stopped eating, started hiding?

[Skradmore]

hey guys, my 20 week old cham has had no interest in eating the last few days and last night when i came home he had crawled into his leaves to sleep before the lights even went out, and this morning he hasn't crawled back out even though the lights are on. i know he is awake as i can still see him but he's starting to get rather odd with his behaviour. does this have anything to do with season change or something? thnx

 

[mcbdz]

Hello and welcome to the boards. This could be several different things. It would help if you could copy and paste the link below and fill in your answers. This will help give more experience keepers a good overall look at his care and maybe get an idea if this is normal is beginning of something.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/
Good luck. Hope this helps

 

[GabeCastro]

Sounds like he's a sleepy chameleon

Are your lights on a timer? If so they shouldn't be on for over 12 hours. So lights should kick on at 7am and off at 7pm.

Here's a thread that goes over some members light schedules: (Some members change the light cycles in the summer/winter)
https://www.chameleonforums.com/proper-lighting-schedule-61022/

Also filling out these questions will help a ton. Just copy and paste them into your original post.


Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.


Pictures are helpful

 

[Skradmore]

Your Chameleon -Veiled, Male, 20 weeks.

Handling - almost daily, only when he wants to come out, he never shows any stress signs when he does come out infact he shows his bright happy chameleon colours.

Feeding - I feed him daily 5 - 10 crickets, the odd couple meal worms when he wants them. I have 2 containers of fluker's cricket feed, the dry food and the gel.

Supplements - rep-cal calcium powder, every second batch of 36 crickets get dusted

Watering -drip system, automatic mister goes off an hour after lights come on and lasts for 16 seconds, happens every 2 hours and stops 2 hours before lights go out. rarely see him drinking but i have a couple times.

Fecal Description - blackish brown wet with a white portion, last droppings had a small bit of yellow in it. He got some anti parasite medicine when he went to an exotic animal vet for his one and only trip so far.

History - sometimes has small spurts of speractic behaviour where he starts clinging his body to whatever its on and moving backwards. its not a leaf dance it looks more like a lizard seisure. happens more when he's outside his cage than inside but it happens in both places. he doesnt go dark when he does it though he stays bright most of the time. i havent been able to get an explination for it yet. He is also constantly wanting to come out of his cage, everytime i walk infront of the door he comes running over and starts reaching out at the glass. which is part of the reason he wont eat, he's too caught up in getting out when i approach the cage. i have a large plastic tree in my room that he loves climbing around in and i think he might just like it too much in the tree to want to be in the cage.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Glass terrarium with a glass door and vent on the bottom with a screen on the top. 18" by 18" by 24" . i know he's ready for a screened cage but i have looked all over the web and gone to all the pet stores in ottawa and been unsuccessful in finding or ordering one thats 2 feet by 2 feet by 4 feet.

Lighting - zoo med 100 watt bulb, exo terra repti glo 5.0 uvb bulb 30% uva 5%uvb, 12 hour on and off light cycle

Temperature - basking spot 90 - 93 degrees, walls 87 degrees at the top on 2 walls. 71 degrees down near the bottom, lowest over night temp would be roughly 62-65 degrees, i have 4 thermometers placed around the cage.
Humidity - hygrometer is how i measure the humidy, levels go from 70-80% after misting and it drops to about 40%. automatic mister goes off every 2 hours

Plants - just plastic ones, been unable to find live plants that are short enough for a 2 foot cage.

Placement - cage is in a dark basement low traffic, there is an air vent about 5 feet away from the top of the cage on the roof. the top of hte cage is about 5 feet up off the ground.
Location - Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Current Problem - He was hiding but for all the time i've put into this questionaire he has come out, but this is the 5th day i havent seen him eat. i just put more crickets in his cage and still all he wants is out of his cage, i know he needs a screened one but like i said i've had a rediculous amount of trouble getting my hands on one. these little "seizures" or whatever that he does sometimes doesn't seem like regular behaviour.

thanks guys, let me know how i can help my little buddy!

 

[Elizadolots]

Hi, you should be dusting your crickets right before you put them in the cage. The standard recommendation of this board is plain calcium without D3 with every feeding, a multivitamin twice a month and D3 twice a month.

It's definitely getting to be time to get him a big boy cage, though you might want to consider sticking with a well ventilated enclosure that's mostly glass (well ventilated meaning there is airflow from bottom to top).

It's possible that the cramped space is starting to bother him.

Are you at all handy? Could you build your own cage? You might look around the Enclosures forum and see if you get any inspiration.

 

[mcbdz]

As already mentioned he most likely feeling crampt. Their are members that also free range if you want to go with that option. I'm going to include a couple links you may want to review. You could back off on the misting to 2-3 times a day for a couple minutes at a time. You want the enclosure to completely dry out in between. Also make sure you gut-load your feeders along with dusting. Check links below.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...ung-veiled-panther-chameleons.html#comment835
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/nutritional-information/

 

[GabeCastro]

I'd bump your mistings up to about a minute each.

Also your lighting seems fine, I'd just move your 100 watt bulb higher so you're basking spot is in the super high 80's. You can also switch our your bulb to a regular cheap 60watt household bulb and you can achieve the same heat source (thats a secret).

Also a member mentioned dusting. My schedule is Calcium w/out D3 everyday, First/Third Sunday of the month Multivitamin, Second/Forth Sunday of the month Calcium W/ D3.

As for your cham hiding, he could be hiding because it's too hot. I'd add a hanging pothos plant in your cage, you can find short ones and take off the plastic hanger so it'll fit inside your enclosure. This will keep the humidity up a ton and also make it easier for your cham to drink water from the leaves. He is in a glass cage, so i wouldn't worry about that for now.

He could be stressed out...You mentioned you've only had him for 5 days, i'd let him get used to his new home for a solid week or two before handeling.

If he's not eating, i'd suggest trying different insects. Not sure what types you guys get out there in Canada, but i'd call up a few shops and ask what they have.

Here's a few to ask for:

Small Dubia Roaches
Small crickets
small silkworms
small hornworms
Super Worms
Calcium/repti/phoenix worms (all the same)
Wax worms (stay away from these)
Locust

Overall it sounds like you've done allot of research and know what you're doing! So good job on that!

 

[Skradmore]

Hi, you should be dusting your crickets right before you put them in the cage. The standard recommendation of this board is plain calcium without D3 with every feeding, a multivitamin twice a month and D3 twice a month.

It's definitely getting to be time to get him a big boy cage, though you might want to consider sticking with a well ventilated enclosure that's mostly glass (well ventilated meaning there is airflow from bottom to top).

It's possible that the cramped space is starting to bother him.

Are you at all handy? Could you build your own cage? You might look around the Enclosures forum and see if you get any inspiration.

the calcium powder i have has D3 in it. i've never seen them at the petstore without d3 and i've also never seen any multivitamins for chams. i dont quite understand how you would get him to eat a vitamin tablet unless its in powder form and you dust the crickets with them. and in the previous reply to this one you misread that i had him for 5 days, he has been on a 5 day hunger strike. i've had him for a little over 3 months and this is the first time hes stopped eating, he usually loves to eat. i do gut load the crickets though and i'd imagine there is some other vitamins in the feed i give them. what kind of vitamins do you guys use? thanks a lot for the help everyone!