Veiled chameleon poop

[K8ty]

Hello! First post , I have a 6 almost 7 yr old male veiled chameleon and recently some of his last poops have been odd. The urate is a nice solid white, but the actual poop has been liquidy. it doesn't smell strongly. he gets fed crickets every other day and often doesn't eat them all for a few days and veggies a few times a week. I don't see him eat very often but the crickets do disappear so he must be. he's a grumpy old man, but hasn't had any other issues during his life.

 

[Carloscruz]

7 years old wow that a lot for a chameleon I will tag some people that can help @kinyonga @MissSkittles

 

[K8ty]

7 years old wow that a lot for a chameleon I will tag some people that can help @kinyonga @MissSkittles

i got him when i was 13 so we've been through a lot!

 

[kinyonga]

Can you post a photo of him please?
Has he always eaten greens and veggies?
Can you post a photo of his poop too please?

 

[Lindasjackson]

Wow! That’s awesome that you’ve had him all these years! You must be doing something right! I’d love to see pictures of him!

 

[Beman]

You could get a fecal done to ensure it is not a parasite issue. And I second everything @kinyonga posted above.

 

[kinyonga]

Forgot to say...welcome to the forum!
You've done well to have him live to that age!

 

[K8ty]

Can you post a photo of him please?
Has he always eaten greens and veggies?
Can you post a photo of his poop too please?

@Lindasjackson

I will attach some images of him! He has darker colors in them because he gets a little grumpy if i get in his space too much so he's a bit defensive. He has also had a cage upgrade recently but I am still slowly adding more foliage for more cover. Normally he is a lovely light green with yellows and is very active exploring his cage.

He has always eaten greens and veggies, a little kale, dandelion greens, thinnly sliced carrots, and bell pepper is common. He gets them maybe 1-2x a week, it helps a lot to keep him hydrated as well.

He hasn't pooped since i posted and i forgot to take a picture sadly i will post when he does next!

My worry is that he isn't eating enough and looks a little skinny to me, but I'm not sure how to get him more interested in food because he often lets his crickets run around the cage for a few days without eating them and i don't know any good fatty veggies that could help him gain weight.

Any tips are helpful )

 

[K8ty]

i also have a video of him climbing a bit to see him move but idk how to attach it. but he has strong grip strength, his legs look skinny to me but they aren't fragile or bent/deformed (no mbd as far as i can tell!) his eyes aren't sunken, and his behavior is never odd/slow/hurt.

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi. Your guy has no need for any plant matter in his diet other than the safe live plants he should have in his enclosure, which he’ll nibble as he wants. All you should be giving him is live feeders. Greens such as kale will also bind to calcium and reduce his levels. Now with that being said, for veiled’s you should only use live safe plants as they can and will try to eat the artificial and can become impacted. I do hope that isn’t what has happened to your guy. It is not a good thing when a veiled won’t eat as they are very opportunistic and will eat as though never getting full. I suggest getting him into a good veterinarian as soon as you can.

 

[kinyonga]

You said he just had a cage upgrade recently...did you wash all the new plants well...both sides of the cage? Was the cage brand new...wiped out or cleaned out if secondhand?
It might be something as simple as the cage change that is use thing him enough that his poop is looser for now.

You could offer him a couple of wax worms or maybe superworms or silkworms..to give him a bit more fat...but don't go overboard with the wax worms.

 

[K8ty]

Hi. Your guy has no need for any plant matter in his diet other than the safe live plants he should have in his enclosure, which he’ll nibble as he wants. All you should be giving him is live feeders. Greens such as kale will also bind to calcium and reduce his levels. Now with that being said, for veiled’s you should only use live safe plants as they can and will try to eat the artificial and can become impacted. I do hope that isn’t what has happened to your guy. It is not a good thing when a veiled won’t eat as they are very opportunistic and will eat as though never getting full. I suggest getting him into a good veterinarian as soon as you can.

@kinyonga

he hasn't gotten kale in awhile and he still passed urate (not sure if that would indicate impaction) and shows no other signs of impaction, i will check his plants more throughly for bites tomorrow. they are silk as i heard that was better than plastic. as for his eating habits he's always been a slow eater since maybe around 1-2 yrs old but i will still look into a vet appointment.

about live plants, i have a pothos and another (can't remember the name but ik its safe) but i haven't added them in yet bc they needed to grow and i'm worried they will cause fungus gnats because of my misting will cause the soil to be damp more often and i don't want bugs bc the only ways i've successfully handled them is with insecticides which i am not about to put anywhere near my boy. any insight?

his cage was new and i rinsed everything with boiling water and left it all to bake in the hot sun for a few days before adding to his cage. I will try a few superworms hopefully he will enjoy those!

I wonder if it could be stress from not enough cover in his new cage as the last one was a bit smaller

 

[Kaizen]

Hello! First post , I have a 6 almost 7 yr old male veiled chameleon and recently some of his last poops have been odd. The urate is a nice solid white, but the actual poop has been liquidy. it doesn't smell strongly. he gets fed crickets every other day and often doesn't eat them all for a few days and veggies a few times a week. I don't see him eat very often but the crickets do disappear so he must be. he's a grumpy old man, but hasn't had any other issues during his life.

Welcome! While feeding chameleons vegetable matter is rarely advised, making sweeping changes at his mature age—especially if you’re concerned about him—is less than prudent. By all means, taper him off veggies if you want, but don’t make huge changes suddenly. I’m sure others have suggested you fill out the following form,

https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/

so please do so, as it can help us troubleshoot. Also, a wellness check with a good reptile vet never hurts (see https://arav.org/).

 

[kinyonga]

You said..."he still passed urate (not sure if that would indicate impaction) and shows no other signs of impaction"...urates are urine. Fecal matter causes impaction not urates...so if there has been no poop but only urates than he could be impacted. What other signs of impaction are you meaning he doesn't have?

 

[K8ty]

You said..."he still passed urate (not sure if that would indicate impaction) and shows no other signs of impaction"...urates are urine. Fecal matter causes impaction not urates...so if there has been no poop but only urates than he could be impacted. What other signs of impaction are you meaning he doesn't have?

no sluggish leg movements, he's been the same level of active, he's fully hydrated (i have seen that dehydration can lead to impaction) and hasn't refused to eat, he just eats slowly.

any suggestions to help at home if it is? i will fill out the how to ask for help form asap and find a vet. he has always been temperamental i don't know how he'd be able to handle a long car ride and vet handling esp because he's older, i hope it wouldn't be too much stress.

 

[K8ty]

UPDATE! @kinyonga I checked on him rn and he has pooped! I will attach an image. the smaller one is from yesterday i believe and the other from this morning. the urate is smaller than his previous poop 4 days ago

 

[kinyonga]

Well...looks like the poop isn't liquids anymore. You don't want it to get too dry either. I agree with what @Kaizen said about not making sudden changes with the vegetation.