lisagr07
Avid Member
hey everyone,,,
i have a bit of concern for my little Stanley... he hasn't been eating nor pooping much in the last 2 weeks...
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Veiled chameleon, , male, 4 and 1/2 months. How long has it been in your care? 7and 1/2 weeks.
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? every day at least an hour some days more.
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? at this point all he is interested in is silkies and that interest is limited.What amount? today 3 yesterday 4..What is the schedule? trying to feed crickets in the am by way of cup. he used to beat me to the cup but now shows no interest. only wants to come out. after getting home from work sometimes i can entice him into eating 2-4 silkies... nothing else, the crickets are usually still in his cup or roaming the cage.. i have hornworms ordered..How are you gut-loading your feeders? crickets and dubia get carrots, collards cricket crack, oranges, apples and Flukers cricket quencher.
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? crickets and roaches have been dusted daily with ReptiCalcium without d3 and twice a month with Reptical with d3, once a month with Reptivite around the 20th. dusted supers the same when he would eat them, just fed the silkies..
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? MistKing for the most part, hand misting when i take him outside, when temp permits. How often and how long to you mist? 4 times a day 9am, 12noon, 3pm and 5pm for 3 minutes each. you see your chameleon drinking? yes, when i hand mist him he readily drinks the water droplets that form on his mouth, i continue until he stops drinking.
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. poop is firm, brown and bullet shaped. urates are white. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? yes, just before being set to me from Jannb, 7ish weeks ago.. tested clear of parasites.
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you. from the time he came out of the box until approximately 2 weeks ago he ate any and everything that wiggled.. i got low on crickets and started offering more worms, silkies, hornworms and suoers, which he readily ate. when i got more crickets.. he just had NO interest... in roaches either, and now it seems i have to beg him to eat a silkie or two for me... he came to me weighing 24grams in the first f weeks he gained 52grams, he hasn't gained anything since "going off of his feed." has lost maybe 2 grams in the past 2 weeks.
Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? screen cage, 24X28X48"
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? i'm using a5.0 Reptisun linear tube bulb and a 40watt incandescent bulb for basking. basking temp is 82deg. at 6" below bulb. What is your daily lighting schedule? lights come on at 8am and go off at 8pm.
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? cage floor mid 70's basking 82 degrees.Lowest overnight temp? 74 degrees.How do you measure these temps? digital and analog temp measurer's, temp gun for specific readings...
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? vary 60-70% . How are you creating and maintaining these levels? Mistking misting frequently, back side of Cage solid. What do you use to measure humidity? analog temp reader.
Plants - Are you using live plants? yes If so, what kind? pothos hanging in top right corner of cage, schifilera in bottom left of cage and hibiscus in bottom right of cage.
Placement - Where is your cage located? den. Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? close to a hall but very limited traffic, he has been in this area since his arrival. At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? top of cage is 78" from floor level.
Location - Where are you geographically located? mid south,, Memphis, Tennessee
Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
Stanley was a veracious eater for the first 5 weeks i've had him... since i ran short on crickets 2 weeks ago he has NO interest in them or roaches, the 6th week ate supers , hornworms and silkies. now not interested in supers, i have to beg him to eat a silkie hornworms should be here to try in the next day or two.
he is very active in his cage always exploring and always eager to come out if given the opportunity... as far as i know he has pooped 3 times in the last week and they have been "smaller" than in the weeks prior, urates are white, he readily drinks when i hand mist him. loves to bask in the natural sunlight and in his cage... alert and oriented... just not the eater that he was, not continuiing to put on weight, lost 2 grams in the past 2 weeks but i truly believe it's just because of his decrease in feeder intake... not saying it's ok, just not horrid at the moment..
one thing i feel is important to mention is that he loves to eat dirt, i've done my best to prevent tis from happening but he seems to seek out the smallest crack or crevice and shoot his tongue into it and eat a bit of dirt... i know this practice can cause impaction.. i don't really feel that this is the issue but i'm far from the expert...so i'm turning to you guys for guidance!!!!
what to do, since he does eat 3-4 silkies and drinks and basks... take him to the vet for a fecal? just continue to watch him and try the hornworms when they arrive?
thanks a TON!!!!!!! lisa
i have a bit of concern for my little Stanley... he hasn't been eating nor pooping much in the last 2 weeks...
