Veiled not eating

AndrewWelch

AndrewWelch

New Member
This past week whenever I put crickets in Jose's cage, he wont eat them. I've heard to switch up his diet and I put some mealworms in there, but he only will eat a couple and go back to the top of his cage. We put a plastic thing in the back of his cage for him to crawl on, and hes trying to munch of it :/.

I'm sure this is common for a lot of chameleons, but I've tryed all I know what to do.

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.
 
You may want to post his background info. Fill out the how to ask for help form. Mealworms are not the best to feed him. If you're changing up his food for variety superworms would be better. For now though let us know more about him.
 
Recent picture -
100_2850.jpg

He looks really skinny to me, but maybe I'm just paranoid.

Oldish picture -
100_2796.jpg

About a week before he stopped eating.

Ill post a background info in a bit, I dont know much of it though, I got him from petco a month ago.
 
melric said:
You may want to post his background info. Fill out the how to ask for help form. Mealworms are not the best to feed him. If you're changing up his food for variety superworms would be better. For now though let us know more about him.
Click to expand...

I know their not the best, I just bought some real quick to see if he would eat something other than crickets. I haven't fed him worms for 2 weeks I think?
 
melric said:
You may want to post his background info. Fill out the how to ask for help form. Mealworms are not the best to feed him. If you're changing up his food for variety superworms would be better. For now though let us know more about him.
Click to expand...

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Veiled, male, 4-5 months
Handling - I've handled him twice in the month I've had him. To put him on his free range plant, and to clean his cage.
Feeding - Mainly crickets. I put vegetables in there too. Carrots, lettuce, stuff like that.
Supplements - Reptitive vitamins without D3 everyday, calcium with d3 on the 15th and 16th of the month, calcium without d3 the 30th and 31st of the month. Reptitive and Rep-Cal
Watering - We have a dripper system that drips water down some vines back into a bucket that collects the water, where the pump is.
Fecal Description - His poo looks fine to me, it has never changed, it is just a regular poo color with that white stuff on the end of it. I dont think hes been tested for worms. I really want to soon.
History - All I know is I bought him from petco, and they had him for about 2-3 months. I've had him here for 1 and put him in a bigger cage last week.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Screen, 8x8x8
Lighting - Day light, repti glo 5.0 UVB, all day, and turn them off at night
Temperature - 80 from the middle to the bottom, I think 85 at top, About to 75-70 at night, Just look at the temp in my room.
Humidity - 75-80%. I spray his cage 2 times a day, 3 if im at home during lunch, and I have a mister running
Plants - Sadly, no real plants. I have fake vines and other stuff winding through his cage.
Placement - He is on my dresser, probably about 1f away from my window, but I never have it open
Location - Washington State, USA
Current Problem - Won't eat that much, and looks too skinny.
 
ChameleonNerd said:
he does not look skinny, maybe more on the plump side. sure it's a male by the way?
Click to expand...

When he is sitting there doing nothing he looks fine, but when hes running around his cage he gets really skinny, I dont know if its cause hes fully extended his body or what, but I really dont like it, lol.
 
I posted some of this info earlier. Here goes:

I go with what most do. Gutload your crickets very well. I use cricket crack. Calcium withOUT D3 every feeding. Calcium with D3 every other week and multivitamin every other week. You could alternate between D3 and the vitamins so you remember what you're supposed to give that week.

How are you maintaining those temps? He should have a night time drop to around the 60's. He doesn't seem that skinny to me either.
 
melric said:
I posted some of this info earlier. Here goes:

I go with what most do. Gutload your crickets very well. I use cricket crack. Calcium without D3 every feeding. Calcium with D3 every other week and multivitamin every other week. You could alternate between D3 and the vitamins so you remember what you're supposed to give that week.

How are you maintaining those temps? He should have a night time drop to around the 60's.
Click to expand...


I have a Day time lamp, and then the UVB bulb. If it will help, I can get it to drop down to 60. What I do to help him sleep since I stay up late is put a small blanket over the cage and turn off all of his lights, I turn of his mister also. From what I see he falls asleep atleast 5 minutes after I turn his lights off. I can take off the blanket when I head to bed if thats a problem.
 
melric said:
I posted some of this info earlier. Here goes:

I go with what most do. Gutload your crickets very well. I use cricket crack. Calcium withOUT D3 every feeding. Calcium with D3 every other week and multivitamin every other week. You could alternate between D3 and the vitamins so you remember what you're supposed to give that week.

How are you maintaining those temps? He should have a night time drop to around the 60's. He doesn't seem that skinny to me either.
Click to expand...

I gutload my crickets with potatoes, apples, and Flukers Orange Cube. It has the complete cricket diet. And for water for the crickets I get sponges and put it in their holder and they suck on the sponge for the water.
 
melric said:
The blanket is fine. I just was wondering why the temp stays at 75 at night. Unless you have the heater on at your house. I'm gonna post Jannb's blog. It has a lot of useful info on it already.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html
Click to expand...

Oh, ok. It's like that because I have the last room in the house, which makes it the hottest. Before I got Jose I would turn on my AC every night because I like it cold when I sleep, but I thought 60 was way to cold for him at night time.
 
You can also try different feeders. Superworms, silks, silk moths, mantid's, etc. My chams have never turned down a juicy hornworm. Your cage is 8ft by 8ft by 8ft? And it fits on your dresser? If it's in inches you need a way bigger cage.
 
melric said:
You can also try different feeders. Superworms, silks, silk moths, mantid's, etc. My chams have never turned down a juicy hornworm. Your cage is 8ft by 8ft by 8ft? And it fits on your dresser? If it's in inches you need a way bigger cage.
Click to expand...

Where can I buy other worms and stuff? I dont really want to order online but I dont think my local pet store has different types of worms. All I know they have is meal worms.

It's not feet, lol, I wish.
This one is way bigger than my old one, my first cage for him was 8 inch tall by 4 inch wide i think.

Remember though he's only 4-5 months, and isnt that big. He likes the new cage a lot more than his old one. Plus, this new one is a screen, and the other was glass.

The next one I get I want to try and have it be like, 26x26x26. I will probably end up making it myself.
 
It is still a pretty darn small cage. I've never had one so small for any of my babies. Your best bet for feeders is going to be online. Our sponsors provide feeders. Check them out.
 
melric said:
It is still a pretty darn small cage. I've never had one so small for any of my babies. Your best bet for feeders is going to be online. Our sponsors provide feeders. Check them out.
Click to expand...

Well, space is a real issue for me. I have a shelf right above his cage which I'm going to remove, and make it taller. Wider too. A lot of people told me this cage will last me up to 7 months, but thats pushing it.

I'll check out the the links and probably order something that flys, and maybe some worms.

But, back to the topic, does he look healthy? I'm a really paranoid person and I need this to be answered lol. When he sits still he looks fine, but when hes moving his ribs stick out a bit. I want to take him to a vet and get his poo checked out, but everytime I ask my parents they say hes bony just because hes a small animal, and hes growing. I'm having a hard time believing that...
 
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