I do not buy chameleon plants without checking the forums and chameleon academy for safety,)
  • Placement - Cage is in my bedroom, which has two outer walls. It’s a low traffic area. The enclosure is lifted about 2.5 feet off the ground. I turn on both fans to lower the temp (no aircon yet) and turn off the floor fan when temps drop enough.
  • Location - Nevada (desert)
 

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Hello there! Has your guy ever been tested for parasites?

How many inches below the uvb light is the branch?
 
Hello there! Has your guy ever been tested for parasites?

How many inches below the uvb light is the branch?
i have not gotten him tested and probably should. the branch is a little more than a foot away(near basking) and a foot and a half (ish) right under the bulb. he climbs the screen sometimes too.
 
i have not gotten him tested and probably should. the branch is a little more than a foot away(near basking) and a foot and a half (ish) right under the bulb. he climbs the screen sometimes too.
Ok you’ll want the branch to be more like 9 inches below the uvb light. If baby isn’t getting enough uvb it can affect his appetite. Raise that up more and see how he does then. I’d also consider adding more plants and branches. Any unused space is wasted space in a cham enclosure :)
 
Ok you’ll want the branch to be more like 9 inches below the uvb light. If baby isn’t getting enough uvb it can affect his appetite. Raise that up more and see how he does then. I’d also consider adding more plants and branches. Any unused space is wasted space in a cham enclosure :)
i’m definitely going to lower his light then! i’ve been wanting to add plants, but i was nervous to put the same ones in since there was mold, but i’ve been working on replacing his! thank you so much!! i’ll be keeping an eye out for a fresh poop to get tested soon!
 
i’m definitely going to lower his light then! i’ve been wanting to add plants, but i was nervous to put the same ones in since there was mold, but i’ve been working on replacing his! thank you so much!! i’ll be keeping an eye out for a fresh poop to get tested soon!
Can you not use the same plants if you clean them down to the root and wash the leaves and stems?
 
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