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Veiled chameleon, , male, 4 and 1/2 months. How long has it been in your care? 7and 1/2 weeks.
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? every day at least an hour some days more.
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? at this point all he is interested in is silkies and that interest is limited.What amount? today 3 yesterday 4..What is the schedule? trying to feed crickets in the am by way of cup. he used to beat me to the cup but now shows no interest. only wants to come out. after getting home from work sometimes i can entice him into eating 2-4 silkies... nothing else, the crickets are usually still in his cup or roaming the cage.. i have hornworms ordered..How are you gut-loading your feeders? crickets and dubia get carrots, collards cricket crack, oranges, apples and Flukers cricket quencher.
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? crickets and roaches have been dusted daily with ReptiCalcium without d3 and twice a month with Reptical with d3, once a month with Reptivite around the 20th. dusted supers the same when he would eat them, just fed the silkies..
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? MistKing for the most part, hand misting when i take him outside, when temp permits. How often and how long to you mist? 4 times a day 9am, 12noon, 3pm and 5pm for 3 minutes each. you see your chameleon drinking? yes, when i hand mist him he readily drinks the water droplets that form on his mouth, i continue until he stops drinking.
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. poop is firm, brown and bullet shaped. urates are white. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? yes, just before being set to me from Jannb, 7ish weeks ago.. tested clear of parasites.
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you. from the time he came out of the box until approximately 2 weeks ago he ate any and everything that wiggled.. i got low on crickets and started offering more worms, silkies, hornworms and suoers, which he readily ate. when i got more crickets.. he just had NO interest... in roaches either, and now it seems i have to beg him to eat a silkie or two for me... he came to me weighing 24grams in the first f weeks he gained 52grams, he hasn't gained anything since "going off of his feed." has lost maybe 2 grams in the past 2 weeks.
Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? screen cage, 24X28X48"
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? i'm using a5.0 Reptisun linear tube bulb and a 40watt incandescent bulb for basking. basking temp is 82deg. at 6" below bulb. What is your daily lighting schedule? lights come on at 8am and go off at 8pm.
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? cage floor mid 70's basking 82 degrees.Lowest overnight temp? 74 degrees.How do you measure these temps? digital and analog temp measurer's, temp gun for specific readings...
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? vary 60-70% . How are you creating and maintaining these levels? Mistking misting frequently, back side of Cage solid. What do you use to measure humidity? analog temp reader.
Plants - Are you using live plants? yes If so, what kind? pothos hanging in top right corner of cage, schifilera in bottom left of cage and hibiscus in bottom right of cage.
Placement - Where is your cage located? den. Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? close to a hall but very limited traffic, he has been in this area since his arrival. At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? top of cage is 78" from floor level.
Location - Where are you geographically located? mid south,, Memphis, Tennessee
Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
Stanley was a veracious eater for the first 5 weeks i've had him... since i ran short on crickets 2 weeks ago he has NO interest in them or roaches, the 6th week ate supers , hornworms and silkies. now not interested in supers, i have to beg him to eat a silkie hornworms should be here to try in the next day or two.
he is very active in his cage always exploring and always eager to come out if given the opportunity... as far as i know he has pooped 3 times in the last week and they have been "smaller" than in the weeks prior, urates are white, he readily drinks when i hand mist him. loves to bask in the natural sunlight and in his cage... alert and oriented... just not the eater that he was, not continuiing to put on weight, lost 2 grams in the past 2 weeks but i truly believe it's just because of his decrease in feeder intake... not saying it's ok, just not horrid at the moment..
one thing i feel is important to mention is that he loves to eat dirt, i've done my best to prevent tis from happening but he seems to seek out the smallest crack or crevice and shoot his tongue into it and eat a bit of dirt... i know this practice can cause impaction.. i don't really feel that this is the issue but i'm far from the expert...so i'm turning to you guys for guidance!!!!
what to do, since he does eat 3-4 silkies and drinks and basks... take him to the vet for a fecal? just continue to watch him and try the hornworms when they arrive?
thanks a TON!!!!!!! lisa
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And like kids, they have a few downs when it's time to grow and get bigger. Just wait a few weeks and it should be back to normal, at least in the amount of food he eats.
