Very stressed cham

[Kodak]

Hi!
My Chameleon has become very stressed recently, and it has now become quite alarming since he wont even eat his food. He wiggles when he sees any kind of movement in the room. He flinches and hides, every time i open the cage door to mist, pick up poo or feed him. Once a day i always find him wanting out of the cage, trying to climb the glass or the screen top (which seems to me as a stressful behavior). If i need to pick up poo or fix the plants that are near him he gets dark and very aggressive.

What got me worried is that he wont eat anything. I always get his attention when i shake the feeding bowl in his line of sight, but when he nears the feeding bowl, he sees me and he rushes off. Sometimes he grabs one roach and then he gets nervous and rushes to a hiding spot. I have tried just leaving the bowl there but that way he wont touch any roaches, i have also tried feeding him with tweezers and he seems nervous just watching me and not the food.

I usually never handled him since his aggressive behavior (even outside his cage), but lately i have been handling him more often, to in some way, get him to get used to me and not be scared, But it seems that this has only added to his stress? and therefore for the last couple of days i haven't handled him.

How can I get him to calm down so he can eat? Mind you, he has always been skittish, nervous and aggressive, but it has not interfered with him eating. So, i am also looking for suggestions on how to make him comfortable and relaxed overall.



Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - Veiled Chameleon, Male, 8 months old. Been in my care for about 2,5 month.
• Handling - I handle him when its feeding time, tha
• Feeding - 7-10 dubias a day. I feed the feeders a dry mix (bee pollen, spirulina, alfalfa,kelp,dried carrots hamp seeds etc). wet food consist of carrots, sweet potato, oranges.
• Supplements - I dust the feeders with calcium without D3 (Zoomed Repti Calcium), komodo Calcium with D3 and Exo-terra Multivitamin . I dust with calcium every feeding, Calcium with D3 2 times a week and multivitamin every other week.
• Watering - I mist the enclosure 2 times a day for about 30 sec. I always see him drinking water droplets at every misting.
• Fecal Description - Firm black poo, with white urine (or whatever its called).
• History -

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Glass enclosure, Exo-terra 24” x 18” x 36”
• Lighting - I have a Reptiglo 5.0, and a exo terra solar glo 80W. They are on fro 8AM to 8PM
• Temperature - The temperature at the basking spot is 90F (32C) Cage floor is cooler but I dont know the temps. Night Temp is room temperature: around 70-73F.
• Humidity - 60-70% day time, 80 % night time
• Plants -one Ficus plant and one pothos plant.
• Placement - Its located in my bedroom temporarily on the floor until I find a bench who can hold its weight.
• Location - Scandinavia.

 

[Kristen Wilkins]

Have you tried any other feeders ? Hornworms,super or silkworms ? Sometime a nice juicy feeder will do the trick .

 

[Randall-the-Chameleon]

I picture of the Cham could help. For him not eating it could be that he is going on hunger strike because of boredom of the same food or something more serious, I don't know a lot about the subject. Has he been on the floor long, at lease some of his stress is from you towering over him.
I do recommend lowering the basking temp., I am sure there is an exact temp. under "chameleon care" on here but at least by a few degrees. Also, how much of the cage is screen? Just the top? It really needs to be the top and a full side at a bare minimum.

 

[Andee]

He's old enough now that he most likely needs a larger cage. He also is still considered a juvenile and his Temps should be around 85 degrees at basking. Your dusting schedule is wrong, it should be D3 and multivitamin only 2x times a month for each.

 

[rminnis]

many chams dont like to be even looked at let alone touched while eating or doing anything for that matter give him some privacy and he will eat if hes hungry

 

[absolutbill]

Welcome to the forums! I've had a couple of veileds, so I have a few pieces of information for you. Firstly, you'll need a larger cage, since your boy is nearly an adult. The glass sides don't bother me since you're in Scandanavia (btw, where exactly, because I was there this past June and it was beautiful!). I know you said it's in your bedroom while you look for a bench to hold it, however if the cage is sitting on the floor, or the top of the cage is lower than your head that's going to cause nervousness in a chameleon. Thirdly, how many plants do you have in your enclosure? Chameleons love to hide, and I find veileds love to even more than other species. Just remember, at 8 months of age your veiled is a teenager, and that's about the age they tend to start getting agitated and fussy.

I'd try to get a couple of different types of feeders as well. I have no idea what you can get in your local pet stores, but you can also look at ordering online. A nice bunch of superworms are easy to breed once you have some, so that way you only have to order one time. Crickets, mantids, hornworms, silkworms, there are a lot of choices, just see what you can feasibly order.

Lastly, veileds tend to become cage aggressive, which leads owners to believe they are not handlable. I have a 2 year old male and he would try to take off my head if I even went towards his cage. I put on a glove and just swallowed my fear and took him gently out of the cage. Once he was out he completely mellowed out. Is this always the case with him? No. Actually he's currently on my back porch devising ways to kill me in his sleep, I think, but that's ok. At least he's outside and has learned that once again I will not eat him. Good luck with your little guy and don't hesitate to ask more questions.

 

[Decadancin]

Is this always the case with him? No. Actually he's currently on my back porch devising ways to kill me in his sleep, I think, but that's ok. At least he's outside and has learned that once again I will not eat him. Good luck with your little guy and don't hesitate to ask more questions.

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