You said..."he's not feeding quite as aggressively as I would like, and I'm not certain if he's getting adequate nutrition"....while I have never had a problem with young veileds settling in (they eat right away for me)...other people have mentioned it.



Your set-up seems to be fine...except that your basking area could be a little cooler (86ish F)since its a young chameleon. It wouldn't hurt to have a UVB light on the cage though....or did I just miss it in your post?



Do you have a substrate in the cage? Is he pooping?



Regarding feeding...you said he may be eating when you aren't looking...is everything you said you offered him disappearing form his cage(and not able to escape)? Young chameleons are usually very hungry....and although they can look slim at different times as they grow, they shouldn't look "bony" IMHO. (Even some/most adults will gorge themselves if you let them.



What veggies are you giving him? Does he eat any?



Just some more information for you....

You said..."I gutload the crickets with commercial gutload stuff and I've been dusting them with ZooMed's Reptevite (which has calcium, vitamin A and vitamin D3, among others.)...I use a phosphorous-free calcium powder to dust the insects with most of the time. I also use a vitamin powder that has a beta carotene source of vitamin A in it twice a month lightly. Because my chameleons get no direct sunlight, I dust twice a month lightly with a calcium/D3 powder. Many people (myself included) gutload the crickets with a mixture of greens and veggies. Some people do this in addition to using the commercial gutloads...you just need to be aware of any D3, preformed vitamin A, and phosphorous that might be in them...and take it into consideration.



Most insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorous...so dusting with the phos.-free calcium helps to make up for that.



Exposure to UVB either from direct sunlight or UVB tube lights will allow the chameleon to produce vitamin D3 which allows it to use the calcium in its diet. The sunlight and artificial UVB should not pass through glass or plastic. D3 from supplements can build up in the system though, so its advised to be careful with it.



Vitamin A from supplements can build up in the system too....if its from a preformed source. If its from a beta carotene source it can't....but there is some controversy as to whether chameleons can convert beta carotene into vitamin A...so some people give their chameleons a little preformed too. Preformed vitamin A can build up in the system though...so be careful not to overdo it. Excess preformed vitamin A can prevent the D3 from doing its job and it can lead to MBD.



Calcium, D3, vitamin A and phosphorous are the main players in bone health and need to be kept in balance.



Appropriate basking temps allows the chameleon to digest its food properly.



If your chameleon is truly not eating enough and you can't figure out why, then I would recommend you take it to a vets.

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