Wont eat.

[Curlytails]

Hey guys my cham stopped eating properly about 5 days ago.he eats but in small amounts. He doesnt like locusts anymore. Is he just finicky? He just takes worms. He recently recovered from dehydration and from what i could see from my stool float test nothing was visible. Is he just picky. Also hes looking a bit stressed. I moved his foliage around so he has maximum coverage.
Thanks for your help in advance.

 

[Remkon]

Is he just picky.

probably... But you should not let him be a spoilet brat, dont give in by feeding him the worms as compensation...
I don't know what kind of worms you feed him but most type of worms (ie super-, wax-) are not suitable as staple, the ones that can be good (silk-, horn-) can cause thin stool because of the large amount of moisture in them... Meal worms are best avoided completely as they provide almost no nutritious value and have thicker shells than superworms which can causs constipation.

Best try another stape like dubia or crickets...

 

[Curlytails]

probably... But you should not let him be a spoilet brat, dont give in by feeding him the worms as compensation...
I don't know what kind of worms you feed him but most type of worms (ie super-, wax-) are not suitable as staple, the ones that can be good (silk-, horn-) can cause thin stool because of the large amount of moisture in them... Meal worms are best avoided completely as they provide almost no nutritious value and have thicker shells than superworms which can causs constipation.

Best try another stape like dubia or crickets...

Crickets are hard to come by. Only pinheads are around and they die in the store. I use waxworms and silkworms. No hornworms allowed here.i had mealworms but he hates them anyway. He hasnt lost too much weight visibly but he is still feisty and ready to attack. I dont know why he is stressed though. Im willing to do anything you tell me to get my lil guy as happy as possible.

 

[Curlytails]

Crickets are hard to come by. Only pinheads are around and they die in the store. I use waxworms and silkworms. No hornworms allowed here.i had mealworms but he hates them anyway. He hasnt lost too much weight visibly but he is still feisty and ready to attack. I dont know why he is stressed though. Im willing to do anything you tell me to get my lil guy as happy as possible.

Also i use locusts as a staple but he isnt eating them anymore

 

[Syreptyon]

Have you tried going without feeding for a few days? Sometimes a fast will be all it takes to encourage them to start eating again and they can go without food for a few days without any problem

 

[Curlytails]

R

Have you tried going without feeding for a few days? Sometimes a fast will be all it takes to encourage them to start eating again and they can go without food for a few days without any problem

Havent tried but i left some locusts for him and im not gonna offer him worms. He lost a tiny bit of weight and i dont want him to lose any more. Hes already a little bit on the lean side from the pet store and dehydration previously

 

[JacksJill]

I know the idea of fasting them is hard to get your head and heart around but it can get them past a finicky stage.
It might be time to buy those pinheads and start raising your own crickets to provide more variety.
Here is a nice link on how to breed your own. http://skylab.org/~chugga/cricket/

 

[Curlytails]

I know the idea of fasting them is hard to get your head and heart around but it can get them past a finicky stage.
It might be time to buy those pinheads and start raising your own crickets to provide more variety.
Here is a nice link on how to breed your own. http://skylab.org/~chugga/cricket/

Ill try but arent locusts more nutritious than crickets. If crickets are better ill look around and find them.

 

[Syreptyon]

I'm not sure about the nutritional distinction between crickets and locusts, but the vast majority of people in the US use crickets as their staple. I think the point with the crickets is more to see if he will eat them since they are just a different option he isn't used to

 

[JacksJill]

Some times all it takes to stimulate their appetite is a change of pace. I would still use locust and switch back and forth. I have 4 kinds of feeders I rotate and a couple more I get occasionally.
Crickets are high in phosphorus and if calcium isn't available they can throw off the balance. They need to be fed dusted. I don't remember what locust are like.

 

[Curlytails]

I'm not sure about the nutritional distinction between crickets and locusts, but the vast majority of people in the US use crickets as their staple. I think the point with the crickets is more to see if he will eat them since they are just a different option he isn't used to

Ill go and get some tommorow then. Thanks.

 

[Curlytails]

Some times all it takes to stimulate their appetite is a change of pace. I would still use locust and switch back and forth. I have 4 kinds of feeders I rotate and a couple more I get occasionally.
Crickets are high in phosphorus and if calcium isn't available they can throw off the balance. They need to be fed dusted. I don't remember what locust are like.

I always dust with plain calcium

 

[Curlytails]

What size crickets do you recommend for my cham. Hes about 5 and a half inches stv.

 

[Remkon]

What size crickets do you recommend for my cham. Hes about 5 and a half inches stv.

As a rule of thumb, food should not be bigger (wider) than the space between your chameleons eyes... But my chams prefer food that's on the small side.

 

[Cordawayconstruction]

Have you tried hatching blue bottle fly spikes? My guy goes nuts over the flies once they hatch. Hell eat 10-20 in a day and that's with them going full speed, not cooled off by the fridge .

As far as crickets go, I use medium crickets although he could handle large easily. He's about 7inches ATM and is a male Jackson's .the large are noisy and I avoid them. Too bad you can get hornworms. They can't resist them

 

[Curlytails]

Have you tried hatching blue bottle fly spikes? My guy goes nuts over the flies once they hatch. Hell eat 10-20 in a day and that's with them going full speed, not cooled off by the fridge .

As far as crickets go, I use medium crickets although he could handle large easily. He's about 7inches ATM and is a male Jackson's .the large are noisy and I avoid them. Too bad you can get hornworms. They can't resist them

Got crickets today.he watches them but he only ate 1. Im gonna cup feed him to see if he eats more