Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello all,

I am both new to this forum and new to chameleons, and I'd be very grateful for any advice you're able to give me. Eight days ago, I purchased a juvenile male veiled from LLL Reptile; he's a great little guy, and seems basically healthy and happy. My only concern is that he's not feeding quite as aggressively as I would like, and I'm not certain if he's getting adequate nutrition. While it's possible that it's the stress of the new place and the new setup (the theory of the people at LLL), I wanted to do my best to rule out any husbandry issues.

Here are the specifics of his setup: he's in a 2x2x4 wire mesh enclosure with a ficus and a pothos vine (both of which are pesticide-free.) He's got a full-spectrum ZooMed UV lamp which heats his basking spot to ~92 degrees; I keep the lamp on for about twelve hours a day, and he also gets some natural sunlight during the day. I'm in Southern California, so the temp never drops below 70 in the house. I've got an automatic mister that goes off every three hours, and I mist by hand a couple of times a day as well; I've seen him drink a lot, so I'm not concerned that he's not getting enough water. His enclosure is in a reasonably low-traffic area of the house.

Food-wise, I've been putting 6-8 small crickets in his enclosure every day (they're about the size of the space between his eyes) and also giving him mealworms and some vegetables. 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've tried both dusted and non-dusted insects. So far, I've actually seen him eat 2 crickets and 2 mealworms total--while I'd guess he's eating when I'm not looking as well, I'm not certain how much hunting he's doing. I've seen him totally ignore crickets that are right next to his nose, though, and that seems weird--everything I've read says that baby chameleons are huge eaters, and mine seems decidedly not like this. He's sitting on the screen right now with probably six crickets in striking distance, and he's ignoring all of them. He's begun looking a little bit bony--it almost looks like I can see his ribs--and this worries me.

Should I assume that he's still stressed out about the move and give him some time? Should I be making an appointment with the vet? Am I overthinking this? Do you guys have any advice and/or thoughts on the matter?

Thanks so much in advance.

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.

Well it seems that I'm having the same problem with a veiled that I purchased from LLL at the hamburgh show this weekend. I saw him eat 2 crickets and drink a LOT the first day and now I haven't seen him eat or drink since. He doesn't look skinny or anything and I did find 1 poop from him but I'm getting worried. All he wants to do is sit at the very top of the cage in his basking spot all day and not move unless I go near him. The temp in the low side is 72-73 and 81 on the high side w/~105 basking. I wonder what's the deal with ours??