Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Welcome to kingsnake.com's message board system. Here you may share and discuss information with others about your favorite reptile and amphibian related topics such as care and feeding, caging requirements, permits and licenses, and more. Launched in 1997, the kingsnake.com message board system is one of the oldest and largest systems on the internet.

Click here to visit Classifieds
Click for ZooMed
Click for 65% off Shipping with Reptiles 2 You

still worried

anafranil Apr 24, 2006 10:59 AM

Gyes I'm getting really tired,and I bother you to a lot,Iknow, but my veiled does not eat,I have put a sheet over his cage,he gained back his colours at some point but refuses to eat,he does not show preference to any prey.The past couple of days I feed him superworms in a big and shallow bowl beneath his basking spot so I can see any progress since with crickets you are never really sure that they have been eaten or jumped out.My cham seems to follow the diet of one worm a day for a long time.I must admit that a few times I saw him looking down on a small bowl I had him and eat 3 crickets or worms one by one,but only periodically,he still likes the 1 item per day.I'm really affraid he may cut down his growth,he is young.Igot him 3 months ago and he was almost 1 foot.He got a bit bigger..

Replies (10)

Carlton Apr 24, 2006 11:56 AM

As long as he's drinking, basking, and moving around I'd just leave him alone. He is eating some, and a cham can go a week without eating much of anything if his environment is the correct temp and humidity.

anafranil Apr 24, 2006 12:10 PM

At this time humidity is around 50-55% in our area,I have a humidifier though I don't use it,just good misting 2-3 times a day,how about that,too low humidity for veiled?

captotterboy Apr 24, 2006 12:34 PM

Im still relativly new at this... so keep that in mind when i ask questions or provide answers.

You mentioned that he is eating a superworm a day, and a few crickets. Have you tried other varities of insects? I have been told that even the most picky of eaters seem to love waxworms. I know you are not supposed to give them to heps in high quanities, but if he does not seem to be eating enough, this may work. He may just be bored of crickets and superworms.

Maybe,
Jeff

flammysnake Apr 24, 2006 02:54 PM

this may not be of any use to you, but my herps get quite bored of food items after a while. my leos used to go crazy over superworms, but now that they've been eating them for a few months (you'd be suprised at how long 1,000 superworms lasts) they seem to be completely bored with them and only eat to "sustain". now when i put in a roach, they go crazy and hunt it down until it's caught(thanks again feeniee!). like i said that may have been no help whatsoever, but good luck!

anafranil Apr 24, 2006 03:47 PM

Gyes I appreciate your interest but what kind of feeders I use is not the case over here,I just use superworms since they are the easiest to spot when one missing,they don't jump out like crickets do.When I use crikets I get the same bites,one again,so regarding humidity and veileds,any correlation between humidity and strange behaviour as mine?Humidifiers,etc...
The more you tell me,the more you'll help,
Thanks

lele Apr 24, 2006 03:54 PM

but can you post some photos of your setup (whole view), your cham at different times? maybe some inside views, etc. It may be helpful. But then again, as Carlton said, if he is eating, pooping drinking and is not dehydrated I would just let him be for a while and let him adjust at his own pace. He may just be a shy cham who'd rather be left alone.

A note on the cup feeding, he may be happier hunting, so letting crickets loose in the cage may be more beneficial to him. As for counting how many are there don't worry - if he is pooping he is eating. If his urates are creamy or white then he is getting enough water/moisture.
-----
Chameleon Help & Resource Info
1.0 Nosy Be Panther Chameleon - Cyrus
0.1 Veiled Chameleon - Luna. She's now hanging from her big jungle gym in the sky
1.0 Beardie - Darwin
1.1 Side-blotched lizards - swifty and blotcha for now
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Lita
0.1 African Clawed Frog - Skipper
0.1 Mad. Hissers and she's back!
0.1 Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula - Rosa Leigh Died 4/21/06
0.1 Goliath Bird-Eater Tarantula - Natasha donated to science 4/4/06
?.? Pinktoe Tarantula - no name yet

anafranil Apr 24, 2006 04:04 PM

He is definately pooping,so I guess is his new enviroment,but how about the humidifier,should I start using it?On summer we have humidity as low as 20%
Thanks,you helped a lot.

Carlton Apr 25, 2006 12:34 PM

If the cage humidity drops below 50% and stays there for hours on end, I would start using it in cycles. You don't need a constantly high level, rather a cycle of high for a while, dropping down lower so the cage gets a chance to dry, then rising to a higher level again during the day. To mimic the wild, higher humidity would normally happen in the morning and again in late afternoon. During mid day the cage would naturally be warmer and drier. You can control the humidifier with a multiple setting lamp timer easily.

This is how I set up my cycles...

Spray the cage as normal. Check the humidity level. For the next several hours watch to see what level the cage drops to. If that level is below 50% you will probably need to start using the humidifier. Record how long it took the cage to get too dry. Start the humidifier. While it is running, check the humidity until the cage reaches a pretty high level such as 75%. Shut it off. This will tell you how long the unit will need to run to get the cage to the level you want. Then record how long it takes the cage to get too dry again. By doing this, you can figure out how often the humidifier needs to run and how long. Spraying for a drink should be done anyway, as the humidifier won't create enough real dripping water by itself.

anafranil Apr 25, 2006 05:06 PM

Would I need to cover a couple of the cage's sides?

Carlton Apr 26, 2006 02:51 PM

Probably. Test with and without, but generally if you need the humidifier it will shorten the amount of fog time (lessen water use and electricity and keep the RH level a bit more stable) if you do.

Site Tools