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veiled cham not eating

dmlove Sep 09, 2003 02:52 PM

i have a veiled cham ive ahd since he was 4 weeks old, in january 2001. Lately , the past week, he has eaten nothing but a raspberry. I count the crickets as they go in, and thats the same # as when i come in that night. Same with the superworms. When i got a raspberry in some tongs and put it in there, he opened his mouth to scare it off, and i put it in there, and he ate it, but thats it. Im afraid he must be starving!!! how long can they go without food?!?!?!?!? He is shedding, maybe that is it. I am tihnking of getting some more silks and hornworms (i did a long while ago, but not recently). Thanks for any input. Heres a pic of they lik guy.

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~David - KDRKreatures
My Main Herps-
1.2 Bearded dragons (Ralph, Artemis, Cheech)
1.0 Veiled Chameleon (Chiquito)
1.0 Black Racer Snake (Chong)
2.2 Eastern Box Turtles (Athena, Mercury, Gizmo, Galapago)
0.0.2 Leopard Geckos (Nee, Unnamed)
1.0 Ball Python (Carson)

KDRKreatures-Home Page
My Email

Replies (4)

eric adrignola Sep 09, 2003 03:46 PM

they do that sometimes...especially when they're well fed. How much has he been eating? I generally feed my big veild 3-5 insects 2 or 3 times a week. I'm cutting back, trying to get him into plants. HE got really fat a few months back, and wouldeat less consistently, going on a week or two at a time with out eating in front of me. Since I've started feeding him less, he's become more active, more colorful, and eats whenever he can.
Adult veilds should NEVER be fed till they can't eat any more. They can eat more in one day that they need for a week. My first WC male was only 13" long, and he ate as much as 25 big adult crickets a day for a few weeks. Way more than they need. My current male is 18" long, and is twice the size of the first one, and he doesn't eat that much in a week.
Too much food can lead to health problems, short term signs are intermittant eating after a while.

Try waxworms. For some stupid reason, none of my chameleons can turn one down. they'll rufuse silkworms, moths, crickets, superworms,but not waxworms...but go easy, gutloaded waxworms are very nutrient rich--and their main nutrient is FAT. It's amazing how they can fatten up an animal.

My big male was really nasty and skittish, and he'd only eat waxworms from my hands. So , to train him to hand feed, I fed him one or two waxworms every day or so for a month--what a pig he got to be. His head was bulging from the sides and back of his casque.
Now he's back down to more respectable shape, but his casque still bulges out the sides more thanother vields I've seen.

i wouldn't worry unless he's got other symptoms that are LEADING to the lack of appitite. If they're healthy, hey can go weeks without food. Not that that's something you want to do, it's just reassurance that he's not going to starve to death after 3 or 4 days.

Eric A

dmlove Sep 09, 2003 06:45 PM

we established it a while back, but yeah, i think thats what you said..something like that..heres a picture of him, he may not be, but his father is flash gordon

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~David - KDRKreatures
My Main Herps-
1.2 Bearded dragons (Ralph, Artemis, Cheech)
1.0 Veiled Chameleon (Chiquito)
1.0 Black Racer Snake (Chong)
2.2 Eastern Box Turtles (Athena, Mercury, Gizmo, Galapago)
0.0.2 Leopard Geckos (Nee, Unnamed)
1.0 Ball Python (Carson)

KDRKreatures-Home Page
My Email

Carlton Sep 09, 2003 03:48 PM

There are lots of reasons chams stop eating. An animal this age can easily go a week or more without eating as long as he's drinking, basking, active and not showing signs of stress (has anything changed in his habitat, activity around the cage, lighting, daylength, watering, temps or humidity?). Check for new things that may be stressing him. He may be bored with his current food and be holding out for a favorite you aren't providing right now. You can try changing the color or taste of his food...change the gutload slightly to change taste, and sprinkle ground dried green peas or green algae on the crix. Most chams love green foods. Also offer him something new such as night moths or houseflies...they often like the new hunt. Start weighing him so you can detect any weight loss. Chams may not eat the same amount all year long especially as winter comes. If he's healthy he won't lose much weight. Get him outdoors for a nice sunny basking session and offer food while he's outdoors. Sometimes the intense light will trigger appetite. Also, are you feeding him every day? He doesn't need it. Try every other day instead.

dmlove Sep 09, 2003 06:47 PM

he ate 2 bites of collard greens today and part of a raspberry, and i left a cup of supers in the bowl, just so he has a snack if he needs it, lol. Im very thankful guys, i was really worrying here!!! thanks aagain
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~David - KDRKreatures
My Main Herps-
1.2 Bearded dragons (Ralph, Artemis, Cheech)
1.0 Veiled Chameleon (Chiquito)
1.0 Black Racer Snake (Chong)
2.2 Eastern Box Turtles (Athena, Mercury, Gizmo, Galapago)
0.0.2 Leopard Geckos (Nee, Unnamed)
1.0 Ball Python (Carson)

KDRKreatures-Home Page
My Email

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