Some questions! Any input greatly appreciated!

[Cami2013]

Can you tell based on color changes as chams age how old they are? There have been very distinct color pattern changes as my approx 8 mo old female veiled, Cami, has gotten older (I think she may be older, but am uncertain).

Do her eating patterns/amounts have anything to do with her age? When we first got her, she was eating 6-7 large crickets/daily. Within the 1st week or 2 she increased to 10-12 large crickets/daily + a bowl of veggies/greens/daily + meal worm treats. (SIDE NOTE: All of this was pre-vet visit. Her 1/11/14 vet visit revealed a healthy girl, approx 6 mos old, except she had 4 different parasites, which we ended up treating her for a total of 4 weeks with 3 different meds & 3 fecal tests until her fecal's were negative.) The last week of meds and ever since, she has only eaten 3-4 large crickets/daily + greens/daily (which sometimes she doesn't touch) + mealworm treats. When I asked the vet, he said the meds can decrease her appetite, but she has continued eating less than she did, but is definitely not scrawny (she is pretty robust).

Can parasites cause increased appetite if untreated, then once treated appetite be less than before because parasite free?

After she was parasite free, we moved her to her new XL screen cage with live plants (1 ficus benjamina, 2 schefflera arb., 1 pothos). We noticed that she was not hunting her food as well in her larger cage, so we started cup feeding which increased her from 3 up to 5 large crickets/daily. She explores all the different areas of her enclosure (I've only seen her at the bottom of her enclosure briefly a few times, usually when she's wanting to be out, like today). I have an AquaZamp automatic mister on a timer. She drinks well & her stool is "normal" appearing (it has not been as large, nor smelly since being parasite free). She stools mostly every day, sometimes will skip 1 day.

I was concerned initially about her decreased appetite, but everything else about her seems perfect. Could her eating less be just because she's getting older?

Also, do her shedding habits/frequencies have something to do with her age? The first shed she had with us started on Christmas day (we purchased her 12/14/13 & were told she was 3-6mos old) & she had completed her shed in about 5 days. Her 2nd shed started on 1/21 & also lasted about 5 days. She has not shed since.

 

[Tyaeda]

Yes, chams will change their behaviors, eating patterns, and skin as they age.
Male chameleons show the colour differences the most - baby veileds are often a solid pale green with a few hints at a pattern (bars). As they age, and thus shed, the brighter greens, yellows, and blues become more prominent. This happens in females too, it's just not as noticeable. Shedding also slows as they begin to reach their adult size. When babies a healthy cham can do a complete shed in 2 - 24 hours. Adults tend to do partial sheds where only a part of them sheds at a time.

They also eat less when they're older - but like your vet said, the medications can cause a decrease in appetite. Parasites are nutrient sucking organisms, so once they're gone your chameleon is likely to retain more from her food, and will need to eat less. As long as she's eating something, and drinking regularly, I wouldn't worry about this and instead bask in the savings you'll have from not having to buy and care for as many crickets


Do you have an egg laying bin yet? You didn't mention one, but you did say that she's been hanging around the bottom of the cage. This could be a sign that she's looking for a place to lay. She's definitely old enough to develop eggs, and will do so even if she hasn't been with a male.

 

[Cami2013]

Setting up her laying bin today. We just got everything for it last night. JannB replied to this previous post of mine https://www.chameleonforums.com/photos-our-beautiful-girl-126480/ which includes pictures of Cami, saying she looks like she's ready to lay eggs & gave me very helpful links regarding a laying bin. I highly respect & follow many of JannB's threads as I do yours & many others who I feel are experienced and reputable on the forums.

I guess I didn't link her periodic visit to the bottom as being ready to lay eggs because she doesn't do any wandering on the bottom. This behavior is almost always after we've put her back in her enclosure after handling her. She just literally walks down to the bottom of a branch & almost immediately right back up. She almost looks at us as if she's saying "you're really leaving me in here".

Thank you so much for your reply! Greatly respected!