Troubles getting baby veiled to eat!!!

[Chris8695]

hey, guys. i have a a lil bit over 2 months old male veiled. i just got him yesterday. is that normal that they dont eat when they first got into a new place? cux i also have a female veiled who is 3 months old and arrived the same day with him which is yesterday, 2/5/08. she just eat right away hours after i put them in the cage.

so how do u get a new arrival, male, 2 and a half months old veiled to start eating?

thank you very much, guy.

 

[lbesok]

I think that it's pretty common for certain individuals to take a couple of days to adjust to their new surroundings. From my experience I notice that varying the feeders until you find one that interests them more is a good way to break the hunger strike. I've had success with silkworms and dubia for these purposes.

 

[Julirs]

You really should not house them together for much longer. Especially if one is not eating. It may take the smaller one longer to find, hunt, eat than the larger one, and unless you stare at them for hours, you won't know who is eating what.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

I agree that they should not be housed together. There won't be territorial disputes at this age as much as there will be competition for food.
A baby who keeps losing the competition will tend to give up.
Tell us about the rest of your husbandry please ... and what you are offering them to eat ... and what supplements you are using.

-Brad

 

[Chris8695]

oh. my bad. forgot to mention that they are housing seperately. and i have read about the silkworm too. but there's no pet store around selling them. i think the only way for me is online store. but still takes time for the shipping. anyway, i will try that. but for a 2 months old veiled, i cant really feed him mealworm or waxworm, right? cux they are too big for him?? thank you for replying, guys. i appreciate it.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

You don't mention crickets.
I fed my baby veiled crickets exclusively (except for the occasional waxworm) until he was 4 months old.

-Brad

 

[Chris8695]

oh, cux i tried crickets in the first place. he didt want them. then Ibesok told me to tried some other feeders. that's why i asked if mealworm and waxworm are too big for a 2 months old veiled. thank you though

 

[Brad Ramsey]

How big were these crickets?
They cannot be any bigger than the distance between the chameleon's eyes.
A 2 month old should be eating like crazy! 20 to 30 very small crickets per day.

-Brad

 

[Brad Ramsey]

Can you describe how you are keeping him?
temperatures
enclosure
water
Everything

Can you post a picture of him?

Something is wrong if a baby veiled is not eating like a pig, regardless of how long you've had him.
They should come out of the box eating!

-Brad

 

[Chris8695]

the crickets was like a week old. around 3/8". so u are saying mealworm and waxworm are too big for him, right?

 

[Chris8695]

i am using a screen cage, 20"x18"x12". temp under basking light is around 90. cool side is 75. i mist him 3 times a day. ice cube on top for dripping. and he just came in yesterday.
he was on top of the cage. so i flip the pic upside down.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

See if you can get that basking temp down to 80 or 85 (raise the fixture)
Enclosure is perfect. Does he have lots of plants and branches?
Babies live low in tall grasses and under brush where it is more humid ... live plants will help with this.
Ice cubes are too cold ... poke a pin hole in the bottom of a plastic cup for a dripper. Place another cup in the cage with mesh rubber-banded over it to collect the water.
I would free range those 3/8" crickets in there 5 or 10 at a time. He looks good .. he'll eat them.
Place some carrot peelings on the floor for the crickets so they don't chew on him at night.

-Brda

 

[Chris8695]

oh really? cux the caresheets said the basking spot need to be 90-100. but i will try lowering the temp to 85. i got branches for him. cant say a lot. but more than he needs. about the dripper, i do have one. but i never thought about using a cup to catch the water. that's why i am not using it right now. i have a question about the dripper. does the water need to drip on leaves or something and drop down to the cup or just let the water drip straight the cup?

here is the pic of the whole set up. they were doing the same post at the same place. so cool. LOL

 

[kinyonga]

If you are using a cup to catch the water in make sure its not deep enough that the chameleon can drown in it.

 

[Chris8695]

thanks for reminding kinyonga. Brad has taken care of that for me. he told me to use mesh to cover the top of the cup. and i think that works great. but i just wanna know if i need to drip the water on the leaves, then the cup, or straight to the cup? thank you though. i appreciate it.

 

[VerteX]

You should try both methods of dripping. Some chams (Brad ramsey's Kitty) prefer free falling water. Some chams prefer water dripping to the leaves first (my ambanja). It's really up to the chameleon. You should try whatever method of dripping you choose for at least a week to 10 days at the very same spot before switching.

I'm very glad you found this forum early on.

Good luck,
V

 

[Chris8695]

VerTex, so how do i know if they drink the water? sorry about too many questions. but just wanna make everything clear.

i have found this forum before i had them. i read a lot of caresheets. but i thought it would be better to hear some personal experiences. thank you for helping me, V.

 

[VerteX]

If you are lucky, you might catch them in drinking action... However, to *really* see that they are drinking the white part (urates) of their poop should be pure white or close to pure white. This means that they are well hydrated.Their eyes should look plump but poop is the best way to be sure.

This will be sticking their tongues out and licking the leaf. Also during misting sessions, your chameleons will open and close their mouths repeatedly, that's also drinking. You can start misting the big one directly with warm water (always test the water temperature on your hand/arm before spraying. I would wait a little while until your little one grows up to mist directly.

Wait until the cage is completely dry before misting them again. Don't leave a puddle at the bottom of the enclosure.

You aren't asking too many questions.

 

[Chris8695]

cool. actually, i really saw the big one open and close her mouth when i mist her. but, the small one ran away when i mist him. if a cham like to drink free falling water, they will also drink from leaves, right? thank you for helping me again.

 

[VerteX]

Technically. Although, I have yet to see any of my chams drinking from a steady free falling water. I guess I'm just impatient.