Veiled not eating and shedding.

[gjordan523]

I have a juvenile veiled chameleon. He's only about two inches long from mouth to vent. I've had him for 8 days now and he hasn't eaten much. He's been shedding since Tuesday night (now Friday evening). Since I've gotten him he ate a little bit of spinach one night. A tiny bit of cucumber a few days later. Then on Wednesday he ate 4 crickets. Yesterday he at 1. Today he hasn't eaten anything. He seems very uninterested in food. He also hasn't finished shedding. He has a layer on half his head and some on his feet. I mist him often to help it be more moist. He has drank, I'm not sure what the regular amount is but he drinks everyday for a few minutes. Should I start assisting in the shedding?

I've had him for 8 days.
He is in a 18x18x30 screen cage.
I just got a UVB light yesterday and before that he was next to the window.
The temp. goes from 70-75 at the bottom of the cage to 85 at the top.
At night the temperature is roughly 70-75 degrees.
Lights are on 10-12 hours on, 10-12 off.
My little brother does look at him quite frequently but does not touch his cage or him.
I mist the cage at least 3 times a day for a bout a minute each, untill all the leaves look moist.
I have an umbrella tree in the cage with vines surrounding it.
Humidity is usually at 60%.

Also, he climbs on the screen almost all the time. he never stays on the branches or vines. Then he has trouble getting off the screen so I usually take him off. It appears to me that he loves to be handled. As soon as my finger goes near him he climbs onto me and refuses to go back in the cage.

Any advice would be amazing. I'm new to chameleons, but not to reptiles. But I really love Jarvis and am extremely scared that something might be wrong.

 

[bigcappa]

A good way to help them shed is a nice warm shower. An easy way to do this is to put a plant they can climb on inside a shower, turn the shower on to warm but not hot, turn the shower head to the wall so the plant nor chameleon get direct contact from the shower but get the mist from it the water bouncing off the wall. Leave him in the warm shower for about thirty minutes or so. Good luck and feel free to pm me if you have any more questions.

 

[Haze1981]

I wouldn't shower your chameleon as he seems too small. I think he will need to be six months or over (please someone correct me if I am wrong). I would just increase the length of his mistings. Also warm water might help loosen the skin. He might not be eating very much as he is shedding but also getting used to his new surroundings. Good luck with your little guy.