Reptile & Amphibian Forums

First post so be kind
Veiled Chameleon, 6 months -> Merlin

Recently moved him from a 20 gallon tank to a 175 gallon screened in Terrarium. Put in a live plant, large hibiscus, some vines on the side. He ate the crickets I put in for the first 2 days or so, but now he hasn't (that I know of) eaten any. He's eaten the meal worms (3/day) I've put in but no crickets. I've put repticarpet (not entirely) on the bottom thinking that he couldn't see the crickets with just the plastic bottom. However he hasn't eaten even with the carpet.

Any ideas, suggestions, solutions would be appreciated.

Cheers.

Several ideas for you. He may still be freaked by the move to such a nice large cage. How long ago was he moved? He may be having a hard time finding food if its loose. You could confine the food to a plastic storage box so he can hunt from the rim. Moving into a large cage means he has to learn his new space and that takes time. He may be bored with crix. If he is showing other signs of stress he may be seeing another animal or something outside the cage that is worrying him. A healthy cham can go almost a week without eating much of anything, so as long as he's drinking and other wise behaving normally, he should eat when he gets hungry. Try putting some houseflies or moths in the cage for him to hunt.

Many thanks for the reply, we really appreciate it. It's actually been one week today that Merlin has been in his new cage. I'll try putting a few crix into a transparent container to keep them in an enclosed area. We'll keep you updated.

Cheers,

ps: didn't know that they could go awhile without eating thanks.