Veiled chameleon not doing well

[chams529]

Hello everybody,

I have a male veiled chameleon who is about 1 year old. I got him when he was about 2 months old. Up until like 2 weeks ago, everything has been going great. He has been eating and drinking, his colors have been amazing, and he has been very friendly. However, all of a sudden this has just stopped. He is barely eating, he is pretty much always a very dark color, except when asleep, and just, in general, has been a little off. I have been trying to do anything I can to help him, such as make sure his lighting setup is all good, I have been watering his enclosure very regularly, and I have been providing him with plenty of food options. Nothing seems to be working. I'm not really sure what to do at this point. If this continues, I will take him to a vet just to make sure everything is all right. Until then, does anybody have any suggestions?

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi. I took a quick peek at some of your previous posts. The best way of course to help figure things out is a full husbandry review. If you’d like to do that, just copy/paste with your answers. https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/

 

[chams529]

Hi. I took a quick peek at some of your previous posts. The best way of course to help figure things out is a full husbandry review. If you’d like to do that, just copy/paste with your answers. https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/

here you go...


Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - male veiled chameleon
• Handling - about once every 1-2 weeks
• Feeding - I feed him crickets, mealworms, and hornworms. Mainly crickets. Calcium dusted once every day
• Supplements - The brand of calcium is “repti calcium” by Zoo Med
• Watering - I have a misting system that goes off every hour for 2 minutes. I see him drinking quite frequently
• Fecal Description - Has never been tested for parasites. His stool is not very big and is your usual brown color. His urates all look to be white. It’s hard to tell how often he is defecating
• History - Last time I did a vet check-up was about 3 months ago and the report was all good. I plan on taking him in again soon

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - a screen cage. Dimensions are 24x24x48 inches
• Lighting - I have 2 120 watt zoo med heat bulbs and a UVB strip light that runs diagonally across the top of the cage. I also have 1 100 watts black light for the nighttime (only used in the wintertime).
• Temperature - The basking spot is a steady 87 degrees Fahrenheit. The central part of the cage is about 74 degrees Fahrenheit, and the cage floor is about 67 degrees Fahrenheit
• Humidity - to measure humidity I use a standard analog dial. It stays at about 80 % humidity
• Plants - no live plants
• Placement - The cage is located on the second floor of my house, up against a wall. The wall is backed up towards the house (not an outside wall)
• Location - I live in south-eastern Michigan

 

[MissSkittles]

I do see some corrections that need to be made. My feedback will be in red.
Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - male veiled chameleon
• Handling - about once every 1-2 weeks
• Feeding - I feed him crickets, mealworms, and hornworms. Mainly crickets. Calcium dusted once every day At a year old, your guy should be getting fed every other day, about 3 feeders. Veileds are eating machines and easily can get obese. How are you feeding/caring for your feeders? It’s important to keep your feeders fed a healthy diet so they are more nutritious. Attaching both feeder and gutload sheets for you. Mealworms are ok in a pinch, but shouldn’t be a staple. Roaches and silkworms are great in terms of nutritional value. Bsfl have a great phosphorus to calcium ratio.
• Supplements - The brand of calcium is “repti calcium” by Zoo Med Does this contain D3 or not? If it doesn’t have D3, yes, use this for every feeding. But, you also need a calcium with D3 to be used one feeding every other week alternating with a multivitamin one feeding every other week. Or you could get a combination multivitamin with D3 and use that one feeding every other week. I use and like Reptivite as it has preformed vitamin A which is good for eye health.
• Watering - I have a misting system that goes off every hour for 2 minutes. Two minutes is great! This is too often. You need to let his enclosure dry out in between misting. Is better to mist just before lights on, just before lights off and for mid day you can either have another misting or use a dripper for about 20 minutes. I see him drinking quite frequently
• Fecal Description - Has never been tested for parasites. Vet wellness checks along with fecal for parasites is always a good idea. His stool is not very big and is your usual brown color. His urates all look to be white. It’s hard to tell how often he is defecating
• History - Last time I did a vet check-up was about 3 months ago and the report was all good. I plan on taking him in again soon Make sure to take a fresh poo for parasites testing.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - a screen cage. Dimensions are 24x24x48 inches Excellent!
• Lighting - I have 2 120 watt zoo med heat bulbs Why 2? You only need one in one spot. 120w is pretty high. and a UVB strip light Very important…is it a T5 or a T8? that runs diagonally across the top of the cage. What is the distance between basking area and lights? I also have 1 100 watts black light for the nighttime (only used in the wintertime). No lights at all at night. Veileds can handle pretty low temps at night. While I wouldn’t recommend letting him get colder than 60f, they have been known to do ok in the 50’s. If your temps are that low, instead of a light, use a ceramic heat emitter.
• Temperature - The basking spot is a steady 87 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s a bit warm. I keep my males around 82-84f. The central part of the cage is about 74 degrees Fahrenheit, and the cage floor is about 67 degrees Fahrenheit Good gradient!
• Humidity - to measure humidity I use a standard analog dial. It stays at about 80 % humidity Way too high! Ideal range during the day is between 30-50%. If you cut back on your misting as I suggested above, that should bring your humidity way down.
• Plants - no live plants Your guy needs all safe and live plants. While male veileds don’t usually eat their plants as voraciously as females, they do eat them. It only takes one bite of a fake leaf to cause impaction, which if not treated promptly can be fatal. Attaching safe plant lists. Pothos is a cham keeper’s best friend. Hang your fake ones on the outside of his enclosure for added privacy. Looking at the pic from your previous post, you also need many more branches or vines. Empty space is wasted on chams. They need lots of little ‘roads’. Use plants to provide little pockets of humidity and places for him to take shade or hide.
• Placement - The cage is located on the second floor of my house, up against a wall. The wall is backed up towards the house (not an outside wall) Is it on a table or stand? Is there high (human) traffic? They like to be up as high as possible…makes them feel safe. A lot of people or other pet traffic can be stressful. We are seen as predators and there’s the constant fear of being eaten.
• Location - I live in south-eastern Michigan

I’m going to guess that if he hasn’t been getting any vitamin D3, he isn’t feeling good as he has metabolic bone disease. Without D3, his body can’t utilize the calcium and it effects every system, not just bone. If your calcium does have D3, he’s been getting overdosed on it. It’s fat soluble and takes a while to be eliminated from the body. Plus, he hasn’t been getting any multivitamins either, which also leads to poor health. Not knowing what type of uvb you have and the distance it is, I can’t say but that could also be a contributing factor. All aspects of husbandry need to be correct as they all work together and many are dependent upon each other.

 

[chams529]

ok, wow. This is all great stuff. looks like i'm going to be making lots of changes! Thank you very much for this info. I will try and update some of the missing information soon