Not eating

[skillz]

Hey, my little guy hasn't eaten anyhting in 2 days. I have no idea why...I haven't changed anyhting or messed with his routine. Hes drinking witch is good..and doesn't seem to have anything physicaly wrong with him. I fed him mealworms for the first time a couplr days ago..mabey he just wants those now not crickets..anyways any help would be appreciated :)

[meow_mix450]

hmm is it a panther or a veild chameleon, how old is it??? when did you it him, if you got him for about 2 days then mayb hes stressed??just thoughts

meow

[skillz]

Its a veild about 3 and a half 4 months old. i've had him for 2 months.

[gfisher2002]

First off, some might dissagree, but i don't feed chameleons meal worms or superworms. I've heard horror stories about mealworm chewing their way out of the body. They also have a tough exoskeleton that's hard to digest and have a 4/1 phosphorous to calcium level. Crickets are closer to 1/1. I'd stick with crickets or another alternative.
Second it may be stress or she might not be hungry. Has she eaten since? Try some lively crickets, that should get her attention. If you still having problems post so we know.

[Collide]

Humm i wouldent feed a cham mealworms till they are mabey 6 months (just my opinion). but I doubt that is the issue. 2 days is he feed free range or in a bucket? I wouldent worrie yet but you can try some silks or wax worms to peak his intrest. make sure he is poopin and its normal. mabey he just isent eating in front of you...

[skillz]

Well I cup feed him so I know he hasn't been eating..The poop look normal..not runny or anything. I've only fed him mealies once. He usually goes up to the crickets anywhere between 10 min to 30 mins after i put them in. But he hasn't even close to the feed cup..So i'm have no idea what to do. Mabey its to soon to worry yet..but i just want him to be ok

[meow_mix450]

maybe hes just not hungry give it a few days

Meow

[choriona]

Yeah, I'd remove the crickets and feeding cup for a day. Then present it again, maybe in a new spot in his cage? In the mean time, give the crix a peice of christmas orange! (or something else for hydration and nutrution) That way they will be nicely gut loaded when your cham does eat them.

[meow_mix450]

keep us posted on what happens hope he eats soon

Meow

[Sean Day]

Originally posted by gfisher2002
I've heard horror stories about mealworm chewing their way out of the body.

I still get a good little chuckle every time I hear this.

[marisa]

Gus my veiled has been acting crazy lately and he didn't eat for a week and a half!!!! :( So I removed the feeding dish and bowl for four days (i know a long time but he was already refusing!) and when I placed it back in the other day with crickets he FINALLY munched down on some!

Marisa

[meow_mix450]

y so just dont feed him for a day or 2 and he should starat eating

Meow

[chamitch]

i think it might be winter. my veiled is really calm and lathargic right now. seems to eat jsut not as much as he used too

[Trace]

Is nobody else bothered by the fact that this chameleon is only 4 months old and he's stopped eating?

Skillz: has he started eating yet?

Trace

[Collide]

This is very true trace 4 months they are little eating machines non stop like they never get enough. any poos yet? how much is he drinking?

[meow_mix450]

Ya thats why i asked how old it was, like hearing in the other posts that babys eat like crazy, could have the meal worm be to big for it and is taking time to digest??? i dont know just throwing things, is there a live plant, if so are there some leafs gone??? how many mealies did you feed it???

Meow

[skillz]

He started eating again...I really have no idea what that was all about..i geuss no more mealies for him

[meow_mix450]

lol well it can have mealies just not at a young age??? And mayb it was a hunger strike, but you never know

Meow

[Wuntu Menny]

Chams' digestive systems are no different than any other creature in that they take time to adapt to new food sources. From what I've learned over the years, you shouldn't offer mealworms or waxworms until the cham is 6 months or older. Their digestive system simply isn't capable of dealing with it yet. Most will regurge within an hour or two, perhaps yours chose to ride out the storm and go off for a couple of days.

As meow just stated, the "hunger strike" is also a favorite means for a cham to get you to panic. If they get bored with the same old thing, they simply refuse to eat for a while. I had a veiled that decided the only thing he would eat was waxworms for a few weeks.

Also, as gfisher stated, The calcium to phosphorus ratio is critical in young animals. Ideally, you want to shoot for around 4:1. Mealies are actually 1:15 or 1:20 and crickets come in at 1:4 without dusting, and waxworms rate 1:45! Stick with dusted crix until they reach six months or so and you should be fine. Plant matter is another thing they can't deal with as juvies. They normally don't start experimenting with foliage until they're 6-8 months old.

And if I ever find the dolt that started the legend about mealworms/superworms, I'm going to sign them up for Fear Factor and force them to eat a bucket full!

WM

[gfisher2002]

Hey if he eating yet? Let us know. I'm curious what's wrong.

[meow_mix450]

skillz did say he started to eat again lol you must of missed that post:p

Meow

[katev17]

i think it might be winter. my veiled is really calm and lathargic right now.

My cham's been more active lately than before! And today I was watching him (secretly, cuz otherwise he won't move or eat or anything) right after I put in some crickets... he ate about 2 or 3 crickets, then started picking leaves off the plant. My dad suggested he just wanted a cricket salad. :rolleyes: ... I thought it was weird though! He hadn't eaten the leaves earlier, so it wasn't like he was extremely hungry or anything.. then I feed him and he's more interested in the greens ... mighty suspicious! Or just goofy. :) I guess he just needed those extra nutrients or glucose or whatever it was I was supposed to have learned in biology class...

Kate

[meow_mix450]

maybe its cause he wanted to try new things out???

Meow

[gfisher2002]

It's always good that he's eating though. Maybe your dad's right. lol. He wanted a crick salad.

[katev17]

He's always taken a liking to the pothos plant, I've even been able to feed him blueberries and raspberries on a couple special occassions! Not too much though, but it's a nice treat & good for the variety!

:D Mmm... cricket salad....
Kate

[gfisher2002]

My girl won't touch plants or greens of any kind for that matter. Don't know why. Just loves her crix I guess.

[Trace]

Originally posted by gfisher2002
My girl won't touch plants or greens of any kind for that matter. Don't know why. Just loves her crix I guess.

Hey Garrett! :D

I find that Panthers don't take much vegetation in their diets so I wouldn't worry to much about it. Obviously keep non-toxic plants in her cage in case she does nibble.

Cheers!

Trace

[gfisher2002]

All she has for plants is a Hibiscus. Lots of fakes though. Lots. I religiously hang a big, frsh leaf of kale and romaine in her cage everyday. Just in case. Guess I can give up. Thanks Trace. Your a very helpful chap.
cheers,
Garrett

[meow_mix450]

ya you bet, trace has helped me out here scince i joined the site, thanks

Meow

[gfisher2002]

Ya he's a walking, talking chameleon care guide. Only his advice is from experience which I find can differ quite a bit from most books.


'me rubs Lucy's chin again for Trace'
'Lucy thanks him'

[meow_mix450]

she's*, her* just gonna correct you there lol, to bad this site doesnt tell you if your a female or male makes it hard to me to tell to

Meow

[gfisher2002]

Ohhh lol, sorry Trace. No offence, I didn't know.

[Trace]

Originally posted by gfisher2002
Ohhh lol, sorry Trace. No offence, I didn't know.

No worries! I got a few giggles out of that last night.

Cheers!

Trace

[gfisher2002]

lol. Grad you have a sense of humor.