anorexic veiled chameleon!

wonder_chunky · 04-10-02, 07:35 PM

i have two veiled chameleons about 4-5 months old. the male is growing amzingly fast and healthy and showing sweet *** colours!, but the female didnt eat when she was in her old inclosure so when i moved them both into new enclosures she seemed to look a bit happier and eat more, but now she is back to being skinnier than a toothpick (not literally) you can see her shoulder bones and everything. and i was planning on breeding them soon but i doubt she will live through a pregnancy, so what can i do to help her grow nice and fast and healthy? or should i get a new female. if i get a new one i'd need to sell this one to someone who will know how to help her because she seems to do better when she is in a nicer enclosure (for a while).

Ryan

marisa · 04-11-02, 01:44 AM

I don't own a vieled cham myself. but my roomate does and two of my friends do.

You might want to seperate her from the male. And have fecal done. She sounds really skinny....I don't know what your whole temps/humidity/cage setup is but it could be one of those things as well.

I also have read in a few places that while they are sexually mature at 5-6 months, waiting until the female is 10 months to one year old will beneift her and the babies.

And I certainly thikn your female is not able to breed at tihs point being so thin.

marisa

Matt · 04-11-02, 07:38 AM

ryan,
Marissa is right, veilds are sex. mature at around 6 months. THis means your pair is really close to breeding size and they really should be separate.
Separate the male from the female. It is important that they are visually separate as well (make sure they cant see each other). This will probably mean ALOT less stress on your female and she will start putting on some weight.

Chams are VERY solitary and they should never be together (unless the encolsure is HUGE or they are 2 females).
Remember to keep an eye on her when you breed them and introduce the male into the females enclosure.

wonder_chunky · 04-11-02, 06:54 PM

the veileds are already separated and they have excellent cages that pretty much look like jungles, she is fed more than enough and they have good temp and humidity and everything. so i don't know what's wrong
but i do want to start breeding them soon...but i cant because of her size and everything so i might just get a new female that is healthier and sell this one to someone who will know what to do.

ryan

Matt · 04-11-02, 08:31 PM

hmm,. well it sounds like she may have something else wrong with her. I would consider taking her into the vet and getting it checked out before its too late.

Gorelith · 04-11-02, 09:06 PM

I may be able to help you more if you give me specific detail about what type of enclosure she's in what type of lighting, watering system, plants in the enclosure, etc. etc. etc. What you feed her etc. how often you dust her prey etc.

wonder_chunky · 04-12-02, 04:02 PM

her cage has a ficus tree in it and another one which i don't know how to spell but i looked it up and its safe

it is a fairly larege enclosure with a screen front and top, she cant see any other reptiles and i spray her at least 3 times a day, i've seen her eat and drink but she is still skinny and really small for her age.
i looked up the temps it should be and humidity again just to be sure and i have all of that right. but i know why she is so small now, it's because when i first had her i put her in an aquarium temporarily. and she wouldnt eat very much when she was in there, and she was always dark, brown and black, but after i moved her she looked like she was doing good, but she hasnt really grown much, unlike the male who is huge!
so i guess i'll have to get a new female and sell this one, but i'll have to tell the person that she is picky and needs a nice cage etc. to do well

Ryan

marisa · 04-12-02, 04:10 PM

I wouldn't really say that she is just picky and needs a nicer cage or she won't do well....I think her being less than half the size and so thin says something is wrong, not just a behavior.

Do you have UV light source of any kind? And has this cham had a fecal?

marisa
p.s. yes if you are looking to breed I would suggest getting a healtheir, older cb female. At least until you figure out whats wrong with her as it may be something fairly simple and easy to correct.

Grant vg · 04-12-02, 11:23 PM

Are u giving them calcium supplements???
I had a cham that got very weak and skinny due too not enough calcium....Unfortunately when i tried to correct it..it was all down hill from there..

He ended up dying a while later....
Does she look like she is struggling to walk? does it seem like her bones arn't strong enough?
Does she move slow..(slower then most chams)
Could be a difficiency of some sort....whats her diet consist of?
And like marisa said whats ur lighting like?

wonder_chunky · 04-13-02, 05:54 PM

she doesnt seem to be so unhealthy looking anymore, she has a nice sized belly on her

i dont think it was because of calcium because she could walk fine, she isnt weak or anything anymore, but she is still small, so i'll have to sell her and find a new female for my male.
if anyone wants to buy her, or if you have a female veiled around 5-6 months please email me at wonder_chunky@hotmail.com

thanks